How to See if Flowers Lean Towards the Sun
Gather your materials., Label the side of each cup., Line your shoebox with foil., Fill each cup about ½ full of soil., Plant the seeds., Water each plant., Place the cups in the box by the window., Make a shoot cap., Make base caps., Let the plants...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your materials.
You will need three cups, soil, tape, a marker, paper, a shoebox, seeds, aluminum foil, one straw, and water.
Organize your materials on a table or desk for easy use.
You can pick any seed.
Some good options are corn, lima bean, or radish.
You can substitute a shoebox for another medium size box. -
Step 2: Label the side of each cup.
Use the marker to label each cup.
You can use the labels “A, B, and C” or “1, 2, and 3”.
These labels will help you identify the plants throughout your experiment., First, remove and discard the lid and one side of the shoebox.
This will allow light to enter from an angle.
Next, line the remainder of the shoebox with aluminum foil.
This prevents it from getting wet when you water the plants.
Place the shoebox on a windowsill or on a table in front of a window., Be sure to use the same kind of soil in each cup.
Leave the soil loose.
If you pack it too tightly, the seeds will not be able to grow well., Follow the planting instructions on the seed package.
These instructions will differ depending on what plant you choose.
For example, some plants might need to be an inch deep and others may need to be three inches deep., Turn a faucet or spigot on so that a small steady stream of water is flowing.
Move the cup back and forth under the water until the soil looks wet.
Do not overwater the soil.
It should just be damp to the touch., The cups need to be side by side in the shoe box.
This is how the light will be controlled for the experiment.
Always keep the same cups in the same place.
Moving them around will mess up your results.Once you place the cups in the box, you will not need to remove them.
The seeds will sprout, and the plants will grow facing the direction they choose. , The shoot cap will prevent light from shining on the tip of the plant.
The cap can be made by surrounding the top half of an inch of a straw with aluminum foil.
The cap should be a cylinder that is half an inch tall and has a covered top.One half inch equals
1.77 centimeters. , Base caps will not cover the top of the plant, but will cover the stem instead.
To make this kind of cap, you should wrap aluminum foil around a straw.
Do not cover the top or bottom of the straw.
The base cape should be a cylinder with no covered top or bottom, and should be roughly half an inch long., The plants will need to sprout before you cap them.
This will take different amounts of time for different plants.
Once the plants sprout, you should let them grow to be half an inch tall., Once the plants have grown about half an inch, you need to put the assigned caps on them.
Place a shoot cap on plants in cup A (or 1).
Use base caps for plants in cup B (or 2).
Place no caps on plants in cup C (or 3).
The third cup is a control group., As you monitor the plants over the next days and weeks, make note of which flowers lean toward the sun and which ones lean away from the sun.
The flowers in cup A will likely grow straight up.
The flowers in cups B and C will likely lean toward the sun.
This happens because the light is detected at the top of the shoot, and the flower grows in the direction of the light.
When you cover the top of the shoot with a shoot cap, the plant cannot detect the light and grows straight up. -
Step 3: Line your shoebox with foil.
-
Step 4: Fill each cup about ½ full of soil.
-
Step 5: Plant the seeds.
-
Step 6: Water each plant.
-
Step 7: Place the cups in the box by the window.
-
Step 8: Make a shoot cap.
-
Step 9: Make base caps.
-
Step 10: Let the plants grow.
-
Step 11: Cap the plants.
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Step 12: Analyze the plant growth.
Detailed Guide
You will need three cups, soil, tape, a marker, paper, a shoebox, seeds, aluminum foil, one straw, and water.
Organize your materials on a table or desk for easy use.
You can pick any seed.
Some good options are corn, lima bean, or radish.
You can substitute a shoebox for another medium size box.
Use the marker to label each cup.
You can use the labels “A, B, and C” or “1, 2, and 3”.
These labels will help you identify the plants throughout your experiment., First, remove and discard the lid and one side of the shoebox.
This will allow light to enter from an angle.
Next, line the remainder of the shoebox with aluminum foil.
This prevents it from getting wet when you water the plants.
Place the shoebox on a windowsill or on a table in front of a window., Be sure to use the same kind of soil in each cup.
Leave the soil loose.
If you pack it too tightly, the seeds will not be able to grow well., Follow the planting instructions on the seed package.
These instructions will differ depending on what plant you choose.
For example, some plants might need to be an inch deep and others may need to be three inches deep., Turn a faucet or spigot on so that a small steady stream of water is flowing.
Move the cup back and forth under the water until the soil looks wet.
Do not overwater the soil.
It should just be damp to the touch., The cups need to be side by side in the shoe box.
This is how the light will be controlled for the experiment.
Always keep the same cups in the same place.
Moving them around will mess up your results.Once you place the cups in the box, you will not need to remove them.
The seeds will sprout, and the plants will grow facing the direction they choose. , The shoot cap will prevent light from shining on the tip of the plant.
The cap can be made by surrounding the top half of an inch of a straw with aluminum foil.
The cap should be a cylinder that is half an inch tall and has a covered top.One half inch equals
1.77 centimeters. , Base caps will not cover the top of the plant, but will cover the stem instead.
To make this kind of cap, you should wrap aluminum foil around a straw.
Do not cover the top or bottom of the straw.
The base cape should be a cylinder with no covered top or bottom, and should be roughly half an inch long., The plants will need to sprout before you cap them.
This will take different amounts of time for different plants.
Once the plants sprout, you should let them grow to be half an inch tall., Once the plants have grown about half an inch, you need to put the assigned caps on them.
Place a shoot cap on plants in cup A (or 1).
Use base caps for plants in cup B (or 2).
Place no caps on plants in cup C (or 3).
The third cup is a control group., As you monitor the plants over the next days and weeks, make note of which flowers lean toward the sun and which ones lean away from the sun.
The flowers in cup A will likely grow straight up.
The flowers in cups B and C will likely lean toward the sun.
This happens because the light is detected at the top of the shoot, and the flower grows in the direction of the light.
When you cover the top of the shoot with a shoot cap, the plant cannot detect the light and grows straight up.
About the Author
Matthew Fox
A passionate writer with expertise in crafts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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