Soil or Sand
Biology
Emily Wood
SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Do plants grow faster in soil or sand?
PROJECT OVERVIEW
I wrote a research paper. Then after typing up the procedure I
gathered the materials, I started my project. I monitored the
plants for ten days, then collected the data.
RESEARCH
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Potting soil is better to plant flowers in.
Plants need water so that they can grow roots.
With out roots the plants would die.
There are a few kinds of plants that can grow in soil.
Sand doesn’t retain water.
VARIABLES
Independent variable: What the plant is planted in (soil or
sand).
 Dependent variable: How fast many leaves plant grows.
Definitions
Independent Variable: The independent variable is what is
changed in the experiment.
Dependant Variable: What happens as a result of the
independent variable.
 Constant variables: Amount of water, amount of sunlight,
same temperature, same size jiffy pots, same type of plant,
and same amount of seeds.
 Control group: The plants in soil.
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HYPOTHESIS
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The plant will grow faster in soil
because sand doesn’t retain water.
MATERIALS
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1 bag of potting soil
1 bag of sand
Water
Metric measuring cups
6 styrofoam cups
One metric ruler
A pen
Some pieces of paper
Seeds
Marker.
PROCEDURE
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Step 1: Gather materials.
Step 2: Label the Styrofoam cups “A1” “A2” “A3” “B1” “B2” and
“B3”.
Step 3: Put 110 grams of potting soil into the “A” styrofoam cups.
Step 4: Put 110 grams of sand into the “B” styrofoam cups.
Step 5: Put the styrofoam cups on a table outside, for sunlight
access.
Step 6: Put four seeds in each of the cups.
Step 7: Each day come back to water the plants with 2 ounces of
water in each cup.
Step 8: Each day come back to record how many leaves are on
each plant.
Step 9: After the three weeks are up, analyze and graph the data.
Step 10: Communicate Results.
PHOTOS
B1
A2
A1
A3
B3
B2
A2
B3
B1
A1
A3
B2
DATA/OBSERVATIONS (ANALYZES)
Leaves on the Plants
4.5
4
3.5
Plant Leaves
3
2.5
A1
A2
2
A3
B1
1.5
B2
B3
1
0.5
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Days
7
8
9
10
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, I’ve learned that if you use to much water in the soil it
will drown the seeds. I have also learned that if the sand is compact
and held together with water, the seeds will sprout.
POSSIBLE EXPERIMENTAL ERRORS
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I think why my experiment didn’t go as planned was
because I didn’t start early enough. Another reason could
be that I used to much water.
APPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
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I would start earlier and let the plants grow
longer. I would also only use 1 oz of water to
water the plants.
WORKS CITED
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"Do Plants Grow Best in Ground Soil or Potting Soil? | Garden Guides." Garden
Guides, Your Guide to Everything Gardening. Web. 24 Jan. 2011.
http://www.gardenguides.com/127982-plants-grow-ground-soil-potting-soil.html
Hershey, David. "Re: Do Plants Grow Better in Soil or Sand? Why?" MadSciNet: The
24-hour Exploding Laboratory. Web. 24 Jan. 2011.
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-09/969410800.Bt.r.html
"How Plants Grow." Think Quest. Web. 24 Jan. 2011.
http://library.thinkquest.org/3715/root2.html
Personal interview. 25 Jan. 2011.
"Plants Suited To Sandy Soils." Discover Loch Sport, a Gateway to the Gippsland
Lakes and Ninety Mile Beach. Web. 24 Jan. 2011.
http://www.lochsport.com/environment/plants.html
Royston, Angela. "Many Kinds of Plants." How Plants Grow. Chicago, IL: Heinemann
Library, 1999. 4. Print.
"Soils and Fertilizers." Web. 25 Jan. 2011.
http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/soils/index.html