Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I have already posted a similar question on this website, and the answer I got was very helpful! But now I need more help. My project is "Which Environmental Adjustment Has the Greatest Effect on Seed Germination?" Before I had asked about what type of seeds to use for this experiment, and now I have seeds. I chose radish seeds because their supposed to emerge from the soil in only 4-6 days, which gives me plenty of time to do my experiment. But I still need to know the "normal" environmental settings for a seed, such as amount of sunlight, amount of water, etc. I tried searching online, but it's not easy to find exactly what I need through Google.
Can anyone help me?

I forgot to mention- once I find out the conditions radishes need to grow, how should I go about conducting the experiment? I have soil and seeds, and I figured using egg cartons would be sufficient to grow the seeds in. But how can I test temperature? And my biggest question is- how can I measure the rate of germination? Can I simply poke through the soil and observe the seeds each day? Please help me!

Here are a few websites that discuss conditions require to grow radishes.
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/radish1.html
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homega ... e341b.html
http://extension.usu.edu/files/publicat ... 004-14.pdf

Your independent variables for the experiment might include: temperature, pH, soil preparation, water, fertilization, etc.

Michael

Hi,

Generally, you measure germination by comparing numbers of seeds that germinated in a given amount of time compared to how many you planted, or latency [amount of time] to germination (which means that seed depth is really really important to keep constant!).

Let us know if you have additional questions!

I have so many questions!
- How would I test pH?
- How would I test temperature?
- How would I test amount of sunlight?
- Do I need a heat lamp to grow the seeds indoors, or can I place them by a window?
- I looked at all of the websites about radish seeds, but when it comes to watering none of them give any measurements. Does this really matter or can I simply make sure the seeds are moistened each day?
- When it comes to testing germination, can I record my data by pulling back the soil and observing any external changes the seed has gone through?
I have to write background information in the introduction to my paper, and I need to know what effect each variable has on germination so that I can make my hypothesis. For example, I know that water is a catalyst that begins the processes in the seed that move germination along. Where could I find information on the other variables (temperature, pH, etc)?

Sorry I have so many, but thanks to anyone who can help me.