Plant Growth 1

Running Head: PLANTS AND HOW LIQUIDS AFFECT THEIR GROWTH

Plants and How Liquids Affect Their Growth

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Table of Contents
Title page 1
Table of Contents 2
Abstract 3
Acknowledgements 4
Introductions 5
Purpose 6
Problem 7
Hypothesis 8
Variables 9
Materials 10
Procedures 11
Pictures 12
Data Tables 13
Graphs 14
Conclusion 15
Bibliography 16-17
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Plants and How Liquids Affect Their Growth

Abstract

This experiment is on plants and how different liquids can affect them. The purpose of this

experiment is to figure out why different liquids affect plants differently. To do the following experiment you

need to 1. Put one plant in each pot of three pots 2. Label one pot A, one pot B & one pot C 3. Water plant

A with 1 ½ tbs. of diet sierra mist 4. Water plant B with 1 ½ tbs. of tap water 5. Water plant C with 1 ½ tbs.

of orange juice 6. Water and measure the plants each day.

Too many nutrients can make a plant die out. Some liquids with nutrients are milk & orange juice.

Milk contains protein, which contains nutrients. If too many of these nutrients overlap, they can cause the

plant to die. This is the same with the orange juice. Sugar can affect plant growth too. Over expressing

Arabidopsis in plants reduces growth in plants.

Due to hypertonic states of different liquids, some juices and sodas can kill plants. This experiment

will look at how soda, juice, and water will affect the growth of plants. Diet sodas do not kill plants like

regular sodas do. To keep data on how tall the plants grow each day I have been putting the heights of

each plant in centimeters on a chart. I check the heights each day and water the plants with their given

amount of liquids in the procedures. The liquids I am using are diet sierra mist, tap water and orange juice.
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Acknowledgements

I would like to think my mom, nana and brother, Connor. I would like to thank my nana for buying

my supplies. I would like to thank my mom for helping me remember to water my plants and watering my

plants for me when I was gone. I would like to think my brother for measuring my plants when I didn’t have

time to.
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Introduction

My mother keeps potted plants on the porch of our house. I have noticed that she will poor her

water, sodas, and even left over juice to “water” the plants. It hasn’t seemed to hurt them. This made me

curious, and I asked myself, “Does it matter how you water a plant?” So I chose this topic for my Science

Fair Project. According to an article in Plant Physiology, plants do have stimulated growth with acid-less

orange juice. Ross Konning from Eastern CT University states in a biology blog that due to the hypertonic

states of several liquids certain sodas and juices can kill plants. This experiment will look at how soda,

juice, and water will affect the growth of plants.

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Purpose of Project

The purpose of this project is to see if there is a difference in how plants grow based on what they

are watered with. By watering three different plants with three different liquids and measuring them daily

we will prove or disprove my hypothesis.

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Problem of the Project

Different liquids contain different additives that could potentially affect the growth of a plant. This

project will reveal how diet sierra mist, orange juice, and water affect the growth of plants. Various

research has been done that will support the problem of what liquid can stimulate the growth of a plant

more successfully. By measuring each plant after watering them with the three liquids, I will be able to

determine what liquid more positively affects the plants’ growth.

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Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the plant watered with soda (diet Sierra Mist) will grow taller than the plants

watered with water or orange juice. By observing the growth of three potted plants of the same species

being watered with the three different liquids to see which one grows more. I will use a ruler to measure

the growth of all three plants on a daily basis. I will show that there is a difference in the amount each plant

will grow because of what substance is given.

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Variables

Independent Variable: the liquids

Dependent Variable: the growth of plants

Controlled Variable: the plant, amount of liquid & amount of light

Controlled Group: water

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Materials
o Pots (3)
o Plants (3 pansies)
o Centimeter measuring tape or ruler
o Labels A,B, & C
o Diet Sierra Mist
o Water
o Minute Maid Orange Juice
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Procedures

1. Place three of the same kind of potted plants in an area where they will receive the same amount

of sun, wind, etc.

