Comparing the Effects of Companion Plant Growth to Individual Plant Growth of Beans with

Companions of Spinach and Cucumbers.

Submitted By: Hugo, Max, Grant, Ian, and Fabian

Due Date: February 3, 2017 (Final)
Submitted To: Thorn, L
Course Code: SBI3U1-01
Purpose:

To determine whether growing beans with cucumber and beans with spinach, known as
companion planting, will positively affect plant growth and production.

Hypothesis:

If beans were grown with companion plants spinach and cucumbers, then it is expected
that the beans along side its companion plants would grow better than the beans growing
individually. This is being said because it has been proven that companion plants have positive
effects on one another promoting a healthier growth. As for beans growing with cucumbers and
beans growing with spinach it has been researched that both companion plants provide an
exchange in nitrogen which promotes more production of chlorophyll which is used to produce
sugar also used as energy for the plants. Therefore, it is assumed that the companion plants will
have a significantly higher germination rate than just the beans growing on its own.

Materials:

- 24 Pots of the Same Size

- 24 Seeds of Beans
- 8 Seeds of Spinach
- 8 Seeds of Cucumbers
- Beaker
- Ruler to Measure Growth
- Soil
- Camera
- Pencil and Eraser
- Growth Lights (If There is No Direct Source of Sunlight)
- Water
- Tape
- Marker

Procedure:

Part 1: Planting Beans

1. Get 8 pots to plant the bean seeds.
2. Insert soil into the pot to fill about ¾ of the pot.
3. Sow 1 bean seed into the center of the pot and cover it with about 1 inch of soil.
4. Label the pot A1.
5. Repeat steps 3-4 for 7 more pots, each time increasing the label number by 1.
6. Beans should be placed in a location with sunlight available or underneath growth lights.
The beans should be watered with 50 ml of water on an as needed basis in order to
 keep the soil moist. To check if watering is needed, insert tip of thumb into soil. If soil is
dry, watering is needed. If moist, no watering is needed.

Part 2: Planting Beans and Spinach

7. Get 8 pots to plant the bean and spinach seeds.
8. Insert soil into the pot to fill about ¾ of the pot.
9. Sow 1 bean seed on the left side and 1 spinach seed on the right side of the pot and
cover it with about 1 inch of soil.
10. Label the pot B1.
11. Repeat steps 8-9 for 7 more pots, each time increasing the label number by 1.
12. Beans and spinach should be placed in a location with sunlight available or underneath
growth lights. The beans and spinach should be watered with 50 ml of water on an as
needed basis in order to keep the soil moist. To check if watering is needed, insert tip of
thumb into soil. If soil is dry, watering is needed. If moist, no watering is needed.

Part 3: Planting Beans and Cucumber

13. Get 8 pots to plant the bean and cucumber seeds.
14. Insert soil into the pot to fill about ¾ of the pot.
15. Sow 1 bean seed on the left side and 1 cucumber seed on the right side of the pot and
cover it with about 1 inch of soil.
16. Label the pot C1.
17. Repeat steps 15-16 for 7 more pots, each time increasing the label number by 1.
18. Beans and cucumber should be placed in a location with sunlight available or
underneath growth lights. The beans and cucumber should be watered with 50 ml of
water on an as needed basis in order to keep the soil moist. To check if watering is
needed, insert tip of thumb into soil. If soil is dry, watering is needed. If moist, no
watering is needed.

Part 4: Observation and Cleanup Procedures

19. On the observations table, record the day number and information with regards to plant
growth such as stem size and appearance on a daily basis for one month.
20. After one month, line each group of plants together in order of label number and take a
picture of each group next to a ruler.
21. Draw a straight line on a chart paper. Put on aprons and goggles. Uproot each group of
plants carefully and line them up in order of label number with the shoot and root system
separated by a line. Take a picture of each group.
22. Dispose of plants and soil as instructed by the teacher.
Observations:

First Experiment Final Results:

Date: Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Plant Number: Bean Height A: Bean Height B: Bean Height C:
1
2
3
4
5
6 4.2 cm
7 2.5 cm
8 4.5 cm
9
10
Fig. 1

January 18, 2017

Fig. 2
January 19, 2017

Fig. 3

January 23th, 2017

Fig. 4

January 25th, 2017

Fig. 5
Student Interference

Fig. 6

January 27, 2017

Fig. 7
A Beans:

Fig. 8

B Beans:

Fig.9
C Beans:

Fig. 10

A Beans:

Fig. 11
B Beans:

Fig. 12

C Beans:

