Tomato Plant Lab
Question: What caused tomato plant A to grow higher
than tomato plant B and C?
Objective: To determine
what caused the tomato
plant to grow higher than
the others.
A
B
Let’s Brainstorm!
What would make A grow higher?
Hypothesis: If more fertilizer is added to plant A,
then it will grow higher than plant B and C.
A
B
List all of the items you will need to run this lab.
Materials:
Tomato Plants
Pots
Soil
Fertilizer
Water
Sunlight/Light
Meter Stick
Scientist
Pen
Paper
Calendar (possibly)
Variables
Independent Variable
Dependent Variable
Fertilizer
Height
Constant Variables
Type of plants
Type of water
Type of fertilizer
Meter Stick
Scientist
Paper
Pen
Type of Pots
Type of Soil
Calendar (possibly)
Procedures
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read all procedures.
If a hypothesis is not given, write one.
Gather all materials (supplies).
Take the pots and add 10 cups of soil and place one plant in each pot. Record
the height of each plant.
5. Add 1 cup of water to each plant. Repeat daily.
6. Add 1 tablespoon of fertilizer to plant A, ½ a tablespoon to plant B and no
fertilizer to plant C. Repeat weekly.
7. Place both plants in the same location making sure they get equal amounts of
sunlight.
8. Record weekly (on the same day) the height of each plant. Repeat for a total
of 10 weeks.
9. Repeat the entire experiment two more times.
10. Clean up your work station.
11. Write a conclusion.
Conclusion
The objective of the lab was to determine what caused the tomato
plant to grow higher than the others. The hypothesis stated If more
fertilizer is added to plant A, then it will grow higher than plant B and
C. The hypothesis was supported because Plant A grew to 24 cm high,
Plant B only grew to 19 cm and Plant C grew to 17 cm. It was learned
that by adding fertilizer to plants it helps the plants grow better. Also
learned was how to use a meter stick and run a controlled experiment.
Errors that could have been in the lab were all the plants were not the
exact same height in the experiment. Plants also may have gotten
slightly less sunlight due to the angle of the sun. Ways to make the
experiment more valid would be to use a light lamp and make sure all
plants are of equal height before beginning.