A Salty Situation The Effect of Different Ice Melts on the Growth of Plants Clara M. Selbrede Mrs. Marusich Pd. 7

How I chose my project This idea was derived from a list I thought up at the beginning of the year to replace my previous project.

Research Question Do different ice melts affect the growth of roadside vegetation?

Types of Ice Melts Ice melts are made from a variety of chemicals, most of which include salt. Some types are ● Ammonium sulfate (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 ● Calcium chloride CaCl 2 ● Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) CH 3 COOH MgCO 3 CaCO 3 ● Magnesium chloride MgCl 2 ● Potassium acetate CH 3 COOK ● Potassium chloride KCl ● Sodium chloride (rock salt, halite) NaCl

How do Ice Melts Work? Ice melts work by lowering the freezing point of the ice so it returns to its liquid state, and they also dry up the water by producing heat. When mixed with abrasives such as sand, they provides friction to keep the car tires from slipping.

How Can They Damage Plants? They can kill buds and twigs from direct contact They can brown or yellow evergreens. They can cause salt to accumulate in the soil.

About the Melts Used Iodized Salt- The version of salt is not commonly used as an ice melt even though it has that ability. This is partially because it soaks up water easily and will prevent water from getting to the roots of plants.

About the Melts Used Calcium Chloride- This was the only product advertised as an ice melt, and it is considered one of the more “plant-friendly” chemicals. It is also useful in some mining applications. Unsulphured Molasses- Molasses has been recently tried as a natural substitute for chemical melts and salt.

Why Use Grass? Grass is inexpensive. Grass is not as delicate as flowers. Grass is what is mostly affected by ice melts as it is by roads and sidewalks.

Hypothesis “If the ice melt is edible, then it will cause a less harmful effect than the chemicals on the plants”

Reasoning for Hypothesis Plants are a form of life and although they are in Kingdom Plantae, or Vegetalia, they need nutrients to survive, similar to organisms in Kingdom Animalia. Because it is safe for animals to ingest salt and molasses, it would seem that the same would apply for plants. Therefore, salt and molasses would not be as harmful to plants as the chemicals in generic ice melts.

Procedures - Set up 1.Find an available outdoor area with soil and sun. 2.Unroll the sod. 3.Cut it into equal strips (four to six). 4.Place skewers at equal intervals. 5.Wind twine around the skewers to form a 4x25 grid. 6.Wait about a week for the sod to start growing. 7.Spread one type of melt over each strip of 100 samples.

Procedures - Measurement They were measured by the tallest piece of grass. The number was rounded down if the tallest was much taller than the rest of the sample. The samples were measured on the fourth, seventh, eleventh, and fifteenth day. If the tip of the grass was yellow and the rest was green, it was measured up to the end of the green.

Control

Molasses

Table Salt

Ice Melt

Summary of Average Lengths if the sample was clearly dead, the sample was counted as a two.

Observations Control - Healthy Molasses - Healthy (torn up by deer) Ice melt - Dead (after 11 days) Table Salt - Dead (after 7 days)

End Result Table Salt Molasses Ice Melt Control

Conclusions - Comparison No ice melt is the best for vegetation but molasses does not do as much harm as other ice melts. Table salt should try to be avoided as it causes the most damage.

Conclusion - Hypothesis My hypothesis was only half supported by my data. Table Salt (edible) - harmful Molasses (edible) - not harmful

Limitations The melts could not be applied evenly. The project had to be done outside. The project had to be done in cold weather. The project could not be extended to see the results of the grass in spring, or after snow.

Scientific Error The deer licked off most of the molasses the first night. Some sample measures were counted twice in a set of data and some were skipped over. Much more of the melt was used than would end up on the plant regularly.

How This Applies to Life This information can be used by consumers to help them pick products that will keep their plants at their healthiest.

How This Research Can Be Extended Research could test the effect of different kinds of advertized ice melts on plants against each other to find which is the most plant-friendly. It could also be extended to spring in order to see the long term effects of the melts.

Acknowledgements Craig II My Father My Mother

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