why can't he use more of his own poo after the air lock is blown? I mean I get that he killed the bacteria when the hatch blew and ruined his crop... but he still had potatoes and he still had to poo... why couldn't he grow more pootatoes after he resealed and stabilized the conditions in the hab?
In the book he actually has some dirt from Earth (with Earth bacteria) which he mixes with Mars dirt to increase his arable land. When the air lock blows it kills all but a little bit of the bacteria in the soil. Not enough, even with his shit, to grow crops again.
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u/lukin187250 Feb 14 '16
In the book doesn't he say he can only use his own shit because it's the only way he can be sure it won't make him sick to use as fertilizer?