Experiment 5

Which soil makes beets and radishes grow best?

Materials:

Picture of small spoutsBeet and radish seeds

Sand

Soil

Compost

Time-release fertilizer (Follow directions on the package.)

8 Styrofoam cups

Do this first:

Fill the cups with the potting mixes. Make two cups of each type of soil. Plant 2 beet or radish seeds in each.

Fertilize one cup each of the different potting mixes.

Place the cups on a sunny window sill and add 2 teaspoons of water to each cup daily.

Record your results. Which plant sprouts fastest? Which grows fastest?

OTHER IDEAS TO EXPLORE:

Where does timed-release fertilizer come from?

Which takes more energy to produce: compost or chemical fertilizer?