Aeroponic Growth vs. Natural Growth - Berwick Area … – “ A technique for growing plants without soil or hydroponic media The plants are held above a system that constantly mists

Aeroponic Growth vs. Natural

Growth

Katie Evans 9th Grade

Berwick Area High School

July 22, 2012 Footer text here 2

Research:

Aeroponics – “ A technique for growing plants without soil or hydroponic media The plants are held above a system that constantly mists the roots with nutrient-laden water.”

Aeroponics is a relatively new concept

In an aeroponic system the plants roots are suspended in the air


Research (continued):

Aeroponics was developed in 1920 by botanists the roots of the plants dangle in the air only the stem of the plant is secure

water and a nutrient solution is constantly sprayed on the plants NO soil is used

Rockwool acts as the “soil” Rockwool is a fibrous material that is a growing medium


Research (Continued):

Instead of the plants living and growing in a dirt environment they can thrive in an air environment This method is proven that there is a less risk for the plants to

become ill Plants need 16 different nutrients to survive

All those needed nutrients are present in a nutrient solution


Hypothesis:

If I grow plants aeroponically and Naturally then the plants grown aeroponically will grow tallest

and have the most dry biomass because the aeroponic system is more efficient


Materials needed:

2 rubber maid tubs (with lids) 12 net pots 4 water sprayers 1 submersible water pump 1 programmable timer 6 heat lamps Pea shoot seeds Nutrient solution 8 gallons of spring water potting soil clay pebbles 6 pieces of Rockwool

A black hose Pvc pipe Pvc T fitting 2 Pvc end caps Water proof silicone Pvc cement 6 light bulbs(25 watt) A big space to conduct the experiment a graduated cylinder a measuring stick with centimeters Popsicle sticks



Before Experiment procedure (Building the systems):

1. Obtain all needed materials 2. Take the lid off of the aeroponic tub and arrange the locations and placement of the net pots 3. After the net pots are placed use a writing utensil to trace around the top of the net pot on to

the lid 4. Then cut out each circle and discard of the un needed material 5. Then file out all the rough edges to ensure each net pot fits in its circular hole 6. Then take the tub and looking down at it measure 4 inches down on the two shortest side

from the top 7. At those two points drill/cut out a 1 inch sized hole. Ensuring that the pvc pipe fits 8. Then take two 16 and ½ inch pvc and attach them together using a pvc t fitting 9. After that slide the whole thing into the two holes already drilled in the sides 10.Then place a fitting that is for the water pump into the bottom of the pvc t fitting 11.After that place the water pump in the bottom of the tub directly under the pvc t fitting


Before experiment Procedure (Building the systems):

12. To attach those two take a black hose and place it into the water pump fitting and run it down to the water pump where it attaches to another fitting 13. Then going back to the two 16 and ½ inch PVC pipes with the T fitting. On the top of these pipes drill 4 holes equally spaced so the sprayer stems are in and are secure 14. After that go to the outside of the tub and place a pvc end cap on each of the pipes sticking out 15. Secure with pvc cement 16. Seal around the pipes inside of the tub with silicone 17. Plug up any un needed holes with silicone 18. Wait to a dry 19. After it dries clean out any extra debris or material 20. Plug in the system 21. Run plain water through the system several times 22.Place this tub (aeroponic tub) next to the natural tub


to do this take the pieces of Rockwool and soak them in water until completely wet

then insert a seed into each piece of Rockwool put under a heat lamp put a light bulb in the heat lamp plug in the heat lamp leave it there until it begins to sprout to germinate the natural seeds place them in the dirt water them with 5ml of water wait until all seeds germinate

You must germinate the seeds before you start the experiment:


1. Place the aeroponic tub and the natural tub and place 3 heat lamps above each tub 2. Add a light bulb to each heat lamp 3. Plug all the heat lamps in 4. In the aeroponic tub take natural spring water and pour it in the tub until the water intake slits on the pump are covered 5. Determine how many gallons of water are in the tub 6. After determining that place 2 teaspoons of nutrient solution for each gallon in the tub 7. Then take the Rockwool with the seed in it and put it into the net pot 8. Then take clay pebbles and fill in the remaining space of the net pot 9. Then place the filled net pots into their circular holes of the aeroponic system 10. Plug in the whole aeroponic system 11. Leave the system running for 14 hours and then turn it off for 8 or plug it into the programmable timer 12. In the natural tub take soil and fill it about 3-4 inches deep with soil 13. Dig a hole for each seed according to the specifications for each seed type 14. Place 12 seeds equally spaced from each other exactly like the aeroponic setup 15. Bury the seeds 16. Then place popsicle stick near the seeds to mark where each seed is located 17. Then water the plants in the natural tub 5 ML of water every day 18. Measure the plants in length every day and biomass at the end of the trial

How to set up the actual experiment:


