Date Lesson 3: Planting the Seeds

Inside of Planter Quad

Step 1: Pick up all of your supplies from the distribution station. Be sure you have these items before you begin planting:  1 planter quad  1 spoon  1 cup of potting mix  4 wicks  12 fertilizer pellets  8 Wisconsin Fast Plants seeds  1 toothpick  1 planter label  1 pair of forceps  1 paper towel Participant’s GuideTH-5

Step 2: Place one wick in each section of the planter quad. Use your forceps to pull the wick through the hole until the tip sticks out about 1 centimeter.

Step 3: Fill each section of the quad halfway with potting mix.

Step 4: Add three fertilizer pellets to each section. Look closely. The fertilizer pellets are much larger than the seeds.

Step 5: Fill each section of the quad to the top with potting mix. Press it down a little with your fingers.

Step 6: Put a drop of water on your tray and dip your toothpick in it. Use the wet toothpick to pick up one seed. Place the seed just below the potting mix and cover it. Plant a second seed in this section in the same way. Repeat until there are two seeds in each section of the planter.

Step 7: Water very gently, a drop or two at a time, until water drips from the bottom of each wick.

Step 8: Write your name and today’s date on the planter label and place it in the planter.

Step 9: Place your quad under the light bank with the label facing out. Double-check to see that your planter is completely on the water mat and that the quad is about 2 to 3 inches from the lightbulbs. If you could see the inside of each planter this is what it would look like.

Watering System: Wisconsin Fast Plants require constant moisture. The watering system delivers water from the tank by capillary action.

Keep a sign on the lighting kit for others. Keep lights on 24 hours a day!

10. Return all leftover supplies to the distribution station. 11. Clean up your work space!

Begin Plant Diary Observation Sheet TH-6

What do you think will happen to the seeds over the next 24 hours? Write your predictions in your science notebook.

to a seed as it starts to grow? What happens Germination- the process by which seeds swell up, begin to sprout, and develop stem and roots.

Environmental Matters Seeds need water, air, and warmth to germinate. Plants need water, air, warmth, nutrition, light, and space to grow.

Plant Growth and Development Table of Contents #Lesson TitleDate 1Plants KWL 2Inside a Seed 3Planting the Seeds 4Thinning and Transplanting

Question: What do ALL living things need? Date Lesson 4: Thinning and Transplanting (Day 4 or 5)

Have you ever had experience thinning or transplanting plants? Why is it important to thin plants? Why is it sometimes necessary to transplant plants?

Observe your plant with a hand lens. How are the plants different from one another?  Are all the seedlings the same size?  The same color?  Where are the differences, exactly? In the shape or size of the leaf? In the length of the stem?  Did every seed sprout, or germinate?

Materials List For each student:  Student notebook  1 toothpick  1 pair of scissors For every 2 students:  1 hand lens  1 pair of forceps (optional) For the class  Potting mix  Surplus planter quads  1 large or several small containers for the class plot (egg cartons, milk cartons cut lengthwise, margarine tubs)  Wicks for above containers (if none available, use cotton twine)

Decide which one plant from each cell you will keep and which one you will thin out. You will end up with four plants, one per cell.

Thinning and Transplanting Before Thinning:  Gently loosen the soil with a toothpick.  Plan to set aside one of the extra seedlings to draw later.

You may thin your plants by…  Cutting them close to the soil and discarding them. or  Uprooting the plants and transplanting them.

If you choose to uproot your seedlings you have the following choices:  Transplant then into one of their own cells where no seeds germinated.  Donate them to a classmate for transplanting.  Transplant them into the prepared class pots.

Draw and label the parts of one of your uprooted plants in your Plant Diary- Observation Chart. Be sure to include:  The seed leaves, the stem and the roots.

Stake and Clip