Fig. 13
Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Plant Number: Bean Height A: Bean Height B: Bean Height C:
1 2.1 cm
2
3 2 cm
4
5
6
7 3.1 cm
8
Fig. 14

Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Plant Number: Bean Height A: Bean Height B: Bean Height C:
1 0.3 cm 3.1 cm
2
3 1.5 cm 3 cm
4 0.5 cm
5 2.3 cm
6 1.2 cm
7 4 cm
8
Fig. 15

Date: Thursday, January 19, 2017

Plant Number: Bean Height A: Bean Height B: Bean Height C:
1 2.1 cm 4 cm 6 cm
2 5.1 cm
3 4 cm 6.1 cm
4 5 cm
5 2 cm 3.5 cm
6 6.5 cm
7 3 cm 5.9 cm
8
Fig.16
Date: Friday, January 20, 2017
Plant Number: Bean Height A: Bean Height B: Bean Height C:
1 8.9 cm 10.1 cm 5.2 cm
2 3.1 cm 6.3 cm 2 cm
3 5.2 cm
4 12.1 cm
5 5.2 cm 3.1 cm
6 12.9 cm 4.9 cm
7 6.1 cm 5.7 cm
8
Fig. 17

Date: Monday, January 23, 2017

Plant Number: Bean Height A: Bean Height B: Bean Height C:
1 21.1 cm 23 cm 12.2 cm
2 19.5 cm 8 cm 15 cm
3 11.1 cm 7 cm 4 cm
4 24.5 cm 4 cm 8.2 cm
5 19.5 cm 12 cm 17.2 cm
6 24 cm 7.5 cm 4.5 cm
7 24.5 cm 8 cm 3.1 cm
8 15.5 cm 16 cm 15 cm
Fig. 18

Date: Tuesday. January 24, 2017

Plant Number: Bean Height A: Bean Height B: Bean Height C:
1 23.5 cm 26.2 cm 15 cm
2 22.1 cm 9 cm 18.1 cm
3 14 cm 9 cm 4 cm
4 24.1 cm 9.2 cm 13.2 cm
5 22.1 cm 15.1 cm 20.2 cm
6 25 cm 9 cm 1.9 cm
7 25 cm 15 cm 11 cm
8 18 cm 20.1 cm 20 cm
Fig. 19
Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Plant Number: Bean Height A: Bean Height B: Bean Height C:
1 24.5 cm 27 cm 17.1 cm
2 25 cm 17.2 cm 22 cm
3 18.5 cm 9 cm 18.2 cm
4 25 cm 13 cm 22 cm
5 24.5 cm 16.2 cm 22 cm
6 24 cm 9 cm 5 cm
7 26.1 cm 20 cm 17.2 cm
8 20 cm 22 cm 23.1 cm
Fig. 20

Date: Thursday, January 26, 2017

Plant Number: Bean Height A: Bean Height B: Bean Height C:
1 25 cm 29 cm 18.9 cm
2 25 cm 19 cm 22.1 cm
3 21.2 cm 9.2 cm 6 cm
4 28.5 cm 15.1 cm 25 cm
5 25.2 cm 16 cm 23.3 cm
6 24 cm 3 cm 14.9 cm
7 27 cm 26 cm 22.8 cm
8 20 cm 26.1 cm 27 cm
Fig. 21

Date: Monday, January 30, 2017

Plant Number: Bean Height A: Bean Height B: Bean Height C:
1 28.1 cm 36.4 cm 22.1 cm
2 33 cm 19.2 cm 24.5 cm
3 29 cm 10.5 cm 19.4 cm
4 35.8 cm 20.6 cm 33 cm
5 31.7 cm 20.8 cm 27 cm
6 30.6 cm 7.2 cm 27.3 cm
7 35.4 cm 36.7 cm 28.7 cm
8 25 cm 32.1 cm 33.4 cm
Fig. 22

Fig. 23
Fig. 23

Fig. 24
Fig. 25
Discussion Questions:

1.
a)The independent variables in this experiment were companion plants itself. This is to
see if beans with respective companion plants that were planted together fared better than
beans with a different companion plant, or without one at all.

b) The dependant variables in this experiment were the germination rates of the plants,
the height that the plants would grow to, colour of the plants, the roots, and the overall health of
the plants.

c) The controlled variables in this experiment were the amount of water used to water
the plants, the pot size the plants were planted in, the amount of light the plants received, the
temperature they were kept in, the amount and type each soil plant was planted in, and the
distance from the surface of the soil the seeds were placed.

