My AP Bio Experiment cont.

Our results did not actually fulfill our hypothesis. The plants with the most growth were actually the ones with san. The tallest plant was the one with the half and half ratio of sand to soil. The next tallest plants were the three-fourths to one-fourth ratio pots. The least growth came in the only soil and only sand pots. The sand helped the plants grow. The sand made water move into the soil faster and more so, which helped the plant absorb more water and grow more. The all soil pot did not allow as much water to reach the plant which stunted its growth. The all sand pot fulfilled our hypothesis that there wouldn’t be enough nutrients for the plant, but it also allowed too much water to reach the plant and flood it. We were still very surprised to see that the plant grew at all in the pot with only sand. The three pots with rocks in them were actually all relatively the same height. This was because the gravitropism of the plants makes the roots avoid the rocks and obstacles in the soil.

            Our zinnias did not grow at although… That was sad. There were a few conditions that made the growth of our zinnias nonexistent and the growth of our radishes less than they could have in a month and a half. Because this was an assignment, we had to start it in March. This was the wrong time of year to plant these plants. The weather was too cold for the zinnias and radishes to grow to their full potential. If we had started in May and went through the summer, the results probably would have been more conclusive and more reliable. Also, there was a very big rainstorm in the middle of the experiment that may have negatively impacted our plants. I tried to get the pots out of the pouring rain, but I was not home at the time so the pots had to stay out in the rain for about an hour before I was able to move them. This could have flooded and damaged the seeds, especially the zinnias.

            This was a nice and educational experiment that I hope my class mates will enjoy hearing about and my teacher will think was executed well. I get to present it in a few days and I hope it goes well.

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