science project

My daughter 11 is doing a science project on plants seeing if they will always grow towards the light being positioned all different ways sideways,upside down etc. She needs to know what seeds will germinate faster{ she planted bush beans today, 6-10 days.} I have stood back letting her "do her thing" but she has 3 weeks left before project is due.She asked for my help. Do you think the bush beans will sprout and grow in time? She has the pots near heat and an overhead grow light.
Thanks
Lanie

Lanie

Your daughter could try some of the faster growing annuals like Clarkia. Or even cress and mustard seeds!

sunflower seeds grow fast too.

Ask Padre about his 2-day sprouting marigold seeds.

BTW, your DD can sprout beans (peas, too) in a damp paper towel in a day or two, then plant them.

Hi ~~~

This is a fun project, one I also did when in primary school in Germany. Here are some hints to help make a good demonstration:

Germinate all seeds rightside up. While plants are phototropic (grow towards light), seeds, which do not rely upon photosynthisis, are not. (In fact this could be another experiment for another day!)

After germination, put all seedlings into identical containers (in science this is called a "control").

Use the same amount of soil in each pot. Water on a schedual, and give each seedling the same about of water (again, the control).

Cover each pot with some mesh or cheesecloth and secure with a rubberband because you don't want to soil to fall out.

Arrange pots holding the seedlings below your light source. Lay some on their sides. Have others stand upright. Have at least two (in case of seedling failure) for each orientation.

Pots upside down is complex. It will look impressive, but will also add a lot of work. Keep it simple. In science, we try to show the biggest result with the simplest experiment.

Think about your light source. The seedlings will grow toward the brightest available light!

Now, how do we demonstrate our results? We need a reference tool to visually compare the direction of plant growth to something vertical. A ruler, a stick, anything straight up and down.

Using a visual reference against which to compare the direction of plant growth will make the experiment immediately understandable to everyone and will provide the PROOF you need to say, "I am doing science."

I started out doing science projects like this, loved them, and just kept going. Now, I do science for a living.

Good luck and have fun!

Karen (Adam's wife)

I have had cabbage and tomato seeds sprout in 2 days after an hour or so soaking in hot water. I did add Miracle Grow to the water tho I hear this does nothing to seeds. Tea also cuts the hard coating off many seeds so they will sprout faster.

I've used radish seeds for science experiments.They jump right up.

We did the one with the sand,clay,and good topsoil and compared the amount of growth that occured with equal light and equal water. It did well for a 4th grader.

Thanks for all ideas I{actually Mom} found some fast growing maragold seeds which I also planted. Karen thanks so much for all the hints I wasn't sure how i would do the upside down ones
I can't wait to see what happens
Thanks again
Jennie {lanie's daughter}