Rasheed Gibson, Jesse Raike, Ethel Carrillo, Courtney Helmig The Green Warriors Rasheed Gibson, Jesse Raike, Ethel Carrillo, Courtney Helmig

Research Question How will fertilizer affect the plants. Will it make them grow better and will the plants without it grow the same?

Hypothesis We predict that the plants that received higher amounts of fertilizer would grow more then the plants with less fertilizer.

Experimental Design Step 1: Plant seeds in moist fertile soil. Step 2: Continuously observe plants growth and water when the soil looks dry. Step 3: Once plants have sprouted, use certain amounts of fertilizer (1 scoop , 2 scoops, 4 scoops all diluted in a gallon of water) on 3 of the plants to see if it speeds up plant growth compared to natural growth. Step 4: Measure each plant everyday in cm to see the progress of plant growth ( height, leaves, and weight) Independent variable: Amount of fertilizer. Dependent Variable: Plant growth. Control Variable: Plant that only receives water.

Research Conclusion As time ran out, Our plants began to die while school was not in session for spring break. As a whole, our group decided to do more research and find an experiment online that peaked out interest!

Comparisons for our new research Hypothesis: Watering the plant with too little or too much fertilizer will slow down plant growth. Procedures: 1.For this experiment, the independent variable is the concentration of fertilizer in the water. The dependent variable is the growth of the radish plant. This is determined by measuring the average height of the 3 plants in each group and calculating the average height. The constants (control variables) are the amount of water and the type of plant used.

Comparisons Procedures Cont. 2.The pots are divided into 5 groups with 3 plants in each group. They are labeled as group A, group B, group C, group D and group E. The pots are watered 2 times a day according to the concentrations recommended below. a. Group A plants are watered using 33% of recommended concentration of fertilizers b. Group B plants are watered using 66% of recommended concentration of fertilizers c. Group C plants are watered using 100% of recommended concentration of fertilizers d. Group D plants are watered using 133% of recommended concentration of fertilizers e. Group E plants are watered using 166% of recommended concentration of fertilizers 4. The height of the plants is measured on the 10th day and the average is calculated for each group.

The graph below represents the results of the science project experiment.

Comparisons Observation: It is observed that the plants in group C which had followed the recommended concentration of fertilizer had the fastest growth in 10 days. The plants in group A and group E which used concentration of fertilizers either too little or too much had the slowest growth in the 10 days. Conclusion: The hypothesis that watering plants with too little or too much fertilizer will slow down plant growth is proven to be true. Using the correct amounts of fertilizer is important to optimize the yield of the garden or the farms. Sometimes continual use of fertilizer will cause nutrients and salt to accumulate in the soil over a period of time. Therefore, using fertilizers once a week instead of daily or having the soil tested may be recommended to improve the yield and protect the crops.