​Student Pink

1. TITLE
pH on Seedlings
2. HYPOTHESIS
I think that the best seedling cup would be the original one with a pH of 7 (No.1) and the
worst one will be the one with its soil mixed with baking soda with a pH of 8.5 (No.2).

3. VARIABLES
The independent variable is the pH of each cup of soil and the dependent variable is
the height or growth/health of the wheat grass/seedlings.

Original - 7.5
coffee - 7
baking soda - 8.5

4. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
To begin with, a pH is a measurement scale used to represent the acidity or the alkalinity of a liquid solution
(Helmenstine, N.D), often using litmus paper (strips of paper made with different dyes from lichens, “symbiotic”
partners of algae and fungi, to test the pH of different solutions (Toppr, 2020) to measure. The scale’s range is
from 0 to 14, marking 0 as the most acidic and 14 as the most alkali. Although, a pH of 7 means neutral, or that
it’s neither acid or alkali. pH has an effect on the growth of plants considering the “solubility of minerals or
nutrients” (Environmental Science and Forestry, N.D). Plants depend on their roots to gain nutrients, but for
the plants to be able to gain energy from these nutrients or minerals, they must be “dissolved in the soil
solution “ (Environmental Science and Forestry, N.D). Furthermore, nutrients and minerals are found to be
more accessible and available in acidic soils than in neutral or alkali. Nutrients are most conveniently available
for plants in the range of 5.5 to 7 pH (Gardening, N.D). However, it is different for every plant and nutrients, as
some of them have a hard time seeking nutrients in very acidic and very basic soils, and mostly prefer to be in
the middle or neutral range. At the same time, some plants such as white potatoes, blueberries, conifer trees,
etc, are able to grow in strong, acidic soils very well (Environmental Science and Forestry, N.D). On top of that,
the pH can also affect the process of decomposition of organic materials inside the soil, as it causes
interruptions to “microorganisms, [including] bacteria” (Environmental Science and Forestry, N.D) which lead
the process. As seen, the pH of the soil has many different impacts on the growth and health of plants, in this
case, the wheat grass, and it does not only depend on the process of the lab, the pH of the soil, but also our
own care for the plants, meaning how well we water them, along with how much sunlight we give them.

5. MATERIALS
REAGENTS LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
- Seedlings - Plastic Cups
- Soil - Litmus Paper
- Baking Soda - Mixers
- Coffee Ground - Spoon
- Water - Weight
- Sunlight - Scissors
- Pre-Lab
 - Buckets

6. PROCEDURE
Preparing the variables
1) Take three plastic cups
2) Cut three holes at the bottom of each
3) Fill three cups with soil
4) Measure 0.5 grams of baking soda
5) Measure 4 grams of coffee beans
6) Mix the baking soda and the coffee beans with two of the soil cups
7) Wet the soil a little
8) Put six seedlings in each cup
9) Sprinkle some soil over the seeds
10)Wet the soil a little more
11)Let it sit in the sun

Collecting data
1) Measure each seedling’s height in each cup using a ruler (cm)
2) Write down each seedlings height
3) Find the mean of each cup
4) Analyze the data
5) Make a conclusion for each day
6) Take a picture of each cup
7) Spray water on each of the cups
8) Let is sit in the sunlight
9) Repeat for all cups each day

7. SAFETY
- Be careful with wheat grass
- Be cautious while using scissors to cut holes in the cups
- Be careful not to knock the cup over or break the wheat grass down
- Remember which cup has which soil additives
 8. ​RESULTS ( QUALITATIVE / QUANTITATIVE)

Day 1 2, 1.5, 1, 1.5, 1.5, 2, 1.5, 1, 1.5, 1 2, 1.7, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9, 1
(1.5) (1.4) (1.6)

Day 2 4.5, 3.5, 3.5, 3.5, 3.2 3.5, 3, 2, 3, 2.5 4, 2.1, 3.5, 2.3, 3.4, 3.5
(3.64) (3.5) (3.13)

Day 3 - - -

Day 4 - - -

Day 5 6.1, 9.8, 12 10.5, 11, 11.3 8, 8.5, 6.5, 8, 9, 0.8 8.8, 10.6, 9.5, 8, 9.1, 10.4
(10.11) (6.8) (9.4)

Day 6 7.5, 11.5, 13.3, 12, 12.3, 13 9, 9.1, 8, 9.1, 9.1, 0.8, 9.5, 11.4, 11.9, 10.3, 11.3, 11.8
(11.6) (7.52) (11.03)

Day 7 8.4, 13.5, 12.4, 14.5, 12.5, 13.2 9.6, 10.4, 9.4, 10.1, 11.1.3 8.2, 12.4, 13.5, 12.5, 13.8, 14.5,
(12.41) ( 8.63) (12.48)
 9. ANALYSIS

