
Water Hardness and Seed Germination
Medium
Does the mineral content of water affect how seeds sprout? You place 20 black-eyed Susan seeds on cotton in each of three beakers. One gets tap water with added calcium to make it hard. Another gets tap water mixed with a softener. The third gets plain tap water.
You observe the seeds for five days and count how many germinate each day. By day five the totals are nearly the same across all three types of water.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that watering plants with soft water will help seeds germinate more quickly.
Method & Materials
You will label three beakers as "Hard", "Tap", and "Soft". Place 20 seeds in each beaker, and fill each beaker with 200ml of water. The "Hard" beaker will have 5mg of calcium added, and the "Soft" beaker will have 10ml of water softener added.
You will need 1 packet of black-eyed Susan seeds, 3 large beakers, 3 balls of cotton, 10ml of water softener, 5mg of calcium, tap water, 1 measuring cylinder, and 1 black marker pen.
Results
The results showed that the rate of seed germination was almost the same for all types of water used. This disproves the hypothesis that watering plants with soft water will help seeds germinate more quickly.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it tests the effect of water hardness on seed germination, which is an important factor in plant growth.
Also Consider
Variations of this science project could include testing different types of plants, or testing the seeds in different environments such as under the sun, in a shaded area, or indoors.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related videos
These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
Share this Science Project:
Related Science Fair Project Ideas
Sort soybean seeds by weight and test whether heavier or lighter seeds push through 10 centimeters of soil faster.
Medium
Plant pea seeds in 14 different soil samples and track which root diseases appear most often as the plants grow.
Medium
Clone a plant using leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, or layering and compare which method grows new roots first.
Medium
Share this Science Project:
