Hello Cari! 

I had a lot of fun working with you! Thanks for helping us along the way!

Hi, Cari thank you so much for the amazing feedback. We are so appreciative of all the support you have giving us and we loved being able to learn from a truly wonderful and talented scientist, such as yourself. We agree that the plants needed more room for a root system in order to gather nutrients. We however where very proud of our work and enjoyed doing it with you. Hope you are doing well!

Hey Bio Bros! 

Thanks so much for uploading an image of your graph, it looks FANTASTIC! I think that even though your plants died, your graph definitely tells a compelling story about how much soil radishes need to grow!

I took a look at your conclusions in your journals too. Connecting the amount of soil to the amount of water the soil can hold for the plant is a great conclusion! Another think you might consider is space for the roots. Every plant needs to have a strong root system to gather nutrients below ground to help it grow better above ground. Maybe the pots with less soil didn't have enough space for the roots to grow effectively.

Can you believe that a few weeks ago you all asked a question and developed a way to answer your question? And now you have found the answer to your own question! That's so amazing and I'm so proud of you all for sticking with your experiment even through the setbacks! Absolutely excellent work!

Thank you all for being awesome scientists and communicators here on PlantingScience! It's been a joy to work with you all!

Hi Cari, Thank you for all of your helpful tips. Also, Thank you for the time you spent helping us help our plants grow. 

-Lizzie

Hello Cari! Today is our last day of the project, so we will be uploading our final journals, data tables, graphs, and doing the conclusion. Unfortunately all of the plants have died but, before all the setbacks they were growing very well and we should have enough data to complete our conclusion. Thank you for taking the time to help us with our experiment. Have a nice day! 

From, 

Biology Bros

Hi Cari! 

Just uploaded a picture of our graph!

-Biology Bros

Hey Bio Bros! I'm sorry your experiment took that unexpected turn since you were out of school for the past week! That happens with experiments all the time. In one experiment I did, I had several unexpected issues including a tropical storm, boars eating part of my experiment, and I got really sick and unable to collect my samples. So, hopefully you're not discouraged by this setback! 

I couldn't see your graph from that link. Could you take a screenshot of it and upload it instead?

This is our graph:

https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx?ID=bb9dc84c3619474d9d2240e7263638ef ;

Hello Cari, last week we were not in school because of a propylene glycol spill. The power was still on but we were not here to water them, also they were not in the sun because we left them in the shade on Monday, expecting we were going to come to school Tuesday and put them in the sun, which did not happen. We are uploading our journals and Anabel is going to send you pictures.

Hi Biology Bros! 

I think the drop in temperature could have impacted your plants, but it's hard to tell because some of there weren't doing great before that either. I would think of this as a caveat of your experiment. So when you're drawing conclusions from your data you could say "it's possible our results could have been influenced by the lack of heat during one weekend, however, we found blah blah blah." Does that make sense? This kind of thing happens a lot in science, like I said before. It's hard to expect everything that might happen during the course of an experiment. For example, I did a research project in a tropical forest once and during my experiment we experienced a tropical storm, which washed away some of my treatments! So, when I presented my data I just had to say "we found this, but take it with a grain of salt because there was a big tropical storm that could have changed my results."

As for your graph! What are you planning to put on the x-axis? Will your y-axis be growth? I can see where you might want a bar graph or a line graph, depending on what you want to put on your x-axis.

I definitely think you should average your data so you have fewer data points. Plus it will give you a better idea of the overall trend from your experiment. Great thinking! 

Hi Cari!

Mckayla wrote you what we did today but we have a question about our graph. We have nine groups but the website only allowed us to have six groups. Would it be okay if we we average our data so we have three groups instead of nine? Thank you!

-Biology Bros

Hello Cari! When we came into class today we noticed that our plants were still very dry. However, over the weekend our town lost power including our school. So, the temperature in the school was probably below or around 50 degrees. Do you think that could have affected the plants in any way? Today we decided to give the plants a break from the sun, but we watered them with 20 ml of water. We also have to make a graph for part of the project, do you have any ideas of which type of graph we should make? If you have any questions or advice please let us know. 

Hey Biology Bros! 

I'm so sorry your plants have gotten so wonky. After reading your journals and data tables, and reviewing the photos you all posted (by the way, so helpful I appreciate them all), I have a couple of ideas about what's going on here. I'm going to list a few and then you all can discuss these ideas and decide which you think might be playing a role here.

Before I get to that, I just want to tell you all - sometimes plants (and animals) do weird and unexpected things during our experiments. It doesn't mean we did anything wrong, just that we need to remember what happened for the next time because science is always happening! 

So, a couple of different things could have happened to produce these tall, stringy seedlings:

1) Not enough sunlight causing the seedlings to stretch out more to reach the light.

2) Too much heat can drive a quick growth spurt.

3) Inconsistent water available that could help a seedling grow a strong stem.

4) Not enough space between seedlings causing them to compete for sunlight and space quickly. 

What do you all think about these possibilities?

Hi Cari, yesterday Anabel watered the plants for 20 ml and today we watered them 5 ml to last the weekend. We took the stakes out so the plants won't be bruised, we also think we tied the string too tight. We also put them in partial sun for the day. We measured them and most of them shrunk. Mckayla is going to upload pictures of the plants. They are also still crispy. Next week will be the last week that we will be taking data.

- Biology Bros

Hello Cari! When we came into class today we saw that some of our plants were really dry, especially 1/2 cup 1. In fact, it was so dry that some of the sprouts were crispy. We aren't quite sure if they were dry because of not enough water, too much sunlight, or a combination of the two. Because of this, we have decided to up the water to 20 ml every other day to try to make sure this doesn't happen again. We will leave them out of the sun today and put them back in the sun tomorrow. We will upload pictures of the plants in a few minutes. If you have any questions or advice please let us know. 

From, 

The Biology Bros.

Hi Cari! We hope your doing well! Today in science class we found some new growth in our 1/2 1/4 and 1/8 cups of soil samples. We found a ton of growth especially in the 1/4 and 1/8 cups of soil samples because some had just started to sprout and some are fully sprouted and starting to grow! In the 1/2 cup sample we found that there was more and more growth every time we measure our plants. As for watering, we did as we normally would and watered our plants with 16 milliliters of water. We also added some skewers to the plants that were growing tall enough that the skewers would come in handy for better growth. Thank you! -Biology Bros

Hey Biology Bros!

I took a look at your new journal entries and they are looking great! I love how you include your observations with thoughts and hopes for future days of collecting data! Your table is looking good too, but you might want to note on there that some of the low soil seeds are sprouting even if they haven't grown to a measurable height yet. Just to remember which ones started growing when, which could be interesting data as well!

You all are doing a great job! Keep it up!

Cari

Hello Cari, today we took more measurements of our plants and found that the cups with more soil are doing better than the cups with less soil. However, even the plants with the lower amounts of soil are starting to crack the shell of the seed and sprout.  We will upload pictures today and our data table will be uploaded at the end of the week. Do you have any questions or feedback? If so, please let us know.

Thank you, 

Biology Bros

Hi Cari we just wanted to let you know that we uploaded our data table and journals and if you have any feedback we would love to hear it. Our plant have made amazing progress and although it is rainy and there is not much sun we are still putting them in the window sill just so it can get a little sunlight. Hope you have a nice weekend and we will be updating photos. 

Hi Team! Your journals and information you've shared looks good! It would be a good idea to revise your data table so the headings for each treatment have "avg height/cm) and then you just enter numbers in the columns. It will save you a lot of typing and when we make the graphs at the end of the data collection process, if you type anything other than numbers in the columns of the graphing program we are going to use, it won't recognize your data.

Keep up the good work!!

Hi Cari thank you for your feedback. We will make sure to include the measurement of each days findings in our journal as well. Today we found signs of even more growth in the plants. Although the controlled one is making significantly more progress then the rest every signal pot has some sprouting. Today we watered it 16 ml of water and are planning to put them in the sun for the whole day. Please give us you feedback and we are posting pictures for you to observe. Thanks so much!

Hi Bio Bros! 

I think watering every other day will work perfectly. Good work! I'm looking forward to seeing those pictures! It's amazing that they're sprouting already!

I took a look at your science journals and they are looking great! So detailed and I loved that they were dated! One thing you might find helpful would be to add your measurements under each day in your journal too. Redundancy in where you write your data is helpful in case you make a mistake on the main data sheet or miss a day, you can always double check with your journal.

As for your data collection, if you think the number of leaves will differ between your plants, you can definitely collect that data too! I always think that it's better to have more data than to wish I had more data. If that makes sense?

Would you like us to collect the number of leaves and the height of the plants in our data or just the height?

Hey Cari! Today we are putting in our planting science journals in files as a PDF document and our data table. If you could take a look at them when you have a chance that would be great.

Hi Cari, we are going to water our plants every other day because they are still moist. We have a couple spouting in our pots that have 1/2 of cup of soil pot, but all the other ones have seeds starting to open up. Also,  Anabel is going to send you pictures of our plants!

Okay, sounds great!

Hi Cari, we think that we should water our plants 16ml a day because they are really dry when we touch them, do you think that's a good idea?

Hello Cari, our experiment is running around 5 weeks (we are not sure), we are going to check them every week on Friday and collect data.

