Water vs Saltwater vs Ice tea

we will be watering fern plants with three different liquids.. Aka water too base it of off and salt water and ice tea
Ananya Karra Elizabeth Charlton
Grade 6

Presentation

No video provided

Hypothesis

Hypothesis: we think that The Saltwater plant will die, and the iced tea one will Grow🌱. Why do we think this because Saltwater tastes gross and if plants taste like us it'll probably die because if I had a drink salt water all day every single day I would probably die!!!!!!

Research

Some plants do need some different nutrients

 

How do people nourish and grow ferns:

Ferns need indirect light

Temperate temperature (room temp)

Consistent water

Feed on schedule

10-10-10 fertilizer ratio (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium)

How to water ferns

  • Not being drenched
  • It likes water ever 4 - 5 days

    How to water ferns

  • Not being drenched
  • It likes water ever 4 - 5 days

 

What nutrients are in Iced Tea, Saltwater and tap water (ions for water)

Iced  Tea                                                         

Total fat 0g 0%

Saturated 0g 0%

Trans fat 0g

Polyunsaturated fat 0g

Monounsaturated fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 7.1mg 0%

Total carbohydrates 0.7g 0%

 

Salt water

Sodium chloride (salt)]

And small ion traces such as:

Calcium

magnesium (Mg)

sodium (Na)

 potassium (K)

and water

 

 

 

 

 

Variables

what liquid do we water the plants

Procedure

Procedure:

  1. Gather materials
  2. Pot plants and label with tape and paper 
  3. Figured out measurements of each liquid (100mL)
  4. Water plants with ‘Water’, make observations
  5. Make Ice Tea solution, mix ¼ cup of ice tea powder with water (100mL)
    1. NOTE - Make sure that you use a cup that won’t leak 
  6. Water plants with ‘Ice Tea’, make observations
  7. Make Saltwater solution, mix ¼ cup of salt with water (100mL)
    1. NOTE - Make sure that you use a cup that won’t leak, heat water up to 70 degrees celsius and then mix in salt or else it will not dissolve fully. 
  8. Water plants with ‘Saltwater’, make observations
  9. Take a picture the next day so that results have set in.

Observations

Results:

 

 

Observations

 

Day 1 (Jan 2)

Day 2 (Jan 4)

Day 3 (Jan ?)

Day 4 (Jan 15)

Water (Control)

Growing like a normal fern plant

No changes

No changes

No changes

Ice Tea

It looked like a normal healthy fern plant

The leaves are getting longer and healthier than the water plants

It was starting to wilt and get dry and crispy.The soil had a layer of white mold on it

There's this white layer forming on top of the dirt and its sponge,I think its mold and it smells.The tips of the leaves were brown and the whole leaf was smushy

Saltwater

It looked normal and healthy

It started to wilt and turn brown

It was getting crispy and the leaves were falling off

It died!!!,the leaves were falling and it was almost fully brown

Analysis

Analysis:

There was no change in the water (control), the iced tea turned mushy, but the saltwater turned crispy.

Why did the saltwater turn crispy?

Why did the iced tea turn mushy?

 

Conclusion

Conclusion:

 

Fern plants do not like a whole lot of salt water, and they need the hole in the Bottom of the pot Otherwise the water will Clump on top and make it that it has a hard time doing photosynthesis with the sugar from the ice tea and the salt water and not being able to drain it out makes it really hard. Ice tea isn’t good for long term plants but for one-three days the plant thrives pretty good.

 

Ice tea

Ice tea has too much sugar for the fern. The sugar in the ice tea made a layer of mold on the top of the of the pot, so that the plant.The sugar makes the water the water that is in the iced tea go away because on the bottom all the sugar sinks so sugar is heavier than water and the sugar all sinks on top of the dirt and then that means that there's a layer of sugar and then the water. 

 

Salt water

So some things with salt water are kind of the same with iced tea but they don't have sugar the opposite is I'm salt water because salt is heavier than water so the salt floats down to the bottom and makes a nice layer of salt on top of the dirt and then as the water does it just stays on top of it so technically you're getting salt the plant is taking salt in more than the water is that's why it died 

 

Application

If you get a pregrown plant and its showing no progress than you can water it with ice tea for two to three days(to give it a boost) then switch imediatly to water.

NEVER WATER  WITH SALT WATER!

Sources Of Error

Source of Error:

  • We would add holes to the bottom of the pot
  • Water in to big portions
  • Water to close together 
  • Better tracked days
  • Water every 4 - 5 days 
  • If watered 4 - 5 days have a longer time frame
  • To much salt

Citations

Best management practice #14: Alternative water sources. Energy.gov. (n.d.). https://www.energy.gov/femp/best-management-practice-14-alternative-water-sources#:~:text=Alternative%20waters%20are%20sustainable%20sources,by%20providing%20diverse%20water%20sources.&text=Desalinated%20water

Vedantu. (n.d.). Effects of water scarcity on plants. VEDANTU. https://www.vedantu.com/biology/effects-of-water-scarcity-on-plants

 

 

Acknowledgement

I acknowledge Svea for giving us the idea,Ms.philips,Ms.G and Ms.Vann for helping us. I acknowledge google for giving us our information, Ananya's parents for buying the fern plants,Elizabeths parents for buying everything for the trifold