TYPES OF VARIOUS LIQUIDS
REPLACING WATER IN
PLANT GRWOTH
Collin Olson
Partners
Robert Minichino, Patricia Moreau, Samuel Kunkle
August 18th, 2015
Mr. Awesome’s Biology Class 2nd period
Problem:
Water is a requirement for plants to grow (through using the process of photosynthesis).
There are varieties of liquids available that could be given to plants to help them gain the
required water for them to survive. The problem of this experiment will focus on the idea
that plants that receive different solutions will grow at different rates. The following lab
experiment will accurately determine what liquid will more positively affect the growth of
a plant.
Hypothesis:
If Sierra Mist is added to a potted plant seed, then that plant will grow taller than other
plants in the experiment. The reasoning for this is based on the fact that Sierra Mist
contains sugars that can be utilized by plants because plants use sugar as an energy source
in photosynthesis.
Variables:
Independent variable: the type of solution
Dependent variable: the measured growth of the plants
Controlled variables: the plant, amount of liquid, timing of watering, amount of light,
protection from other elements, humidity.
Controlled group: the plant only receiving water
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Materials:

500 mL pots (3)

Young Daisy Flower Plants

1 bag of Miracle Grow Plain Potting
Soil

Ruler containing centimeter
measurements

Tape (for labeling different
experimental trials)

Marker

Sierra Mist (1 liter)

Water (1 liter)

Minute Maid Pulp Free Orange Juice
(1 liter)
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Procedures:
1. Put on safety equipment and set up room for clean and open working environment
2. Fill the pots with 3 scoops of potting soil each.
3. Remove the plant from its original container and add it to the new potting soil.
4. Surround the original potting soil with the new soil so it fits snugly in the new position.
5. Place the three pots on the same windowsill so they receive the same amount of
sunlight as the other plants.
6. Using tape and a marker, label one pot as “Pot A”, which will be treated with Sierra
Mist. Label another pot “Pot B”, which will be treated with water, and label the last pot
with “Pot C”; which will be treated with orange juice.
7. Water the base of each plant with 50 mL of the solution labeled for each plant.
8. Store the solutions in a refrigerator when not in use.
9. Measure the height of each plant and record them in the data chart.
10. Over the next 19 days, record the height of each plant and treat each plant with its
appropriate labeled solution.
11. After the final day of measurements, remove the potted plants from the windowsill and
dispose of the remaining solutions not used in the experiment.
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Data Tables
Plant Growth over Time
Time (days)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Plant A (cm)
4.5
5
5
6
6.2
6.5
6.8
7.2
7.2
7.3
7.3
7.4
7.4
7.4
7.5
7.5
7.6
7.6
7.6
Plant B (cm)
4.5
5
5
5.5
5.5
5.5
5.5
6
6
6.3
6.5
6.5
6.7
6.6
6.6
6.3
6.1
5.9
5.6
Plant C (cm)
4.5
5
5
5.5
5.5
6
6
6
6
6
5
5
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
Table 1
Average Change in Plant Height over Time
Plant A
+3.1 cm
Plant B
+1.1 cm
Plant C
-2.5 cm
Table 2
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Plant Height Over Time
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Height (centimeters)
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Days
Plant A (Seirra Mist)
Plant B (Water)
Plant C(Orange Juice)
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Data Analysis:
The data shows a trend that overall both plants A and B had an increase in plant size over
the 19 days. The only sample to show a decrease was in pot C (orange juice). Plant A saw an
overall increase in size of 3.1 cm. Plant B saw an increase of 1.1 cm, but toward the end of
the testing time the plant started to reduce in size. The worst performing solution was
plant C, which only saw a slight increase in the first 7 days and then dropped dramatically
after 10 days, leaving only a 2 cm tall plant afterwards--a loss of 2.5 cm.
The average growth per day for Plant A was .15 cm/day. The average growth per day for
plant B was .05 cm/day. The average growth for plant C per day was -.23 cm/day. This was
calculated using the formula: (final height – initial height) / number of days.
While performing the experiment, measurements were taken by measuring from the base
of the plant up along to the tip of the highest reaching green branch. Flowers were not
accounted for in the plant growth. The green plant branches were also held up to extend in
a straight line to help with the measurement.
Conclusion:
If Sierra Mist is added to a potted plant seed, then that plant will grow taller than other
plants in the experiment. The reasoning for this is based on the fact that Sierra Mist
contains sugars that can be utilized by plants because plants use sugar as an energy source
in photosynthesis. After performing the experiment it has been found that the hypothesis
was accepted. Looking at the trend in data, Sierra Mist managed to grow the most when
compared to the other two test samples.
The most likely cause of the increased growth could be due to the fact that sugars were in
the proper proportions to “feed” the plant the necessary sugars it might need. Another
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factor that might play a role in the plant growth could be the carbonation of the water for
the soda. This diffused carbon dioxide might give the plant some extra building blocks for
creating sugar to supply energy for plant growth.
Water still performed well, but mixing the sugars and carbon dioxide with it could have
caused it to have more of the expected results; instead the plant with plain water reached a
less sustainable size. Orange juice might have performed poorly due to the high levels of
citric acid. This could have dramatically changed the pH of the soil and caused the plant to
not sustain any growth.
If the experiment were repeated, different types of solutions should be tested and
compared to the Sierra Mist. It could also be beneficial to the observer to see what happens
to seeds allowed to germinate using only the different solutions as a water source.
Works Cited:
Darwin, Charles, and Gillian Beer. The Origin of Species. Oxford: Oxford UP,
1996. Print
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