Mineral Content of Water and Plant Growth

Statement of Purpose
I want to find out how the mineral content of water affects
plant growth.

I want to observe the effects of using distilled water, tap water,

filtered water, and salt water on plant growth.

The question I will investigate is “What is the effect of mineral

content on plant growth?”
Review of Literature
Every living thing on the planet needs energy and almost all of
the energy we use comes from plants as a food source. Besides
plants, nothing else on the planet can produce its own energy, or
photosynthesize. The plant kingdom not only supports life on this
planet, it is also a library of information on the development of
our planet, the source of oxygen we breathe, and a magnet for
the carbon dioxide our bodies, our automobiles, and our
factories discharge. It would be impossible to sustain life on the
planet without plants.
Water contains many minerals that are necessary for good plant
growth. These minerals include iron, calcium, magnesium,
phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen.
If a plant is lacking or has too much of any of these minerals the
plant may die or not grow into a healthy plant.
For instance, if the water has little or no nitrogen or calcium the
roots will be large, but the leaves will be small. If there is too
much or too little potassium or iron the leaves will be discolored.
PH is basically the negative log of hydrogen ion activity used to
measure the acidity or basicity. The pH level ranges on a scale from
one to fourteen, one being most acidic, fourteen being most basic,
and seven being neutral (Soil pH and Fertilizers).
A pH level of 6.5 or slightly acidic is ideal to most plants because
nutrients are most readily available between a range of six to
seven (Soil pH and Fertilizers).
If the pH falls below four or above nine, a living organism dies
(Water Quality Tests). The pH of a soil is its measure of relative
acidity or alkalinity; pH is an acronym for potential hydrogen. The
availability of nutrients is directly affected by soil pH. Past studies
have shown that pH is a strong indicator of soils chemical
properties.
By completing this experiment, I plan to determine which type of
water is ideal for growing the healthiest indoor plant. The results of
this experiment may be relevant in greenhouse and indoor
planting.
In my experiment I will also be considering the effects that the pH has
on the soil. Soil that is too acidic or too basic does not promote healthy
plant growth, due to the fact that, in both cases, the plants are
deprived of their nutrients, which is harmful to helpful bacteria. If the
soil’s pH is too high or too low, some nutrients become insoluble,
limiting the availability of these nutrients to the plant root system.
My goal is not only to study the pH levels of soil, but also to compare
them to lima bean plant growth. I believe that through regular watering
of the bean plants, the soil will be altered by the different pH levels of
the water. I also believe that the pH level of the soil is a significant
factor in determining how well the bean plants will grow. Again, I
hypothesize that the soil that is watered with the filtered water will be
the closest to neutral; therefore these plants will grow the most
efficiently.
In the past, similar research has been conducted with different types of
waters on plants. One known experiment performed, was testing the
wilt of flowers when they were placed in distilled, hard, soft, and lake
water. This is somewhat similar to my experiment as I am using distilled
water, filtered water, salt water and tap water; however, instead of
testing the wilt of flowers, I will test the durability and growth rate of
the plants.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis for my experiment is that all the plant trials will
grow, but the filtered water plants will grow most rapidly, as
filtered water has fewer contaminants and more nutrients.
Procedure
•I will grow 120 pots of seeds, 30 will be the control group,
and 90 will be experimental group.
•There will be three seeds in each pot.
•I will give them the exact same amount of light daily and
plant them in the same amount of soil.
•Seeds will be panted to the same depth.
•All plants will receive the same amount of water. The
only difference will be the mineral content of the water.
•My control seeds will be given distilled water. My
experimental seeds will be given filtered water, tap water,
and the other experimental seeds will be given salt water.
•I will record my data for 70 days: when seeds sprouted,
number of seeds sprouted, height of plants, color of leaves,
and number of leaves.
•I will then analyze my data, accept or reject my
hypothesis, write a summary and conclusion, and apply my
findings.
Materials
40 flowerpots, 6 cm each
120 bean seeds
188 kg bag of potting soil
Tap water
Filtered water
Distilled water
Container of salt
Data collection form
pH meter
Water test kit
Soil pH kit
Thermometer
Grow light
Ruler