Jenna+H

Jenna Hammers Pd. 8 Science Fair Paper

The different environments plants are grown in effect the plant in many different ways. There are many different variables that could be tested to determine which environment is the best environment to grow plants in. For example, some variables that could easily be tested are, amount of water given to a plant, amount of light given to a plant, or even the amount of soil given to each plant. In my science fair experiment, I will be testing how different colors of light effect the plant’s growth. I chose to test the light because light is one of the most important factors in a plant’s life. Without light, a plant would not be able to reproduce, grow, or photosynthesis. Plants naturally grow out-doors, therefore they absorb light from the sun. Sunlight includes all colors of light, meaning plants can absorb any color of light they need to help them grow. Red light gives the plant the largest amount and the most efficiently metabolized nutrient energy, yet, using red light only will not fully develop the plant. Blue light is what makes plants look healthy, but blue light alone may not make the plant actually healthy. Other colors of light may affect the plant in other ways as well. Which brings the question; what color of light do plants grow best in? To answer this question I will conduct an experiment. I will be using many materials for this experiment. I will need a chamber that I can grow the plants in. This chamber must have four different sections inside it to separate the different colors of light; however, these four sections must be exactly equivalent for every variable other than the color of light. I will also need enough seeds to do ten trials with every color. These seeds must all be for the same exact type of plant or it will add unwanted variables to the experiment. Soil is one other item I will need. I will need enough of the same type of soil to nurture the seeds for each of ten trails with every color. Another material I will use will be a ruler. I will use this ruler to measure each plant’s growth every day. The final material I will need is a teaspoon. I will use this teaspoon to measure out exactly the same amount of water to give each plant each day. Each plant will receive the same amount of water every day. If one plant would receive more water than another on any given day, then there could be a change in that plant’s growth that had nothing to do with the color of light. All of these items are materials that will be used throughout this experiment. To actually go about this experiment, the first step is to collect all of the materials needed. I will use the chamber that is in Mrs. Fogell’s storage closet. This chamber is perfectly designed to fit this experiment. It has four separate chambers that will keep the plants from being exposed to other colors of light. Each of the four chambers is large enough that multiple trials will be able to be conducted at the same time. The type of seeds I will be using will be sunflower seeds. I chose sunflower seeds because they are generally fast-growing. I will use the exact same type of seed for every trial for every color of light. I will use soil packets that are called peat pockets. They are all equally sized and contain the same amount of nutrients. I will use one peat pocket per seed and water each seed by using a teaspoon. Once I have all of my materials collected, I will begin my experiment. I will conduct this experiment by placing ten of the peat pockets in each of the four sections of the chamber. Next, I will place one sunflower seed into each peat pocket. Then, I will water each seed with the exact same amount of water. I will measure out the water using a teaspoon so I know that each seed receives the same amount of water. After that, I will let the sunflower seeds grow inside the chamber that contains the four sections of different colored lights. I will record each plant’s growth every day for a period of time. After this period of time, the experiment will be concluded. At the end of this experiment, I will have the results to my original question. In other words, I will know exactly which color of light plant’s grow best in.

**__Works Cited __**  "Best Way - The Best Colored Light to Grow Plants | eHow.com." //EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles//. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. .

"Biology 1114." //Biology 1114 -- Introductory Biology//. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. .

"Does the colour of light affect a plants growth?" //Centre for Distance Learning and Innovation//. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. .

"How Colored Light Affects Plant Growth -." //Associated Content - associatedcontent.com//. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. .

"How Does Color of Light Effect Plant Growth? | eHow.com." //EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles//. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. .

"Re: Do different Coloured lights affect plant growth?" //MadSciNet: The 24-hour exploding laboratory.// Web. 06 Oct. 2009. .

"Science Project _ What Color Light is Best for a Plants Growth?" //Science Project Ideas, information and support for Science Fair Projects//. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. .

"Science Project." //Selah School District//. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. .

"WikiAnswers - Do different colors of light effect plant growth." //WikiAnswers - The Q&A wiki//. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. .

"Will Different Colors of Light Affect Plant Growth? | eHow.com." //EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles//. Web. 06 Oct. 2009. .

40 Sunflower seeds Chamber with 4 sections 40 Peat Pockets (soil) Beaker Water 4 Trays that are 9 inches X 13 inches Ruler
 * Materials: **

1.) Set up the chamber so one section is lighted red, one section is lighted yellow, one section is lighted green, and the other section is lighted with a plant growth light as the control. 2.) Place ten Peat Pockets in each of the four trays. 3.) Add 700 mL of water to each tray and wait for the Peat Pockets to absorb the water 4..) Place one sunflower seed in each Peat Pocket. 5.) Place a tray in each of the four differently lighted sections of the chamber. 6.) Let the seeds grow. 7.) Measure every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and record their growth in centimeters using the ruler. 8.) Add 400 mL of water to each tray after measuring on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 9.) Continue steps 6, 7 and 8 for three weeks.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Procedure: **