Hi team! I'm just taking a look at your photos - your experimental set up looks great! I like that you labeled your pots and the container they're sitting in! That's great forethought.

Your experiment is running 5 weeks, right? How often are you going to check them and collect data?

Hi Team! Please post to let your mentor know what you did today in class with your project, and be sure to upload the photos (in the files tab) you took after planting. Your pots should be clearly labeled - this will make it a lot easier for you when it is time to collect data and write down your observations in your journals.

Keep up the good work!

Hi Cari, we are going to upload pictures of our plants, can you tell us if they look right?

Hi Cari! You asked when we are planting our radishes, today we are planting them. 

Hello Cari! You mentioned our break in your latest response. We actually just got back from break so that is why we didn't respond to you. I don't think we have another break in between now and the end of the project, so we should be able to water our plants consistently. 

Hi Anabel! I think that 93 mL is going to be too much water for your experiment. Your initial plan of 1 inch of water is only about 16 mL. I'm worried about drowning the seeds with less soil, so I would stick with the 16 mL. 

I like the idea of splitting up the water unit for a daily addition, but I believe you have a break during your experiment, right? So, you won't be able to add water during those days, so maybe a weekly addition will work best. What do you think?

Do you have any feedback on  how much water. Another group got 93 ml every four days for there amount. What do you think!

Hi Cari, thanks so much for your feedback. We are planning on using up to a total of an inch of water a week. We think we are going to just simply put in an inch of water at the end of each week but we might be able to divide it into five and water it that amount each day. 

 Hi Cari we  just want to let you know are using the same amount of water for all of the pots and we are planning to plant three seeds in each pot 

Hi team! Sorry for my delay getting back to you! I was traveling yesterday and didn't expect it to take as much time as it did.

But your experimental design is looking great! I LOVE the explanation for why you chose to use radishes! I have a couple of questions. How much water are you thinking of giving your plants? Will you be watering daily or weekly?

Also, did you think about replication in your experiment? I think this could look like planting multiple seeds in one treatment pot, or planting one seed in multiple treatment pots. Just depends on what kind of space you have available for your pots! I kind of like the multiple seeds in one pot because then each pot could be right next to the window getting the same amount of sunlight. But if you choose the other option, that will work too!

Hi Cari we where just wondering if you could take a look at our research question and expiramental design?

Hello teams! I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. I am Meghan, and I am the PlantingScience liaison for your teams! I work with your teacher and the mentors to make sure that everything is going smoothly. You may see me post from time to time, so now hopefully you will know who I am when you see my name.

A little bit about me- I am a graduate student at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. I am interested in studying how the locations of plants influence the behavior of the organisms that interact with them. Aside from that, I like to read, play board games, and spend time with my family.

I see a lot of great work and conversation happening, and I can't wait to see how your projects turn out :)

Hey Cari! Thank you for the feedback. We think dividing the amount of soil by a half each time is a great idea. For our research question, we were thinking of doing something along the lines of "Does the amount of soil affect how quickly a plant, starting at a seed, can grow?" Do you have any ideas on what type of plant we should use? We have rye grass, radish, pearl millet, peas, onions, buckwheat, and corn. We were thinking corn, peas, or radish's. What are your thoughts on this?

Hi Team,

When you are thinking of your research questions, remember that we are focusing on seed germination / plant growth. When you are ready to start your experimental design, we have a variety of seeds you can work with: ryegrass, radish, pearl millet, pea, onion, buckwheat and corn. 

How would you test the research ideas that your group has been talking about? See what your mentor thinks about your ideas. What real world problems are you thinking about that relate to your questions?

Keep up the good work! 

Hi Biology Bros! I spent some time thinking about this and I'm going to try and walk you through my thoughts in terms of experimental design, just to make sure I'm thinking about this the same way you are.

In the first post from today from McKayla, we're talking about our research question. So, your question is 'can plants grow without soil?' but a 'can' question isn't really experimental because it's a yes or no question. If that make sense? So, you want a question that contains your treatments (soil) and what you'll be measuring. Something more like "does amount of soil affect a plants ability to survive?" Or instead of survive (I just used that because it was an example in your info tab), you could say something like "do plants with more soil grow faster?" 

