What conditions do plants grow best in? Most humans like salt -
especially on chips - but do plants?
What you need:
- 2 plastic or paper cups
- Cotton wool
- 10 bean seeds
- Salt
- Cling film
What to do:
- Cover the bottom of both cups with cotton wool.
- Sprinkle some salt over the bottom of one cup. Label the cup
with an "S" so you remember which cup has salt in it.
- Place five bean seeds in each cup and water the cotton wool
lightly.
- Cover the cups with cling film.
- Place the cups in a sunny place - a kitchen windowsill is
perfect.
- After five days you should see the seeds start to grow.
Which seeds start to sprout first? How tall do the plants get?
If you want to experiment further, try varying the salt levels or
the types of seeds. Do some plants grow better in salty conditions
than others?
Take some photos of your experiment and send them to us at planetscience@tinopolis.com.
How tall can your bean sprouts grow?