Jack and the Beanstalk By Jessica Pickford 7
Jack and the Beanstalk By: Jessica Pickford 7 M
Hydroponics: Where you grow your plant in sand, gravel or liquid with added nutrients but without growing it in soil. People use hydroponics because: It is cleaner than using soil You don’t have to weed There are no bugs or pests that will harm the plant It takes up less water It will grow faster If you don’t have a garden or live in some place that doesn't have good soil this is how you would grow your plants
Aquaponics: Is a system of agriculture where the waste produced by the fish supplies nutrients for the plants grown hydroponically (without soil). In return the plant purifies the water. People use this method because: Aquaponics uses only a fraction of water than growing a plant in soil You don’t need to use fertilizer Your plant grows significantly faster It is 100% chemical free
Pesticides: is a chemical used to keep insects or other organisms away from destroying the plants. People use this technique: To keep the pests away from destroying their plants or carrying diseases onto the plants Without pesticides Canadian farmers would: lose about 70% of their fruit crops lose 65% of their vegetable crops lose 32% of there field crops
Fertilizer: is different substances that a plant needs to help them grow faster and stronger. The three nutrients most common in fertilizers are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (called potash). People use this technique: To help plants grow faster To help that plant grow stronger and bigger (so they can make more money) I didn’t use this technique in my project.
Organic Production: is when farmers don’t use any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or GMOs (genetically modified organisms). Organic farmers look after the soil by using crop rotation to nourish soil naturally and allow it to rest along with other techniques. Organic foods don’t use chemical preservatives or synthetic additives like coloring and waxes. People use this because: Even though organic farming is very labour-intensive there is great demand for organic food as it is supposed to be much better for people and it sells for a higher price for the farmer. I used organic farming for my project (without fertilizing or using pesticides).
Irrigation: is when the farmer applies water to the land or soil so the plants or crops won’t dry out. Flood (furrow) irrigation is a simple and cheap method which uses buckets to water the plants. Drip Irrigation is when water is put through plastic pipes laid on the ground to water the plants. Spray Irrigation is when water is pumped through a machine and sprayed on the crops like a sprinkler. People use this because: If we did not have irrigation crops would be destroyed due to lack of water (plants need sunlight and water to grow or they would die) and Plants would not grow as big and strong because they need water to move nutrients to the leaves with this. I will not be experimenting
Greenhouses: A structure made usually of glass or clear plastic, where the temperature can be controlled (and humidity) in order for plants to be protected from the environment. People use this technique because: It works by keeping the area in the greenhouse the appropriate temperature by collecting light and converting it to heat. It also offers protection from wind, snow, rain and pests and animals. I will not be using a greenhouse in my project.
Natural Enemies: is when you use pests (bugs) to control the number of other organisms that are harmful to the crops. Important natural enemies of insects and mite pests include predators, pathogens and parasites. Three main ways of pest control are: importation where natural enemies are brought in from another location, augmentation is where you increase the numbers of natural enemies in a certain area, conservation is where you help the natural enemy survive and thrive in the environment. People use natural enemies to help them control harmful pests which can threaten their crops, without having to use pesticides that may be harmful to humans and the environment.
Controlled Variables My controlled variables for my experiment are: 5 beans (didn’t move or change positions of any of the beans) amount of sunlight (put it in the same spot and direction the whole time which was by the window in my house) container (used plastic container the whole time) cotton balls (I didn’t put any new cotton balls throughout this experiment)
Manipulated Variables The manipulated variable in my project is: I am going to change the amounts of water each day I am giving the beans. I didn’t measure out the amount of water I was giving the bean but I made sure at the beginning of the experiment that the beans were very wet so they could start to sprout faster. When I could see the outer layer of the bean starting to peal off (brown), I started to reduce the amount of water I was putting into the cup and made sure that every day, or couple of days, that the cotton balls were still moist. I didn’t water them everyday because I didn’t want the beans getting too wet or even drowning, so every couple of days I would put a little bit of water into the cup.
Responding Variable My responding variable: The bean will have different amounts of growth each day due to the amount of water I will give the bean every day(s).
Purpose of the Experiment The purpose of the bean experiment is to learn: How plants grow (photosynthesis); how they use water, C 2 O and sunlight to produce food (sugars) for them and oxygen for us. About the structure of plants (stems, leaves, roots, flowers). What techniques can be used to help grow healthy plants. What pros and cons there are with different techniques (example organic farming is beneficial to people and the environment but it is more labour intensive and expensive).
Problem & Prediction Problem: Will our bean grow using hydroponics (cotton balls)? Will the beans grow if I put in different amounts of water each day without measuring the exact amount of water? Prediction: I think the beans will grow in cotton balls because cotton balls absorb water and the beans can suck up the water from the cotton balls easily. I think that our beans will still grow without measuring the exact amount of water because a plant just needs enough water to keep it damp.
Materials used In this experiment I am going to be using: 5 beans water cotton balls plastic cup sunlight
Observations Week 1 Manipulated variable: I gave the plant water everyday so it was very wet (nearly soaked). I didn’t put the water in the middle of the cup because the seeds were on the sides of it, so I poured the water on top of the seeds. Controlled Variable: I put all 5 seeds in the cup. Over the week I didn’t move the seeds from the window sill so the amount of sunlight that they absorb was about the same. Of course all of the seeds and cotton balls were the same and were not touched. Observations: On the 2 nd day, one seed started to germinate. I could see that the outer layer (brown part) crack open and could see the inner white layer of the seed. On the 4 th day, another seed sprouted. I also could see that the cotton balls were turning a light yellow colour.
