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Botany Science Fair Project

Detergent Water and Plant Survival

Easy
Detergent Water and Plant Survival | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Can plants survive on water mixed with detergent? Many people reuse water from washing dishes or laundry. That water contains soap and chemicals that might harm plants. You grow four identical potted plants in a sunny spot. One gets plain water every day. The other three each get a different detergent mixed half-and-half with water. You water them this way for seven days. The plant that received only water stayed healthy. All three plants watered with detergent mixtures died within the week.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the detergent will affect plant growth and kill the plant.

Method & Materials

You will need four of the same plants in little pots, three different types of detergent, and an area with sufficient sunshine. You will water the first plant and let it stay, then mix half a cup of detergent with half a cup of water and pour the mixtures in each of the remaining three plants. Record your results after seven days.
You will need four of the same plants in little pots, three different types of detergent, and an area with sufficient sunshine.

Results

After testing for seven days, the experiment showed that the three plants that were watered with detergent water died. The plant that didn't have detergent in it lived and was in good condition. This observation stands out because it shows that detergent can be poisonous to plants.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how detergent can be poisonous to plants.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include testing different types of detergent or different amounts of detergent.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

Related video

These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
It's interesting to think that something as simple as adding detergent can make a difference in the growth of plants! This student's project shows that detergents can help radish seeds grow into strong and healthy plants. It's exciting to think about what other experiments we can do to explore this finding further and discover why detergent affects plant growth!
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