Plant Diversity: Repurposing a blog

This blog was originally purposed for informing the small clientele of the even smaller plant nursery, Plant Diversity, I owned and operated from 2009-2012. You can tell I wasn't very interested in updating it.

I will be devoting the next few months of blogging to a science experiment. The science experiment in question is this one that has been floating around on Facebook for a while now. http://usahitman.com/microwave-test/

I do have a preconceived notion that filtered watered would benefit a plant just as much as microwaved water; however, my experiment will not be trying to prove this. My experiment will be to see what happens when I grow plants of identical species using water "harvested" in different methods. Sadly, I have no access to filtered water. This instantly changes my experiment from the experiment being passed around on Facebook.

The water being used in my experiment will be harvested in the following manners.

-Well water from the tap I drink from allowed to sit at room temperature for 15-60 minutes.

-Well water from the tap I drink from boiled in an electric kettle, then allowed to sit at room temperature for 15-60 minutes.

-Well water from the tap I drink from boiled in the microwave, then allowed to sit at room temperature for 15-60 minutes.

-Rain, snow, creek or river water collected from what looks to be an untainted source that is then allowed to sit at room temperature for 15-60 minutes

I will water the four specimens with a 1/2 cup of water for the start of the experiment. The quantity and frequency will fluctuate in the following days and weeks due to atmospheric and vitality differentials of the four specimens. The alloted time for the water to acclimate to room temperature will vary as well, yet all waterings will still be done at the same time to ensure all specimens get water at the same temperature.

The species I have chosen as my four specimens is the common green onion. I bought these plants at the grocery store and used them culinarily. Once they were cut down close to the white bulb I saved them until I was ready to start my experiment. I decided on using this monocot as opposed to the dicot in the original experiment for its ability to withstand the cold and dark situations that will occur in my house.

HYPOTHESIS

I believe there will be no noticeable differences in plant growth or health among the different forms of watering.

PROBLEMS I PLAN ON ENCOUNTERING

-I live in a small cabin rural Norway. It is winter time and my house is heated by a wood stove. I plan on encountering an occasional cold house.

-I may live south of the Artic Circle, but I still have very short days and the winter solstice is still five days away.

-Lack of uniformity of the drainage in the makeshift pots I am using to contain the specimens. This would be unavoidable even with traditional factory made liners due to how the soil settles. Watching the watering will be key to correcting this problem.

HOW WILL I CALCULATE MY RESULTS?

I do not plan on measuring plant growth to determine which watering method is best. Since all of my specimens are currently at different stages of growth I think they should be evaluated on a three point scale. These points will be...

-Healthy

-Unhealthy/sick

-Dead

It should be noted that in the first two to three weeks of experimentation we should not attempt to calculate any data on the viability of the plants. Even under uniform settings any of the seven specimens have the potential of not growing roots and possibly dying. In the event of a death I will replace the specimen with a fresh one and attempt its method of watering once more.

The pots I am using-