This graph represents the progress of each cup’s growth according to its average height. As shown above, the
one with the highest average height at the end of the experiment, day number 7, is the acidic cup, or the one
with the coffee ground mixed in with soil. While the shortest or least developed one is the basic one, with
baking soda mixed into the soil. When looking at the progress of each line over the course of the experiment,
(refer to the results table for clear average numbers), in day 1, the acidic cup seemed to be the best-looking
one by just a little, but then as time passed, the control one started to rise over the others. In the middle part of
the experiment I wasn’t able to collect data for Day 3 and 4 since it was during the weekend and the cups were
at school. This is a pretty big flaw and impact on the results of the lab, but that is why we do evaluations and
planning on improvements. Coming back to Day 4, we can see that the basic cup is very behind in the race
and is developing much slower than the other two. Its rate of change was rising at a maximum of 1.9
centimeters a day. On the other hand, the two other cups were doing expectedly very well, and at a very similar
rate. On the last day of collecting data, the acidic grass reached its peak and won over the control cup by only
a tiny bit. I guessed this plot twist when collecting the data on day 6 and 7 a bit from pure observation, as the
control cup on these two days seem to be slowing down on its growth. I tried to water it more to see changes
on day 6, but came back on day 7 to see the predicted outcome occurring on the last day.

10. CONCLUSIÓN
To conclude, our lab experiment was to test out how pH levels affect the growth of plants, by testing out 3 cups
of soil with wheat grass seedlings. The first one with the original soil that had a pH of 7.5, the second one with
0.5 grams of baking soda for the acidic cup that had a pH of 8.5, and the last one which had 4 grams of coffee
ground mixed inside with a pH of 7. We took time to water and take care of it, while collecting data day by day,
and observing its development and changes. My hypothesis at the beginning was that the best and healthiest
one would be the control one with the original soil, and the worse or shortest one would be the acidic one. As
shown on the graph, my hypothesis was not correct with the acidic cup being the best one on the last day and
the basic cup being the worst one. However, even as the final results show that the tallest one or most
developed one right now, is the acidic cup, I think from my analysis, my hypothesis was half-correct. The acidic
cup’s average height right now is at 12.48 centimeters, which is 0.07 centimeters taller than the control cup.
Looking at the past progress of both cups, We can clearly see a much more healthy, constant and improving
development in the control cup, just that the results for this specific day weren't in its favor. If I had more time to
collect data, I am confident that my hypothesis would be correct and the control cup with a pH of 7.5 would be
the best one.

11. EVALUATION AND IMPROVEMENT

Lab experiments always come with mistakes and flaws for us to reflect and improve on. In this pH soil lab
experiment, the flaws include many components such as the alkalinity of the water used on the soil cups,
inaccurate amount of soil additives, uneven amounts of water, sunlight, or soil in each soil, and inaccurate
measurement or analysis of the independent variable. First, the water from the place where the lab experiment
occurs, in our case, the school, is pretty basic considering that there is lots of limestone in the surrounding
area. This can affect the accuracy of the lab results as the results could differ if the water was more neutral or
acidic. Secondly, it is almost impossible for us to be exact with the amount of soil additives that we added to
each of our cups since we didn’t have much accurate materials to measure with. So, due to lack of material
and maybe time, our results could be a little off or different. Lastly, the results that came from analysis on the
grass’s height could also be affected from inaccurate measurements which could be caused by wrong
calculations, missaw or miswritten, etc. Lastly, our data was off for two days since it was during the weekend
and we couldn’t manage to measure the height, we lost a part of the information that could’ve told us more
about our experiment. To improve on these flaws in our next lab experiment, we would need to manage our
time well, make sure that we are careful with all our measurements, and do research on the surrounding and
contributing factors to make sure we know all the little things that could affect the results and gain knowledge of
it in time for analysis.
- Neutral Results of pH due to alkalinity of the water
- Inaccurate Amount of soil additives
- Inaccurate measurement

12. REFERENCES
Anne Marie Helmenstine, P. (n.d.). The pH Level in Chemistry Distinguishes Acids
From Alkalines. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-ph-in-chemistry-604605

Communications, E. O. (n.d.). Around Your World. Retrieved from

https://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/soilph/soilph.htm#:~:text=pH Affects Nutrients,
Minerals and Growth&text=Before a nutrient can be,neutral or slightly alkaline soils.

What Is Litmus Paper? - History, Composition, Colours, Experiment. (2020, April 05).
Retrieved from
https://www.toppr.com/guides/chemistry/acids-bases-and-salts/what-is-litmus-paper/

NOTE.
Your lab report should include:

1. Results (Data, graphs)

2. Analysis (Answers to the proposed questions)
3. Conclusions (answer the hypothesis, supported by the results).

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

✓ QUIZ BASED ON THE LAB GUIDE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CLASS.

✓ PRINTED LAB GUIDE.
✓ YOUR REPORT MUST BE WRITTEN IN THE SAME LAB GUIDE TEMPLATE,
SHOWING YOUR WORK DURING THE LAS SESSIONS.
✓ Lab report following the given criteria.