Actual Setup:


Trial size and Number:

Aeroponic Tub:

Natural Tub:

2 trials Each trial had 12 plants 24 seeds in all were planted

2 trials Each trial had 12 plants 24 seeds in all were planted


Data recording:

To finish my experiment I will collect and analyze my data Every day the plants had been measured in

length in cm. they will be placed on a chart and compared to the other trials then at the end of the plants growing period

every single plant was measured in biomass those will also be recorded and compared to the other trials


How I Calculated biomass:


Results for Natural Tub Trial 1:

Natural Tub - Trial 1 Plant Height (cm) & Dry Biomass (g)

Days 0 2 4 6 8 10 Dry Biomass

Plant 1 0.00 0.00 2.00 9.10 15.40 21.90 0.131 Plant 2 0.00 0.00 4.00 12.00 17.70 28.10 0.150 Plant 3 0.00 0.00 1.00 7.60 13.10 18.80 0.120 Plant 4 0.00 0.00 1.10 0.40 0.00 0.00 0.000 Plant 5 0.00 0.00 3.00 9.20 14.40 15.40 0.091 Plant 6 0.00 0.00 2.20 9.10 14.30 17.40 0.100 Plant 7 0.00 0.00 2.00 7.50 14.00 19.90 0.132 Plant 8 0.00 0.00 2.00 9.30 14.60 19.40 0.110 Plant 9 0.00 0.00 2.00 8.90 14.00 17.40 0.110 Plant 10 0.00 0.00 2.10 8.00 13.30 13.80 0.130 Plant 11 0.00 0.00 2.50 8.20 11.90 12.10 0.112 Plant 12 0.00 0.00 2.40 7.60 11.70 11.90 0.090


Results for Natural Tub Trial 2:

Natural Tub - Trial 2 Plant Height (cm) & Dry Biomass (g)

Days 0 2 4 6 8 10 Dry Biomass



Results for Natural Tub Trials 1 and 2 combined:

Average For All Plants Grown Naturally - Plant Height (cm) & Dry Biomass (g)

Dry Biomass

AVERAGE 0.00 1.20 2.48 7.34 11.30 13.95 0.111

STD DEV 0.00 0.42 1.39 3.86 5.96 8.21 0.050

STD ERR 0.00 0.24 0.31 0.86 1.37 1.88 0.011


Results for Aeroponic Tub Trial 1:

Aeroponic Tub - Trial 1 Plant Height (cm) & Dry Biomass (g)

Day 0 2 4 6 8 10 Dry Biomass



Results for Aeroponic Tub Trial 2:

Aeroponic Tub- Trial 2 Plant Height (cm) & Dry Biomass (g)

Day 0 2 4 6 8 10 Dry Biomass



Result for Aeroponic Tub Trials 1 and 2:

Average For All Plants Grown Aeroponically - Plant Height (cm) & Dry Biomass (g)

AVERAGE 0.00 0.50 1.94 4.48 9.43 16.77 0.107

STD DEV 0.00 0.15 1.15 3.39 7.22 10.56 0.055

STD ERR 0.00 0.11 0.40 0.94 1.81 2.64 0.014


Results:

Aeroponic

soil


Results:


Unexpected Outcomes:

While in the growing process some of the seeds began to grow mold Also that there was no clear answer to which condition the

plants grew best in


Conclusion:

The purpose of this experiment was to test weather plants grew best in Aeroponic conditions or in natural conditions. The major findings in this experiment was that there was not enough information for me to draw a clear answer. The hypothesis that stated if I grow plants Aeroponically and Naturally that the plants grown Aeroponically would grow tallest and weigh the most because the aeroponic system is more efficient was not supported nor rejected. To improve this experiment I would make sure to have a larger trial size and keep the plants in a place with a consistent air temperature.


Improvements that could be made:

A larger trial size A consistent temperature in the room that the

experiment took place An aeroponic system that had no issues (there was a

small leak) Have a longer growing period


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http://www.bestseedbank.com/aeroponics-what-is-an-aeroponic-system-and-how-does-it-work/

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https://www.hydroponics.netlearn/hydroponic_gardening_for_beginngers.asp

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http://www.thefreedictionary.com/aeroponics�

http://www.besthydroponics101.com/how-does-aeroponics-work�







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http://www.rocketswag.com/gardenig/Hydroponics/aeroponics/How-Does-Aeroponics-work.html�







http://home.howstuffworks.com/lawn-garden/professional-landsaping/alternative-methods/hydroponics.htm�







https://www.hydroponics.netlearn/hydroponic_gardening_for_beginngers.asp�

http://www.gardenguides.com/123372-nutrients-used-hydroponics.html�







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Aeroponic Growth vs. Natural Growth - Berwick Area … – “ A technique for growing plants without soil or hydroponic media The plants are held above a system that constantly mists