2. I will water Pot A with diet Sierra Mist soda (1 ½ tbs.)

3. I will water Pot B with tap water (1 ½ tbs.)

4. I will water Pot C with orange juice (1 ½ tbs.)

5. I will water each plant and measure them daily.

6. I will document in a chart the plants height daily

7. Over a one month period I will do this, monitoring the plants growth.
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Pictures
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Data Tables

Plant A Plant B Plant C

Oct.11: 4 ½ cm Oct. 11: 4 ½ cm Oct. 11: 4 ½ cm
Oct. 12: 5 cm Oct. 12: 5 cm Oct. 12: 4 ½ cm
Oct. 13 : 5 cm Oct. 13: 5 cm Oct. 13: 5 cm
Oct. 15: 6 cm Oct. 15: 5 ½ cm Oct. 15: 5 ½ cm
Oct. 16: 6 cm Oct. 16: 5 ½ cm Oct. 16: 5 ½ cm
Oct. 17: 6 ½ cm Oct. 17:5 ½ cm Oct. 17: 6 cm
Oct. 18:6 ½ cm Oct. 18: 5 ½ cm Oct. 18: 6 cm
Oct. 19:6 ½ cm Oct. 19: 6 cm Oct. 19: 6 cm
Oct. 20: 7.2 cm Oct. 20: 6 ½ cm Oct. 20: 6 cm
Oct. 21: 7.2 cm Oct. 21: 6 ½ cm Oct. 21: 6 cm
Oct. 22: 7.3 cm Oct. 22: 6 ½ cm Oct. 22: 5 cm
Oct. 23: 7.3 cm Oct. 23: 6 ½ cm Oct. 23: 5 cm
Oct. 24: 7.3 cm Oct. 24: 6 ½ cm Oct. 24: 3 cm
Oct. 25: 7.4 cm Oct. 25: 6.7 cm Oct. 25: 3 cm
Oct. 26: 7.4 cm Oct. 26: 6.6 cm Oct. 26: 3 cm
Oct. 27: 7.4 cm Oct. 27: 6.6 cm Oct. 27: 3cm
Oct. 28: 7 ½ cm Oct. 28: 6.3 cm Oct. 28: 2 cm
Oct. 29: 7 ½ cm Oct. 29: 5 cm Oct. 29: 2 cm
Oct. 30: 7 ½ cm Oct. 30: 6 cm Oct. 30: 2 cm
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Graphs
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Conclusion

The tallest plant was Plant A. Plant A was watered with diet Sierra Mist. The smallest plant was

Plant C. Plant C was watered with orange juice. Plant C actually ended up with mold all over it. This

experiment supported my hypothesis that the diet soda would encourage the growth of the plant.
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Bibliography

1. Konning, R. (1997). How do liquids affect plants?. Retrieved from http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/plant-

ed/1997-December/002800.html

In this reference by R. Konning, I discovered that if too much nutrients are placed into one spot of

soil then the plant will die out. The reason for this is hypertonic. Hypertonic can be caused by sugary kool-

aid, salty water and regular sodas once placed on the soil. The reason for this is if to much hypertonic is

dissolved in soil the plant will begin to die out. Diet sodas will not cause plants to die out. Konning, R. says

maybe diet sodas do not have hypertonic. Maybe it’s true.

2 .Xiao, W, Sheen, J, & Jang, J.C. (2000). The role of hexokinase in plant sugar signal transduction and

growth and. Plant Molecular Biology, 44. Retrieved from

http://www.springerlink.com/content/w27l61365481112h/fulltext.pdf?page=1 Xu, Z., Zhou, G., & Shimizu, H.

(2009).

In the introduction in this article I learned that glucose (sugar) has an effect on plants. Sugar effects

on plants have often been attributed to sugar metabolism. But, some recent evidence has shown that

sugars can act as regulatory signals. These are signals that can control the expression of diverse genes

involved in many processes in the plant life cycle. Plant hexokinase (HXK) has been shown to be involved

in sugar sensing and signaling. Additional evidence is needed to further elucidate how HXK functions as a

sugar sensor.
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3. Are plant growth and photosynthesis limited by pre-drought following rewatering in grass?. Journal,

60(13), Retrieved from http://jxb.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/60/13/3737 doi: 10.1093/jxb/erp216

Do to this article, the person says that the failed their first attempt to get a plant to grow with orange

juice. The reason this didn’t work is because the orange juice has acid and sugar. Both of those substances

can kill plants. The person tried this experiment again. But, this time they used a juice from an “acidless”

orange variety to do the experiment. The plant grew this time. The similarity effect of the orange juice could

not be explained based on its content of sucrose or of organic growth factors already present in the basal

medium.
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