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Botany Science Fair Project

Radish Crowding and Plant Growth

Easy
Radish Crowding and Plant Growth | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
What happens when plants grow too close together? You plant three radish seeds about one centimeter apart in one milk carton. In a second carton you pack 20 seeds only half a centimeter apart. Both cartons get the same soil and water. They also get the same sunlight. After two weeks you compare the plants in each carton. Look for differences in: - Height - Fullness - Color - Strength The crowded carton forces plants to compete for limited resources. The results show clear differences in how the two groups develop.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that the plants in the carton with more seeds will be shorter and less full than the plants in the carton with fewer seeds.

Method & Materials

You will cut off the top of two milk cartons, punch holes in the bottom, fill them with soil, plant radish seeds, and water them.
You will need two small milk cartons, a nail, garden soil, water, radish seeds, a metric ruler, a marker, a pie pan, and a measuring cup.

Results

After observing and measuring the plants in each carton, it was found that the plants in the carton with fewer seeds were taller and fuller than the plants in the carton with more seeds. This suggests that overcrowding can have a negative effect on plant growth.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how overcrowding can have a negative effect on plant growth, which can be applied to other ecosystems.

Also Consider

Experiment variations to consider include planting different types of seeds, planting the same number of seeds in both cartons, and planting the seeds closer together in one carton.

Full project details

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

Related video

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