What Nourishes Plants
the Best
STEM Project
Ragland Powell, III
Mrs. Henry’s Class
October 10, 2012
Statement of the Question
• Can plants be nourished with juice, soda, or milk instead of water?
Project Overview
Usually people use water to help plants grow, but are there other liquids that
can help plants grown better then water? My project tests if Coca Cola, 2%
milk, and apple juice help nourish a plant better than water. For four days I
placed ¼ cup of liquid into one of the plants. My hypothesis was that milk can
nourish plants better than water because milk helps people to grow big and
strong.
Research
• Milk helps our bodies to grow. Milk contains calcium and vitamin D.
• Drinking milk is important when you are a child and can help prevent
osteoporosis or brittle bones. ("Dairy Health Benefits And Nutrients", n.d.).
Variables
CONTROLLED variables – these variables will be kept the same
o
o
o
o
Type of soil
Type of plants
Amount of liquid
Amount of sunlight each plant receives
INDEPENDENT variable – this variable is the one that I changed on
purpose
o Plant nourished with water
DEPENDENT: - this is the variable I am measuring
o Growth
Hypothesis
• Milk can nourish plants better than water because milk helps
people to grow big and strong.
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
4 plants (pansy)
2% milk
Water
Coca Cola
Apple Juice
Procedures
1. Purchase four of the same plant
2. Use pen to label each pot: water, juice, soda, milk
3. Place plants on windowsill so they will receive equal amounts of
sunlight
4. Measure equal amounts of each liquid and pour into corresponding
pot
5. Record findings on a chart labeled with the date and observations of
each plant
6. Continue for four days
Data/Observations
Day 1
(9/27/12)
Day 2 (9/28/12)
Day 3 (9/29/12)
Day 4
(9/30/12)
Water
Looks healthy, leaves are
green.
Leaves are still green.
Plant seems to be growing,
leaves are green
Leaves are green. Plant is
growing.
Soda
Leaves look like they are
dying, the leaves are starting
to bend.
Leaves look like they are dying,
the stems are leaning.
The stems are leaning. Leaves
are shriveling.
Leaves are turning brown,
stems bending over more.
2% Milk
Smells bad. The milk is sitting Stinks really bad. Milk looks
on top of the soil. The soil is
like it is curdling. Leaves are
not absorbing the milk. Some shriveling up.
leaves are shriveling up.
Really stinks bad. Hard to see
the soil because the milk is
covering the top of the soil.
Stems are leaning and the leaves
are starting to shrivel up.
Smells rotten. Still can’t see soil
because there is a layer of milk
on top of the soil. Leaves are
shriveling up and plant is
leaning.
Apple Juice
Leaves look healthy and
green.
Plant is starting to lean. Leaves
are starting to shrivel up.
Plants leans more. More leaves
are shriveling up.
Leaves are looking healthy and
green. Plant is not leaning.
Observations
Day 1
Day 1
Day 4
Day 4
Conclusion
• My hypothesis was not correct because the milk did not nourish the
plant. I thought since the milk helps us grow I thought it would help
the plant to grow, but the milk smelled really bad and it did not go into
the soil. The leaves were bending really bad.
• The juice and soda plants were a little healthy at first, but then the
leaves and stem started bending.
• The water with the plant in it grew the best.
• If I did the experiment again I would have chosen a different liquid to
test because the milk smelled so bad.
Works Cited
Dairy Health Benefits and Nutrients. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/dairy-why.html#benefits