| Indoor Plant Lights Make an Impression at the Science Fair |
| Got Growth? |
Problem
Growing with LED lights is a great idea if you have the right medium. That's the problem I need to solve.
With LED lights there is little heat which means less evaporation. Regular dirt holds too much water because it expects to have it be evaporated.
I need something that doesn't hold water up top but lets it fall fast to the bottom. I choose to use a home made planting soil (1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 compost, and 1/3 Pete Moss), Golf
Course Sand and Grounded up Clay Pigeons.
Hypothesis
I believe that my home made soil will work best because usually the problem I have with it is that it dries out way fast and I can't keep up with it. So everything dies. So I think with no
evaporation it might do OK.
I don't think sand will do well because it holds a lot of water and keeps it up top.
I don't think my clay pigeons will work because my chunks are really chunky.
Materials
1 Propagation tray
1 LED light bar
6 Packets of seeds
2 Arugula
2 radish
2 mesclun
Home made soil
1/3 vermiculite
1/3 compost
1/3 peat moss
Golf Course Sand
Clay Pigeons (crushed up)
Dividers
Measuring Tape
6 Quarts of water
Miracle Growth
Procedure
I took seeds and put them in wet paper towels and then put that inside a plastic bag. I let them sit for a few days then planted them in their soil. I then waited until they came up then
measured them. After a few days they started dieing. I think it was because I sprayed them. So I started again and this time I didn't measure anything I just wanted to see if they
would live I planted them on top of the soil after I soaked them for 7 hours. When they grew I started soaking the soil instead of spraying them. They did great.
Conclusion
My home made potting soil did the best it grew the most seeds, and all the plants became the tallest.
Sand did the next best and smashed pots did the least.
I think that sand didn't do very well was because it held to much water. When I watered them all the same it always had left over water from last time. I think clay pots did the least
because it let all the water fall and roots couldn't reach the water. Home made did the work the best because it let water fall and also kept some up where the roots could reach it.
Next Time
Next time I think I will use different amounts of water and have more mediums and plants. I will also do more research. I would start by getting more lights and more trays. I would
plant a lot more seeds or maybe even plant one seed and test the mediums.
I also think it would be fun to plant my own indoor garden so I can grow the plants I want and eat them.
Growing with LED lights is a great idea if you have the right medium. That's the problem I need to solve.
With LED lights there is little heat which means less evaporation. Regular dirt holds too much water because it expects to have it be evaporated.
I need something that doesn't hold water up top but lets it fall fast to the bottom. I choose to use a home made planting soil (1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 compost, and 1/3 Pete Moss), Golf
Course Sand and Grounded up Clay Pigeons.
Hypothesis
I believe that my home made soil will work best because usually the problem I have with it is that it dries out way fast and I can't keep up with it. So everything dies. So I think with no
evaporation it might do OK.
I don't think sand will do well because it holds a lot of water and keeps it up top.
I don't think my clay pigeons will work because my chunks are really chunky.
Materials
1 Propagation tray
1 LED light bar
6 Packets of seeds
2 Arugula
2 radish
2 mesclun
Home made soil
1/3 vermiculite
1/3 compost
1/3 peat moss
Golf Course Sand
Clay Pigeons (crushed up)
Dividers
Measuring Tape
6 Quarts of water
Miracle Growth
Procedure
I took seeds and put them in wet paper towels and then put that inside a plastic bag. I let them sit for a few days then planted them in their soil. I then waited until they came up then
measured them. After a few days they started dieing. I think it was because I sprayed them. So I started again and this time I didn't measure anything I just wanted to see if they
would live I planted them on top of the soil after I soaked them for 7 hours. When they grew I started soaking the soil instead of spraying them. They did great.
Conclusion
My home made potting soil did the best it grew the most seeds, and all the plants became the tallest.
Sand did the next best and smashed pots did the least.
I think that sand didn't do very well was because it held to much water. When I watered them all the same it always had left over water from last time. I think clay pots did the least
because it let all the water fall and roots couldn't reach the water. Home made did the work the best because it let water fall and also kept some up where the roots could reach it.
Next Time
Next time I think I will use different amounts of water and have more mediums and plants. I will also do more research. I would start by getting more lights and more trays. I would
plant a lot more seeds or maybe even plant one seed and test the mediums.
I also think it would be fun to plant my own indoor garden so I can grow the plants I want and eat them.
| K'lila B. is a junior high school student in Utah who earned a 3rd place prize at her district Science Fair as well as a special award at regionals with our indoor plant lights. We would like to thank both K'lila and her parents for allowing us to share her project with you. The following is her write-up as well as pictures. Great job K'lila! We can't wait to see what you come up with for the next fair. |
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