How many sunflowers must I plant to offset 1 ton of carbon dioxide annually?

Question

Most sites I check, about becoming carbon neutral, suggest a number of trees I must plant to offset my carbon usage. I have grandchildren, who are far too impatient to watch a tree grow. Sunflowers, being annual, are great to grow, with fairly instant results for them to look at. I would like to know if anyone knows how many must be grown to offset 1 ton of carbon dioxide - though I appreciate it would be a huge number!

Answer 1

ummm... a ton of them. Literally.

But you understand that one ton would not even come close to balancing your carbon dioxide emissions, right?

If you have a small car with a 12-14 gallon gas tank and you fill it up about once a week, then you are emitting about 8 tons of CO2 from that car alone. And probably roughly an equal amount from your electricity use.

So, you plant sunflowers -- does that reduce the total? No, because at the end of the season they will rapidly rot and release the CO2 back into the atmosphere again. Tree hold the carbon until they die and rot, so you get the carbon taken out ofthe air for maybe 50 or 100 years instead of three months. That isnt removing it permanently, but longer is better....

Answer 2

Yes go ahead and plant what u like as the green plants are doing a great job and the plant growth is being accelerated due to the CO2. Someone needs to quit calculating and actually measure what the CO2 is. What u think would be a good level.I know for years I calibrated gas detectors and I was surprised to find that ! to 2 parts per million and that is all. what % is that .

Answer 3

well plant a fast growing tree and some sunflowers - that way they can watch sunflowers grow and the tree will actually do some good. Also dont sunflowers only last one year?. u should invest in tree for the long term .
Be sure to dig small holes too as disturbing soil releases trapped co2.

Answer 4

Isn't there a problem here in that sunflowers are annuals and thus will grow and rot in one season, therefore not affecting the carbon balance - the benefit of trees is that they store atmospheric carbon for many years

Answer 5

sure. Technically, mass and weight are 2 distinctive properties as our calculus minded chum observed. Laymen use them interchangeably however. to place it in attitude, people generate approximately 35 billion lots of CO2 each year. the entire biosphere generates approximately six hundred billion an awful lot, in the cycle between vegetation and animals. so the $sixty 4 question is, is this further 35 billion an awful lot adequate to make a measurable distinction in the ambience? And the jury remains out on that query.

Answer 6

My guess: a lot! I assume that a plant with more leaves though, would absorb more CO2 and give off more O2...

Answer 7

I don't know - but waht a great question - love it!!!! I think it would be alot though!!!! I think you need a bigger garden!!!

Answer 8

a few ton

Answer 9

800,000.