Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I just need to know what type of seeds i need to buy to conduct our experiment. I need one that grows relativly quickly and doesn't die easily. We are putting six in the window and six on a shelf. Then we are watering them each witha different liquid. (water, cool-aid, sweet tea, gatorade, apple juice, and coke)Then we are going to find out wich one grows better in the window and which one grows better on the shelf. Just need help picking the right plant!

Hi,

I don’t know if there is one plant that is easiest to grow, or what it would be, but I can recommend two that are easy and fairly reliable.

First, radishes grow quickly and are rather reliable. See for example:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... o&from=TSW

Second, when I was five years old and my mother wanted to give me gardening experience, she gave me batchelor button seeds to plant. We got a pretty good crop after I all but ignored them in a hot dry sunny climate area.

I suspect either would work well for you, but probably radish seeds would be my first choice.

Have fun with this project!

Best regards,

Barrett Tomlinson

In addition to Barrett's recommendations, it might be fun & interesting to try this experiment also with a succulent variety of plant. You could easily grow jade plants and other succulents from cuttings by snipping off a small bit and putting it in water until roots sprout. These plants tend to grow slowly but steadily, and require less water than non-succulents.

Good luck!