2. According to the research conducted, the independent variable was expected to

influence the growth and health in a positive pattern. This is because beans, fix nitrogen into the
soil, causing other plants to become more green and consist of a higher amount of leaves. This
makes spinach a prime candidate for companion plants. Spinach has a high germination rate,
so the germination rate of the beans will grow faster because the spinach will mature along with
it. Beans also are good at fertilizing themselves, due to their ability to draw up nitrogen from the
soil, this is perfect for the cucumber because cucumbers require a lot of heavy feeding and
heavy fertilization; so when in a companion plant pair, the beans feed the cucumber by
themselves. Therefore, both spinach and cucumber are doing their job of being a companion to
the bean by using the rhizobia located within the root of the plants to convert the N​2​ found within
the atmosphere to form nitrogen for the companion plants that will be shared to the bean. The
nitrogen is then used by the plants as a form of amino acids, also a component of chlorophyll,
which will convert the sunlight into energy for the plants.

3. The first time this experiment was conducted, there was a total of 3/30 beans that have
sprouted as seen in figure 1 and 24. Although that was not due to the independent variable
added, it was due to the fact that the beans planted have been faulty beans and were no good
for the use of this experiment.

The second time this experiment was conducted, there was an impressive amount of
30/30 beans sprouting and growing healthy as seen in the figures 2-5 and 7-10. Within figures
2-5 and 7-10 it is clear that the colour of the plants are all constant and consist of a rich green
colour which is due to its chloroplast within the plants stating that they all received the needed
sunlight and nutrients. Since bean groups A, B, and C are consistent in colour, it can be said
that the independent variables did not steal away from the need sunlight and nutrients of the
beans. With contrast to the point previously stated, the lone beans had a higher consistent
growth rate then the two of companion plants being the beans and spinach ( B ) and the beans
and cucumbers ( C ). Due to the lone beans having a higher growth rate as observed in figures
14-22, it can be said that adding the independent variable had an effect on the rate of growth of
the plants but not the health of them. The overall average of bean growths was also consistently
higher than that of a companion plant groups. In figure 23, it states that the average growth of
lone beans was 29.825 which were significantly higher than that of beans and spinach at a low
22.9375 and that of beans and cucumbers being slightly higher at 26.925. One observation that
could only be stated once the experiment was completed was the length and health of roots.
Once the plants were dug out, they were very moist and healthy. As seen in figures 11 – 13 the
roots for the three groups of beans varied in sizes and were very long with many branching
roots supporting its main roots. This supports the observation of them being very healthy
because they have a larger surface area to absorb nutrients. Although it is to be noted that the
best roots were found in the lone beans ( A ) in comparison to the companion beans ( B ) and (
C ) which would mean that adding in the in the independent variable affected the growth of the
beans. As for the leaves found attached to the plants, there are no quantitative observations but
as seen in figure 7, all beans contained approximately two leaves that were strong and healthy
enough to stand up on their own without drooping down as if they were lacking nutrients.
Overall, the independent variable did have an effect on the growth of the beans whether it be a
positive or negative effect within its colour, roots, height and leaves.

4. Due to faulty seeds mentioned in #3, it is difficult to compare the results of the
experiment with others of a similar design. Although, other companion planting experiments
have had different results. Companion planting experiment done at University of Central Florida
also supports the hypothesis because the results showed a significant amount of growth with
the companion pants in comparison to it growing on its own. For this project they used the plant
sunflower as the companion to okra due to its phenotype of yellow colours and aroma to attract
pollinators and deterring pests in this experiment. Although in this experiment, they only used
six plots, three of which were companion and the remaining three were the okras on it owns.
The data collected did show a trend with the companion planting that benefited but now enough
data was collected to make a strong statement supporting the companion planting theory.
Another similar experiment was conducted by an independent third-party where they planted
celery together with two of it’s companion plants, leeks and cabbage. They planted celery alone
in 8 plots, celery with leeks in another 8 plots, and celery with cabbage in another 8 plots. The
results were very similar to the previous experiment conducted by the University of Central
Florida. The results supported the theory of companion planting by the celery planted with leeks
and cabbage achieved higher germination rate and height compared to the celery planted
alone. Both of these experiments have proven the positive results of companion planting, and
why it has been used in farming techniques for over a hundred years.

Within the experiment, the results compare to the aforementioned experiments because
although the original bean’s height were very similar to bean’s planted with spinach and
cucumber, this still proves that companion planting is efficient. The trio of experimented beans
grew to similar size, with no discolourations, and with the roots being very similar in size.
Although this may seem like a failure, this is not the case. The companion plants that were
growing with the beans, while taking longer to germinate due to it’s variety, were flourishing
along with the beans. Compared to the experiments above, the results were immensely similar.
All three of these experiments show the results regarding companion plants and its result prove
the theory.

