Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

How does water mixed with vinegar, water with salt, with sugar, with baking soda, and baking powder effect the growth of plants. We are using sunflower seeds. Can you direct us to any websites for help.
Thanks, lil jo

Can someone help me with my question from last night. We need background to help us understand our results. It's hard finding the info we need.
Thanks
lil jo

Hi lil jo!

In order for plants to be healthy, they need sunlight, carbon dioxide, water, and nitrogen. Plants produce their own food and need different nutrients than humans do.

I would first look at some websites that talk about what nutrients plants need and why. Also study photosynthesis. You should also study the structure of a sun flower and how it is able to follow the sun (check out wikipedia to get started).

Since you are studying an acid (vinegar) and basic materials (baking soda/powder) you should study how the pH of the soil can affect plant growth:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_pH

Here's another good website: http://www.biology4kids.com/files/plants_main.html

Keep in mind that bacteria like sugar, so what might happen if you give your plant sugar water?

Search for more information in Google using keywords like "baking soda plant" "sugar water plants" "vinegar plants" etc. and you'll find more websites.

You can also check out this page about doing your research paper (Look at the "Doing Background Research" section): ://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-pro ... ndex.shtml

Good luck and let us know if you have more questions!

Experts check the forum every day but are in many different time zones, so it may take 24-48 hours for an expert to reply. Please plan ahead, and please also keep all of your posts in a single thread.

Thanks!