In the second post today from Anabel, we're talking a little bit more about your experimental design. First off, I like that in all of your posts and info tab you mention using the same amount of water and sunlights for all your plants, regardless of how much soil they get. That's great! Keeping outside factors constant in your experiments is so important! By keeping your water and sunlight the same across your treatments, you'll be able to say more certainly that the amount of soil is making the difference! So, fantastic work there! Anabel has mentioned two treatments, one with 3x less soil and one with a normal amount of soil. I think this is a great start! But I have a couple of thoughts and few questions. Starting with my thoughts. I like this start because you included a measurable difference between your soil amounts. I wonder if it might be worth it to add an in between treatment, like if your 'regular' treatment has a cup of soil, then the 'middle' treatment could have a half cup, and then the 'little to no' treatment could have 1/4 cup of soil. What do you think about that? Of course the cups are just an example, which you could use if you wanted, but I would also check on the requirements of the plants you are used and whatever the soil requirements are for that plant, use that as your 'regular' treatment and work down from there cutting the amount in half each time. Sometimes including that middle or in between treatment can give you interesting results and you could see something you wouldn't otherwise by just using two extremes. I know that's a little vague, but I don't want to spoil anything for you in this science journey!

As for my questions - you mention planting a plant in your description. Will you be starting with seeds or established plants? And have you thought about what you will be measuring to determine the impact amount of soil has on the plants? (That one will also help you with developing on your research question).

Sorry, that was a whole lot of writing. Did that make sense? Can I clarifying any of my thoughts? Busy brains can be a little wacky sometimes, so I'm never sure if I'm making sense, haha! Please ask questions!

There is one more thing I want to talk about with your experimental design, but lets start here for now! (I write this mostly as a reminder to myself )

OK thank you for your feedback, we are going to go with the soil experiment. We were wondering if you could give us some feedback on the amounts of soil to use. We where thinking of planting one regular plant with the right amount of water and sunlight and one with three times less soil the right amount of water and the right amount of sunlight. What do you think?

Hi Cari! The one question we are all interested in the most is the question about if plants can grow with little to no soil. 

Hey Biology Bros! (I love the team name!)

I love that you all are drawing on your previous observations in your own gardens to inform the question you'd like to experiment with! That's the first, and I would argue most important, step of science!

Based on your questions written in your explore section and the two Anabel listed, it seems like you all are really interest in soil. I think we could definitely design an experiment to test whether seeds need soil to grow! Your other question in the explore section about using watering with different liquids is also interesting and doable. The last question listed though, about speeding up plant growth would need some more specifics to design an experiment about it.

Is there any one question you're most interested in as a group?

Some testable questions we were (Can a plant grow with less soil but the regular amount of water and sunlight) and ( Can a seed survive with no soil but water and sunlight only?). We would like if you could give us some feedback on our testable questions and what you think about them. Thank you so much!

Sincerely, 

The Biology Bros 

We recently posted our explore information, we were wondering if you could check it out and give us some feedback on it when you have the time. Thank you so much for your time, hope you enjoy the rest of your day! 

Sincerely 

Biology Bros ( That is out team name ) 

Cool I think turtles are cool as well!

Its cool that you like dogs and puppies too. Do you have any dogs or pets?

Hi Cari! 

Thank you for the response! My favorite thing to grow are cucumbers, zucchini or tomatoes. I love going out side and being able to pick the vegetables, and water the plants. I also find it satisfying in the end to watch a plant grow into a delicious vegetable. 

Thank you for responding in such a quick amount of time. My favorite subject is math and I am in the accelerated group at my school. Some of my hobbies are cooking, baking, hiking, running, and biking. My favorite sports are lacrosse and basketball. I just finished my basketball season and am currently doing and indoor lacrosse season. Lacrosse is one of the main things that bring me joy, along with my dog Ruby and hanging out with friends and family. 

Thank you for responding so quickly. My favorite hobbies are lacrosse and volleyball, my favorite subject is social studies. My dog also bring me a lot of joy.

Thank you for responding so quickly. My favorite subject in school is math. One of my hobbies is doing volleyball. Something that brings me joy is listening to Taylor Swift.

Hello my name is Jessica!

I'm pleased to meet you. I enjoy science and outside activities including gardening. My family has a huge vegetable garden containing cucumbers, tomatoes and an abundance of more vegetables. You can call me Jess, and I'm very exited to be working with you! 

Hello Lizzie, Anabel, and McKayla! I'm so excited to be your mentor through this science process! You are welcome to address me just as Cari (pronounced like carry). 

I am a postdoctoral researcher working at the University of Vermont in Burlington. I study how farmers think about soil health and what role that plays in the decisions they make about managing their farms. In my free time I love to read fiction, hike, and kayak. I just moved to New England from Ohio a month ago, so I'm still getting used to the area and finding new fun things to do.

I'd love to learn more about you all! Do you have a favorite subject in school? Any hobbies? Anything that brings you a lot of joy? :)

Hello, my name is Lizzie and I love science, and I am very excited to do this project. I am excited to work with you. 

Hello, My name is Anabel 

I am very excited to learn about plants and experiment with you. How would you like us to address you?

Hello, my name is McKayla and I am very excited to work with you. How would you like us to address you?