5. There are many ways in which this experiment could have been more successful if the
following changes were to be applied; larger sample size of plants, consistent sunlight, an
extension for the experiment, and keeps the plants in a pure clean environment away from any
and all hazardous materials. A larger sample size of plants would have helped this experiment
be more successful because with a greater amount of plants, there would be more accurate
data to support the hypothesis as well as a larger pool of data to average the results which
would lead to a more reasonable conclusion. Throughout the undergoing of the experiment the
grow lights were a constant desire from many of the other plant lab groups, this meant that they
were constantly switching in and out the grow light which was inconsistent for the plants to
grow. An improvement that can further help the success of the experiment could have been
consistent sunlight. Having the plants under grow lights everyday can change their rate of
growth significantly because plants with exposure to more sunlight generally grow faster than
plants that don’t have grow lights. Another way that this experiment could have been more
successful is with more time. If more time was given in this experiment, there would see the
plants mature more and hopefully see further changes in the data supporting the hypothesis. As
beans mature they, bear beans, but this maturing process would have to take longer than just
three weeks. With more time, the beans could be used as a source of data as they can provide
evidence of how healthy the mature companion bean plants are in comparison to just the bean
plant itself. Lastly, adding adding security towards the plants to protect them from dependent
variables such as students from other classes. An example of a student affecting the results can
be eating in class which will promote pathogens in the air which would lead to spores infecting
the plant experiments adding independent variables that are unaware of. As more days go by,
more students would interact with the plant experiment, which is more variables being added
leading to complications that can change the plant’s overall health such as students breaking
the bean plant during the second experiment was seen in figure 6. Another example of a
student affecting the results would be the ripping off leaves which limit the plant's growth since
the leaves are crucial in order to conduct photosynthesis and produce energy for the plants.
With these four slight improvements, it can greatly impact the results leading to a more accurate
conclusion supporting the hypothesis.

Application

6. In third world countries there is limited income to create agriculture therefore it would be
most beneficial to use companion planting. Companion planting was created with the idea that
different species of plants will be able to thrive from being planted near another plant. In a third
world country, the use of companion planting can be used to plant crops more efficiently, which
has many benefits such as; reduction of amount of surface area used for planting which overall
saves land, reduces the amount of money and most importantly receiving more crop production
which overall feeds more hungry citizens. In regards to technology, companion planting can
revolutionize different ways that crops are planted, taking into account which plants are
beneficial to each other. This is seen most beneficial with companies that are working with
agriculture, companion planting methods can change technology that is related to working with
plants. An example of this is instead of having many fields that grow different types of plants,
you can have a lower amount of fields that are growing companion plants. That allows for all the
extra space to be used in more production of plants. The companion plants also allows for the
plants to help each other, such as warding off pests or by producing nitrogen for the plants
which is seen with the cucumber and spinach supplying nitrogen for the beans. Lastly, relating
to the environment, companion planting as a whole can modify the living environment of the
planet. For example, nitrogen fixation, in some plants means that specific plants can change
atmospheric nitrogen for plants which can be useful to plants near by overall improving the
quality of the environment for the plants. Companion planting can also help the environment by
repopulating trees that have been burned down or cut down. By planting different species of
companion plants around trees, it could help the trees grow back quicker and stronger, hence
rebuilding a forest can be possible. Therefore, companion planting has the ability to replenish
the numbers of tree faster which then would be supplying oxygen to all organisms and would
also supply humans with more lumber to be used for materialistic needs. Overall, companion
planting is a simple way to solve many environmental problems with the use of technology that
will improve the quality of life for society.

Conclusion

In the first experiment conducted, there was a total of 3/30 beans grown as seen in
figure 1 and 24, this is due to the fact that the beans received to conduct this experiment had
been faulty seeds. Although some data had been collected that could be used to further create
a conclusion for the second experiment. Two things can be observed from the data collected.
Firstly, it is seen that the spinach and cucumber seeds were healthy and managed to grow
tremendously while sharing nutrients with faulty bean seeds. The second observation from the
results of the first experiment had been that companion planting looks prominent with this
experiment because three beans managed to sprout and grow to heights up to 4 cm which is
impressive since the other 28 seeds didn’t manage to sprout, this could be due to the fact that
companion plants help protect one another, yet it has not been determined.

