Purpose
The purpose of this experiment is to find out which type of fertilizer, whether organic or inorganic, speeds the growth of plants.
Additional information
The hypothesis is that organic fertilizer will speed the growth of the plants due to the lack of toxins and pesticides found within the fertilizer.
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Required materials
- Six plastic cups
- Six bean plant seedlings, already germinated
- Six small plastic plates for drainage
- One bag of organic fertilizer of a particular brand
- One bag of inorganic fertilizer of the same brand as the organic
- Two to three gallons of distilled water
- Ruler
- Journal or logbook
- Scissors
Estimated Experiment Time
About three weeks.
Step-By-Step Procedure
- 1. Germinate bean plant seeds if you did not purchase them as seedlings.
- 2. Poke holes with scissors in the bottoms of the cups for adequate drainage.
- 3. When seeds are germinated or seedlings are purchased, fill three plastic cups with organic soil and the other three plastic cups with inorganic soil.
- 4. Plant seedlings in each cup.
- 5. Water every three days, or when the top of the soil is try to the touch. You will water with distilled water only to avoid possible contamination by any mineral deposits that are in the tap water.
- 6. Continue watering and growing plants for about three weeks.
Note
You may need an adults help with cutting holes in the cups and planting the germinated seeds or seedlings.
Observation
Every three days, measure and record the height of the bean plants in millimeters. Record both the measurements for the bean pants potted in organic soil as well as the bean plants potted in the inorganic soil. When the project is complete, graph your results on a chart so you can easily determine which type of soil, whether it was organic or inorganic, produced the fastest plant growth.
Result
Was the hypothesis correct? Did the organic soil speed the growth of the bean plants? If so, how much faster did the plants grow? Did the inorganic soil produce better results? If so, why? Why do you believe the hypothesis was either correct or incorrect? Be sure to answer any and all questions about the growth of the bean plants and the soils used to give a clear idea of which soil produced the fastest plant growth and why.
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