Experiment+Idea+Page

__Basic Plant__ Our basic idea is to test light color and competitions effects on a plant.

We have also observed a change in the color composition of the water that flows through the pot I plan to test various indicators to find out what really is going on, and changing the water we use on the plant to see if the resulting liquid has any changes

One of our experiments was to test various components of a liquid we collected that had run to the bottom of our pot and leaked out. We collected several samples and tested 3 different components: pH, conductivity (µS/L), and nitrates. We were unable to test nitrate levels in all samples. After testing one 100 mL sample we then evaporated it to 50 mL to see if there were any changes.

Materials:
 * 100 mL beakers Filtered collected liquid
 * Vernier probes
 * Water

The goal of these experiments was to determine what was in the liquid, which in turn would help us determine or infer what was being washed out in the water.

The ranges/measurement used for the experiment was:
 * pH, 1-14, 1 being acidic, 12 being basic
 * conductivity, µS/L
 * nitrates, g/mL

What we were looking for was differences in pH compared to the normal tap water we used. We were also looking for the concentration of ions, which would signal if there were various different substances.

Independent Variable: Water added

Dependent variable: Attributes in water.

After testing, we have reached the following conclusions
 * In the samples collected from plants given less water, the pH was noted to be more acidic, while the sample tested with less water had a higher nitrate concentration, the pH about 6.3 and the conductivity at about 1750 µS/L and nitrates at about 8.3 g/mL
 * In samples collected from plants given a lot of water, the pH was more basic, while the ion and nitrate, on samples test for nitrate, were lower, pH about 6.6, conductivity at about 1640 µS/L, and nitrates at about 7.7 g/L

Overall Conclusion:

We concluded that in the plants given more water than others, the pH of the water was notably more basic, while conductivity and nitrate concentration was also lower. As in the plants given less water, the pH of the water was more acidic, while conductivity and nitrate concentration was higher. We might be able connect these results with the experiment regarding soil attributes, although the specifics of the independent variables were different, and the dependent variable tested was different, which doesn’t allow much comparison. We do not know what these results specifically mean, but given some more time we could probably test for more specific attributes and determine what exactly is washing out of the soil and what gives the liquid its yellow color.

One of our experiments was to use the 3-pronged 4-way analyzer to test various attributes of our plants. What we did was to vary the amount of water given to the plants, then recorded what changes occurred in the four different attributes.

Equipment Specs:Af
 * 1) Single pots: about 4-5 liters capacity
 * 2) Trench pots: 8-10 liters divided into sections about 2-3 liters
 * 3) About 100-200 sprouts per single pot
 * 4) About 50-100 sprouts per section in trench pots
 * 5) Water

To avoid results being altered, we did not add any fertilzer

Goal: To determine the most appropriate amount of water to allow healthful, consistent growth, as too little water would most certainly hurt the plant, but at what point are we giving the plant “too much” water.

Our ranges were (based on the analyzer’s display):
 * pH: 0-9
 * Moisture: 1-10, 1 being very dry, 10 being extremely moist
 * Fertility: 1-10, 1 being in extreme need of fertilizer/nutrients, 10 being in excess of fertilizer/nutrients

Our definition of healthy soil conditions was:
 * 1) Not too acidic soil
 * 2) No need for extra fertilizer, but not a reading that says too much fertilizer
 * 3) Moisture is sufficient, but not too wet as we do not know the consequences of overwatering

We did not utilize the light attribute as we kept the grow-light constantly on without changing how many were on.

Independent variable: Water added

Dependent Variable: changes in attributes of soil

The four attributes are fertility, moisture, pH, light

After testing, we have inferred these things:
 * If the plant received little water (≤100 mL), the pH level is more acidic, but the soil itself is more fertile
 * We concluded that if there is little water given to the plant, something in the soil isn’t being washed out, contributing to the dropping pH level. We also concluded that the relatively higher fertility rates are attributed to not having as much water leech nutrients away from the soil
 * If the plant received a medium amount of water (101-200 mL), the pH would even out to a more basic level, however, the soil is less fertile
 * We concluded that, based on the assumption that something in the soil that contributes to the pH level, is being washed out, resulting in the soil being less acidic. We also concluded that the water was also leeching more nutrients out of the soil, thus resulting in the lower fertility rates of the soil
 * If the plant received a lot of water (>200 mL), the pH leans even more to a basic level, however, the soil is even less fertile
 * We concluded that, still based on the assumption that there is some substance in the soil, is being washed out even more, thus preventing the soil from becoming too acidic. We also concluded that the water was washing out more nutrients than any other amount, resulting in the least fertile soil than any other test

Overall Summary:

We conclude that when our plants were given little water, the pH became too acidic, however, the soil was the most fertile of all tests. When given a medium amount of water, the pH did become less acidic, but some nutrients were drained out in the process. When we gave the plants a lot of water, the pH becomes even less acidic, albeit at the cost of removing too many nutrients from the soil. We conclude with that medium amount of water given to the plants would suffice in providing the plants with enough nutrients to grow and keeping the soil safe for the plants growth.