Within the second experiment conducted, there was an impressive total of 30/30 beans
grown as seen in figure 25. Within the first week of the second experiment the companion plants
of beans and cucumbers ( C ) grew at a faster rate than the lone beans and beans with spinach
as seen in figure 14. Bean and spinach soon caught up with the growth rate of beans and
cucumbers by also growing at a faster rate than lone beans as seen in figure 15. Although,
within a two day span, lone beans had a significantly large jump in growth rate catching up and
passing both companion plant ( B and C ) as seen in figure 16-17. Over the period of the
weekend, all plants have started to grow with lone beans having the best results compared to
the companion plants as seen in figure 18. The rate of growth for lone beans ( A ) was observed
to be more constant and more superior to that of the companion plants. The second experiment
took occurred during a shorter time frame being January 11th, 2017 - January 30th, 2017. The
results observed were that lone beans had an overall average growth rate then both companion
plants as seen in figure 23, while companion plants of beans and spinach grew the two tallest
beans out of the thirty and companion plants of beans and cucumbers had the most steady
results. Therefore the hypothesis stating that companion planting will have a significantly higher
growth rate than that of a lone bean was not proven to be true within the second experiment.
Although the companion planting was still evident throughout this experiment. The companion
plants may not have been the same height as the lone beans but they did still share many
common features that support the fact that companion plants do exchange nutrients and
support the growth of one another. Within the companion plants and lone beans it was evident
that they were rich in nutrients observed from the consistency of the roots and the richness of
the green colour the plants acquired.

Although from the start this experiment was designed to minimize the margin for failure
and errors, faulty seeds are one error that was unavoidable on the student's behalf. The error of
the faulty seeds resulted in the completion of this lab for a second time with results of a higher
significance. Some errors were still conducted within the process of this experiment in which are
now going to be used as a learning experience so that it is avoided at all costs. With the use of
the prior knowledge of conducting the lab for a first time, the second time around conducting the
same experiment resulted in a reduction of errors. One error that was a factor within the first
experiment was mould infestation. The mould infestation was responsible for some of the
spinach and cucumbers not growing which overall can affect the data collected. As for the
second time around doing this experiment, this has been avoided by purchasing brand new pots
that have not been introduced to any of the spores from the previous plant experiments
conducted within the classroom. Although with the purchase of new pots created a new error
that could not have been avoided. The size of the pots were significantly smaller and were not
suitable for the growing of companion plants due to the lack of soil which could be held within.
This means that the companion plants, instead of helping each other share nutrients, they had
to fight for the nutrients within the soil which lead to the observations not supporting the
hypothesis. A third error that occurred throughout the first experiment was accidentally placing
an extra spinach seed inside of C5, this lead to two spinach plants sharing the nutrients and not
growing at the same rate as the other spinach plants. This was avoided the second time around
by carefully placing one seed into each pot. A fourth error that occurred throughout the first
experiment was the inconsistent amount of watering that was taking place within the pots.
Watering the plants too often will drown the plants, while watering them too little will not give
them the amount of water needed to photosynthesize and create energy for themselves,
resulting in the death of the plants. This could have possibly been the reason for the rest of the
spinach and cucumber plants not growing due to the fact of plants being given inconsistent
water on an inconsistent plan. Therefore the second time around conducting this experiment,
this problem has been fixed by following a watering schedule and providing the plants with
50mL. Lastly, a fifth error that occurred was the inconsistent amount of light being received for
the plants.There has been cases when the plants would go the entire weekend with the blinds
closed and the growing lights turned off, exposing the plants to no sunlight for about two full
days. As Well as constantly switching in and out of the grow lights with other groups. As for the
second time conducting this experiment, this was noted and fixed by having less groups
participating within the execution of plant labs allowing for the companion plants to be under the
growing lights at all times.. In conclusion, these are only five errors that occurred during the
experiment but there is still a high chance that more could have possibly occurred that we are
still unaware about.
 Work Cited

K. (2014, October 15). Beans and Cucumbers like each other. Retrieved January 16, 2017, from
http://www.asonomagarden.com/2008/07/14/beans-and-cucumbers-like-each-other/

What is Companion Planting? -. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2017, from

https://backyardfoodgrowing.com/what-is-companion-planting

Companion Planting Table. (2015, March 17). Retrieved January 16, 2017, from
https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/companion-planting/companion-planting-table/

Companion Planting Project. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2017, from

https://arboretum.ucf.edu/companion-planting-project/

RAMP. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2017, from

https://arboretum.ucf.edu/programs/partnerships/ramp/