Name: Nur Hazirah binti Cikal

Class: S18C

Design Experiment About The Factor Affecting The Rooting of Stem Cutting

Introduction

Plants, in nature, are extremely delicate organisms. In their environment, plants are exposed to
many hazardous elements that may prohibit their growth or inhibit their reproduction. Because of
the fact that seedlings are not assured to root and flourish, nurseries have developed a simple yet
highly effective method of plant reproduction called "Cutting" that greatly increases product
yield. Extremely resourceful, this process enables mass production derived from a single source
plant. An inexpensive procedure, costing virtually nothing, cutting is able to produce many
offspring from excess branches that would most likely be pruned for aesthetics. This experiment
will span a four-week time period and will help determine in which growing media-sphagnum
peat, sand, vermiculite, potting soil-cuttings root the best in.

Research Questions

How does the different type of medium affect the percentage of the number of successfully
rooted plants?

Variables

Variables Ways of controlling variables

Independent variable The type of soils use Use different type of soils which are the
sphagnum peat, sand vermiculite and potting
soil
Dependent Variable The number of Record and calculate the number of the
successful rooted successful rooted plant in each of the medium
plant in 4 different using the formula
medium
𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 =
𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
.
𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘
Controlled Variables

Controlled Variables Why It Must Be Controlled How It Was Controlled

Type of plant
Type of plant hormone
The size of diameter of the
plant
To ensure the result affecting
by the roots is the same.
To ensure the rate of growth,
development and functioning
of the plants is the same.
The size of diameter of the
plant will be the same
Use the same type of plant
which is Lilac Plant.
Use the same type of plant
hormone which are rooting
hormone.
Use the same diameter of
the plant which are 1 cm

The number of young To ensure that the number of Take the same number of
branches taken young branches taken is the young branches which is 40
same in each medium young branches.

Apparatus and Materials

Apparatus Quantity
One- gallon containers 4
Ruler 1
Knife 1
Dixie Cup 1

Materials Quantity
Sphagnum Peat 1 bag
Sand 1 bag
Vermiculite 1 bag
Potting soil 1 bag
Young branches of lilac plant 40 unit
Rooting Hormone 150g
water 100ml

Procedures
1. Each of the 4 one-gallon containers are filled with the 4 growing medium which are
sphagnum peat, sand, vermiculite and potting soil.
2. 40 young branches of the same diameter which is 1 cm are removed using knife and
located in the containers.
3. All the flowers and flower buds from the cutting to allow the cutting to conserve energy.
4. Each branch’s length is measured using ruler and the measurements of the data are
recorded on the data sheet.
5. A node on each of the branches is located to have a 45-degree angle approximately one-
eighth of an inch measurement below the bud using knife.
6. Each severed end is dipped in the rooting hormone and it is moisten with water.
7. 10 cuttings in each of the four filled containers are placed 3 inches away from each other
and 2 inches into the medium.
8. Each cutting is watered every day using ¼ of a Dixie cup full of water in making sure it is
not flooded.
9. After the cuttings are planted measure each once a week and the growth of the plant is
noted.
10. The original heights of the plants are compared and the percent it has grown are recorded.
11. At the end of the four week time period, the numbers of the roots of the plants were
determined and the numbers of successfully rooted plants are being calculated in the four
different medium.
12. The number of successfully rooted plant are calculate using simple equation which are
𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑢𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