Observations- Week 2 Manipulated Variable: This week I started to slow down on the amount of water that I was giving the bean seeds, and watered them about every 2 nd day. Last week I didn’t move the cup at all but this week I moved the cup to give it some water, however, I tried to put it back around the same position it was facing the sunlight before. I also touched the cotton balls to make sure that it was enough water more seeds to sprout. Controlled Variable: As I said the week before I didn’t touch or move the seeds, I just moved the cup. I kept the same cotton balls and cup throughout this experiment. Observations: I noticed that the one seed facing the sunlight started to grow roots. The stem was purple and the root was mostly white and about 1 cm long. I noticed the cotton balls were starting to get little blotches of mold in some places. I might have put too much water in the cup the first week and this was the result.
Observations- Week 3 Manipulated Variable: I skipped a couple days of watering because the cotton balls still felt pretty damp. Other than that I didn’t change anything. Controlled Variable: Continue with the same variables that were kept constant: cotton balls, placement of the seeds and the cup. Observations: I noticed another seed was starting to grow roots, and the seed last week that already grew the roots, started to get some leaves. I also found out that the white part in the seed, started to turn green and inside that was where the leaves were growing. Some mold spots were starting to get bigger even though I was just keeping the cotton balls slightly damp. It could've been because the cotton balls were closely fitted into the cup and with the water at night time it could’ve started to grow a bit more mold as it was damp and dark.
Observations Week 4 Manipulated Variable: This week the plant started to drink more water so I started watering the beans every day. Controlled Variable: Similar to the other weeks, all the materials were kept the same, and were not taken out and replaced with new ones (cotton balls, cup, etc. ). Observations: Throughout this week there was a lot of changes regarding the plant. On the initial seed that germinated, the leaves started to open up in an L shape. The white part of the seed at one time, is now starting to open up (looks like a mouth). The very outer layer was sticking to the leaves of the plant, until they started to open up, and were not in the L shape anymore (now is straight and curved down). Another seed started to get the leaves growing from the green part (which was the seed at one time). There was only 1 more seed that had noticeable changes this week. It started to grow roots and then the white part started to turn green. Cannot see any leaves growing inside of it though. The roots on all of the bean plants grew approximately another cm this week.
Observations Week 5 Manipulated Variable: At the beginning of the week, I watered my bean plants once, and they were still wet at the end of the week. Controlled Variable: I kept all the other variables as constant (or as constant as I could). Observations: I can see that one of the beans that didn’t sprout is now covered in mold because the cotton ball was snug around the bean, and was still damp which caused it to rot. The cotton balls overall started to turn light pink with little black dots on them. One of the bean plants looks like it is going to die as the leaves are starting to crumble and turn brown. Both of the other beans didn’t grow at all and has stayed the same color and size this week.
Observations Week 6 Manipulated Variable: I watered my bean plant 4 times this week. Controlled Variable: Didn’t replace any materials, kept them the same throughout this experiment. Observations: On my final week, out of the 5 bean seeds planted, 3 are the only ones that survived. One of them had the outer layer fall off this week. One of the plants, started to deteriorate more throughout this week. The last bean plant stayed the same height. The cotton balls are now turning into a darker pink and it is starting to spread around the cotton balls. I could see that some black dots (maybe rot) is happening not only at the top but at the bottom of my bean plant cup.
Observations (pictures) September 16 September 19 September 22
Observations (pictures) September 24 September 26 September 28
Observations (pictures) September 29 October 10
Observations (pictures) October 16 October 18
Analysis Out of the 5 bean seeds, 3 of the seeds germinated and eventually grew leaves, stems and roots. Plant A (first one to germinate) grew: 6 cm in total counting the roots to the top of the leaves. It had 2 healthy looking leaves that are each 2 cm long. Plant B grew: 4 cm in total from the bottom to the top. It also grew 2 leaves which curled over and were only 1 ½ cm long. Plant C grew: 2 ½ cm in total (was the bean plant to deteriorate by the end of Week 6). With no leaves left as they had shriveled up and died. Overall I think my plants did grow very well throughout this experiment, however if I was trying to grow bean plants again, I would give them less water and plan out every day the amount given to the plants.
Conclusion I can conclude that the bean plants (which were once seeds) can grow using cotton balls (hydroponics). Without measuring the amounts of water per day, I can say 2 out of the 5 bean plants did very well and as I predicted germinated and grew leaves. Throughout the weeks I might have put too much water into the cup because the cotton balls started to rot, and one of my plants that had germinated did eventually die the very last week.
Bibliography greengrotech. com/what-is-aquaponics-and-how-does-it-works www. fullbloomhydroponics. net/hydroponic-systems-101/ https: //ezgrogarden. com/hydroponics/why-use-hydroponics/ forums. gardenweb. com › Garden Forums › Hydroponics www. greenacreaquaponics. com/why-aquaponics/ home. howstuffworks. com/question 181. htm www. tropicalpermaculture. com/what-is-fertilizer. html www 2. epa. gov/safepestcontrol/why-we-use-pesticides www. croplife. ca › Agricultural Pesticides https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Irrigation http: //water. usgs. gov/edu/irmethods. html http: //garden. lovetoknow. com/wiki/How_Does_a_Greenhouse_Work
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