Ragland Powell, III Mrs. Henry’s Class October 10, 2012 What Nourishes Plants the Best STEM Project

Can plants be nourished with juice, soda, or milk instead of water? Statement of the Question

Usually people use water to help plants grow, but are there other liquids that can help plants grown better then water? My project tests if Coca Cola, 2% milk, and apple juice help nourish a plant better than water. For four days I placed ¼ cup of liquid into one of the plants. My hypothesis was that milk can nourish plants better than water because milk helps people to grow big and strong. Project Overview

Milk helps our bodies to grow. Milk contains calcium and vitamin D. Drinking milk is important when you are a child and can help prevent osteoporosis or brittle bones. ("Dairy Health Benefits And Nutrients", n.d.).Research

CONTROLLED variables – these variables will be kept the same o Type of soil o Type of plants o Amount of liquid o Amount of sunlight each plant receives INDEPENDENT variable – this variable is the one that I changed on purpose o Plant nourished with water DEPENDENT: - this is the variable I am measuring o GrowthVariables

Milk can nourish plants better than water because milk helps people to grow big and strong.Hypothesis

4 plants (pansy) 2% milk Water Coca Cola Apple JuiceMaterials

1.Purchase four of the same plant 2.Use pen to label each pot: water, juice, soda, milk 3.Place plants on windowsill so they will receive equal amounts of sunlight 4.Measure equal amounts of each liquid and pour into corresponding pot 5.Record findings on a chart labeled with the date and observations of each plant 6.Continue for four daysProcedures

Day 1 (9/27/12) Day 2 (9/28/12)Day 3 (9/29/12)Day 4 (9/30/12) Water Looks healthy, leaves are green. Leaves are still green.Plant seems to be growing, leaves are green Leaves are green. Plant is growing. SodaLeaves look like they are dying, the leaves are starting to bend. Leaves look like they are dying, the stems are leaning. The stems are leaning. Leaves are shriveling. Leaves are turning brown, stems bending over more. 2% MilkSmells bad. The milk is sitting on top of the soil. The soil is not absorbing the milk. Some leaves are shriveling up. Stinks really bad. Milk looks like it is curdling. Leaves are shriveling up. Really stinks bad. Hard to see the soil because the milk is covering the top of the soil. Stems are leaning and the leaves are starting to shrivel up. Smells rotten. Still can’t see soil because there is a layer of milk on top of the soil. Leaves are shriveling up and plant is leaning. Apple JuiceLeaves look healthy and green. Leaves are looking healthy and green. Plant is not leaning. Plant is starting to lean. Leaves are starting to shrivel up. Plants leans more. More leaves are shriveling up.Data/Observations

Observations Day 1 Day 4

My hypothesis was not correct because the milk did not nourish the plant. I thought since the milk helps us grow I thought it would help the plant to grow, but the milk smelled really bad and it did not go into the soil. The leaves were bending really bad. The juice and soda plants were a little healthy at first, but then the leaves and stem started bending. The water with the plant in it grew the best. If I did the experiment again I would have chosen a different liquid to test because the milk smelled so bad.Conclusion

Dairy Health Benefits and Nutrients. (n.d.). Retrieved from Works Cited