Science Experiment - Chemical Fertilizer VS Organic Fertilizer

Chemical Fertilizer

vs Organic Fertilizer

Science Assessment Task

I became interested in this project because I wanted to know which fertilizer makes plants grow the fastest.

Research

I found background information that was very useful towards my experiment.

I found out that plants don't recognise the difference between organic or inorganic fertilizer, their little roots just soak up any nutrients found in the soil, but even though they don't notice the difference, they still have different effects.

Chemical Fertilizers are synthetically produced plant nutrients made from inorganic materials. Because they're artificially made, many chemical fertilizers contain acids that can be harmful to the soil’s population of microorganisms.

Organic fertilizers are substances containing nutrients derived from the remains or by-product of an organism. Organic fertilizers are naturally rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the three major nutrients needed in plant growth.

The information I have found tells us that plants really don't mind if chemical or organic fertilizer is used, it just needs any nutrients, but different fertilizers do have different effects on the plant, just the plant can't tell.

This experiment links to science by showing us whether chemical or organic matter work better on plant growth, which can then be used in future science experiments, theories and tests.

RESULTS!

Discussion

Underlying Science

The science behind my experiment is whether chemical or fertilizer

makes plants grow faster. We see whether man-made chemicals work better at speeding up the seed germination or if organic by-products like blood meal, fish emulsion or manure work better.

Improvements

I think the improvements I could of made to my experiment were placing the seeds in a better position, as I had to move the hothouse quite alot to make sure the seeds got plenty of sunlight, but also some shade, and also topping the seeds up with more fertilizer, as I think they began to struggle towards the end of the experiment, as I only gave them some water.

Aim

To see which fertilizer helps plants grow faster

Conclusion

Hypothesis

Through this experiment we are able to conclude

which fertilizer is more effective in plant growth, and

by analysing the results and observing the plant growth,

we see it is organic fertilizer.

That plants grow faster when using organic fertilizer

Equipment:

• 1 Packet of bean sprout seeds
• 4mL of Organic Fertilizer(Fish)
• 4mL of Chemical Fertilizer(AllGrow)
• 1 Bag of Seed Raising Mix
• 1 Watering Can
• 1 Seed tray
• 1 Shovel
• 1 Hothouse

25TH

21ST

29TH

17TH

Method

4cm

CHEMICAL

0.5 cm

6cm

5cm

ORGANIC

1.4 cm

8cm

8.5cm

5cm

Step 1- Spread seed-raising mix into all tubs in the tray

Step 2- Empty seeds from packet and pour into hand

Step 3- Place 2 seeds into each tub

Step 4- Water all seeds with watering can

Step 5- Mix Chemical fertilizer with water - 4mL per 250mL

Step 6- Pour Chemical mixture on 2 out of the 8 rows of seeds.

Step 7- Mix Organic fertilizer with water - 4mL per 250mL

Step 8- Pour Organic mixture on 2 out of the 8 rows.

Step 9- Leave the last 2 rows as 'control' rows

Step 10- Place seed tray in hot house and close the lid

Step 11- Move hothouse into a place that gets a sufficient amount of sun

Step 12- Record results every 4 days.

CONTROL

3cm

0.8cm

5cm

6cm

Photo Gallery

13th of August

17th of August

Just Planted

Beginning to sprout

Graph

25th of August

21st of August

Good Height

Growing Strong

My graph is set out to show how different fertilizers had different effects on plant growth.

I have shown the results from each day that I checked the experiment (every 4 days), starting at the date I planted the seeds, which was on the 13th of August and ending on the 29th of August.

This graph shows how organic fertilizer seems to have had a better effect on plant growth, as the plants that used organic fertilizer where always the tallest and that organic fertilizer and no fertilizer seemed to have the same effect on the plants, as they are almost the same height.

29th of August

Slow Growth