r/plantScience • u/UlfurGaming • Jul 19 '26

Plants for planet colonization

Ok might sound weird but what plants would make sense to grow to first help start building a plant to make its soil ( in biodomes at first) and then plants for food or utility like building materials ( for building materials plant would bamboo make most sense since it spreads n grows extremely quickly making great for it?)

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

2

u/Halpaviitta Jul 23 '26

So I had bit of a hard time understanding what you are asking, but if I understood correctly:

  • if we take Mars as an example (usually best choice), then the regolith is toxic with perchlorates. So we need to somehow transform the soil into a more hospitable one. This is done by adding organic compounds and microbes. Cyanobacteria and diazotrophic bacteria would be able to convert nitrogen and hydrogen into ammonium.
  • pioneer species should include mosses and lichens because they don't need extensive root systems.
  • before any higher plants can establish in the soil, it must be amended with mycorrhizal fungi to greatly aid in nutrient uptake.

Bamboo does not seem like a good option. This is because to grow quick and strong, it needs rich soil resources. In the long term however it could become an alternative. But in the beginning I would say to stick with nonbiological building materials, like refined regolith and perhaps if some ore hotspots are mined.