Transpiration Pull
Demand-driven pull systems outperform push systems for high-volume, low-value resource distribution.
The tree isn't pumping - it's pulling. The tree doesn't push resources outward from the center - it creates demand at the edges and lets physics do the work.
Water evaporates from leaf surfaces through microscopic openings called stomata (tiny pores in leaves, approximately 300 per square millimeter). Each stomata loses water molecules to the atmosphere. This creates negative pressure at the top of the water column - a vacuum pulling water upward from the roots, like sucking through a straw 60 feet long. The water column stays continuous despite the tension through two forces: Cohesion (hydrogen bonds between water molecules create tensile strength of approximately 30 megapascals) and Adhesion (water molecules bond to xylem cell walls). Together they create continuous water thread from soil to leaf. Pull the top, and the entire column rises. Flow rate: 100 gallons/day in mature oak. Pressure differential: -15 to -30 atmospheres. Driving force: Evaporation at leaves creates suction, not pumping at roots.
Business Application of Transpiration Pull
Demand-driven pull systems outperform push systems for high-volume, low-value resource distribution. Create demand at endpoints and let physics/economics do the work rather than pushing resources from the center.