Student Research Plan
Name: Madison Welsh
Period: 8
Seed Germination in Chemical Solutions
How does rinsing seeds in water, lemon juice or vinegar affect the growth rate of the
plant?
If mint seeds are rinsed in water, lemon juice and vinegar, and some are left natural,
then the seeds soaked in water will have a higher growth rate than the natural seeds,
followed by the seeds soaked in lemon juice or vinegar.
I will supply mint seeds, cups, pots, water, lemon juice, vinegar, grow lights,
sunlight, and soil.
Vinegar and lemon juice will be used, but there is no special handling, storage or
disposal needed for the chemicals.
Planned procedure:
1. Mint seeds will be purchased.
2. Seeds will be rinsed in vinegar, lemon juice or water. Some will be left natural.
3. The seeds will be planted in soil in five inch pots.
4. They will be watered and placed under grow lights until they begin to sprout.
5. A log will be kept measuring the growth of the seeds. The height and mass will be
measured, as will the percentage of growth of the seeds.
The independent variable is the water, vinegar or lemon juice that the seeds are
soaked in.
The dependant variable is the growth of the seeds soaked in water, vinegar, lemon
juice or nothing.
The control of the experiment is if the seeds are rinsed in water, vinegar, lemon
juice, or nothing.
The constants are the type of seed, the amount of water each plant receives, the kind
of soil they are placed in, the temperature the plants are kept in, the size and type of
pot they are placed in, and the amount of light each herb receives.
I plan on planting my seeds sometime during next week. It will take about a month
for the mint to sprout leaves. During this time a log will be kept of the growth of the
seeds.
Works Cited
"Acetic Acid." EdInformatics. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2009.
<http://www.edinformatics.com/
math_science/science_of_cooking/acetic_acid.htm>.
"Acid Rain Experiments- Experiment 7- Observing the Influence on Acid Rain on
Plant Growth."
Environmental Protection Agency. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 8 June
2007. Web. 20
Nov. 2009. <http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/education/experiment7.html>.
Carpi, Anthony. "Acids and Bases: An Introduction." Vision Learning. N.p., 2003.
Web. 29 Nov. 2009.
<http://www.visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=58>.
Cummins, R. Hays. "Final Presentation of the Effect of Acid Rain on Plants." Jr.
Science. Miami
University, 10 Dec. 2008. Web. 20 Nov. 2009.
<http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/nsfall02/
FinalArticles/FinalPresentationofTheEff.html>.
Holt, S. A. "How to Grow Mint Indoors." eHow.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2009.
<http://www.ehow.com/how_4493938_grow-mint-indoors.html>.
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Project title: _____________________________
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