My hypothesis is that the natural sunlight will not help grow the gralic and chia best because of the gloomy winter climate in Alberta, Calgary.Instead, I predict it will have an effect on the garlic and chia not letting it have the proper sunlight it needs to grow. What I predict will work best is the Purple plant light or the LED light.

- Jannah Venus

The scientific name for garlic is allium sativum and the scientific name for chia is salvia hispanica. Unlike many plants, garlic is rarely grown from seeds. It is asexually propagated via cloves. Each clove is a genetic clone of the parent bulb. Chia seeds are photoblastic as they actually prefer a little bit of light to trigger their sprouting signal. Garlic requires a period of cold to "wake up" the bulb and trigger the formation of a new head. In Calgary, this usually happens over winter. As for chia, you can plant it whenever you want as long as it’s indoors.

• Sunlight exposed plant
• 10ml/16 sprays of water daily
• Same type of plant
• Fertilized soil used for plants
• Same pot size per plant
• 250g of soil per pot
• LED light turned on/off during sunrise or sunset
• Sun exposed plant has natural sunlight timing
• UV light exposure for only 15 mins daily

1. Prepare three sets of identical pots, each with the same type of plant
2. Place one set under natural sunlight, another under LED light, and the third plant under UV light.
3. Water each plant equally and ensure they receive light for the same amount each day.
4. Measure and record the plant growth (height, number of leaves every few days.
5. Analyze and compare the growth in relation to the type of light the plants were exposed to.

In the first week I saw the garlic sprouting a couple inches while the chia hadn’t sprouted due it needing a longer period of time to finish its wake up signal. Later on in the experiment, I noticed that the UV light exposed garlic was having a major “growth sprout” mainly because the UV  light was forcing the plant to grow and the chia seeds didn't even sprout. As for the LED exposed plant, it seemed to be growing pretty well. When I checked on my control (Sunlight exposed plant) it was very healthy while growing at its own pace.

What happened in this experiment was that the UV  exposed plants had been forcefully grown and didn't show any signs of healthy growth. The LED exposed plants were mainly healthy and the garlic grew pretty tall while maintaining the sprouting of the chia seeds. The control, which was the sunlight exposed plants, were very healthy. Although the garlic clove took a while to sprout and grow, the chia started to sprout quickly. 

My hypothesis was partially correct because I predicted that the UV light would help grow the plants the best. I realized that I focused on how tall the plant would grow and not how healthy the stability would be. What helped grow the plants best was the Natural Sunlight. That is because the light allowed the clove and seeds to grow at their own pace while also having healthy stability in the way that the light was being transferred to the plants.

This experiment suggests that the type of light plants receive can be matched to different goals. Natural light supports stronger roots and healthier overall growth, similar to the way organic crops grow slowly but develop well. UV light, on the other hand, makes plants grow taller and faster, which could be useful when quick results are needed, such as in fast-paced gardening or indoor farming. Understanding these differences can help gardeners, farmers, or anyone growing plants choose the best light for either strength and quality or speed of growth.

When I first began my project, it was supposed to be about which type of light helps grow lettuce. But, since it was winter at the time I couldn't get my hands on some lettuce seeds. other than that, everything else went smootly.

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This experiment suggests that the type of light plants receive can be matched to different goals. Natural light supports stronger roots and healthier overall growth, similar to the way organic crops grow slowly but develop well. UV light, on the other hand, makes plants grow taller and faster, which could be useful when quick results are needed, such as in fast-paced gardening or indoor farming. Understanding these differences can help gardeners, farmers, or anyone growing plants choose the best light for either strength and quality or speed of growth.