Maria - My hypothesis is that the plant we water with coffee will grow the strongest and the fastest because it is proven that coffee has very good nutrients for plants and it can be used as a fertilizer for the plant if you dilute it well.  

Reignah - My hypothesis is that the plant with the water and the one with the coffee will grow at the rate and strength because water will keep the plant hydrated, stop it from overheating and the one with the coffee will give it nutrients.

From our research, water will be beneficial to the plant because it promotes seed germination and strengthens the leaves and roots. Some more background information is that coffee is supposed to help the plants grow because they are packed with nutrients calcium, magnesium, and nitrogen. Soda can damage the roots of the plants due to carbon and sugar. Small portions of orange juice is supposed to help plants, but too much can stunt the growth. | SOURCES - usatoday.com, sciencing.com, nih.gov, tula.house, gardeningknowhow.com

Manipulated Variable - type of liquid poured into plant

Controlled Variables - Amount of liquid, type of plant, type of soil, size of pot, and location of plant

Responding Variable - The height and health of the plant every week

1. Label Plants according to what we’re watering them with
2. Find a good place to keep the plants with good sunlight and room temp
3. Prepare our beakers to make sure they are clean
4. Measure the right amout of liquid : 25ml
5. Pour the 25ml of the liquid directly into the soil of the plant
6. Wash the beakers inbetween waterings to make sure the liquids don't mix
7. After watering every single one of the plants, measure them in cm and insert them into a chart
8. Take a picture of the plants growth
9. Place them back on the windowsill in good lighting and the exact same place

Day 1 of watering, Feb. 1: All plants looked the same. Green and healthy. When measuring, the orange juice plant was slightly taller than the rest. 

Day 2 of watering, Feb. 8: The plant that has been getting water grew 1.5 cm, and doesn’t look harmed. The one we have been watering with Orange juice does look a little dead but is growing new leaves. The one we have been putting coca cola in looks slightly harmed with little cuts here and there, but certainly smells good. The coffee one feels stronger than the other ones and it is also growing some new leaves. But in conclusion the one that looks like it is growing best is the one we have been watering with coffee. 

Day 3 of watering, Feb. 14th 2024

The dracaena we have been watering with orange juice seems to be doing the worst out of all. The tips of the leaves are (dead) and it has only been growing 1 maybe 1.5cm at a time. The ones who grew most were the coca cola and the coffee dracaena. The one with water has been looking healthy with little to no damage and has been growing a normal, healthy amount.

Day 4 of watering, Feb. 22nd 2024

Today when we measured their height, surprisingly the plant we have been pouring water in has grown the most even though it was the smallest at the beginning. The second tallest one at the moment is the coffee plant which has been growing very well with barely any dry ends. The one that seems to be doing the worst is the coca cola one with lots of dead ends and only growing 0.5 of a cm every week.

In the end of this experiment, the coffee plant ended up being the most successful. We think this is because of all the nutrients packed into the coffee like magnesium, and calcium which could have contributed to the plants growth. The results of our experiment suggest that coffee has some beneficial effects on plants. Coke and orange juice contain high amounts of sugar which might have hindered the growth of the plants by affecting their ability to absorb nutrients from the soil. People may be interested in this experiment because lots of people have plants and it could be useful for them to know what liquid will help their plant the most.

In conclusion, after watering our plants with the different liquids for a month, we measured them weekly and came to the conclusion that coffee is the best liquid to water dracena plants with which answers our question. Water was the second best one that proves that water is also a good choice for a plant. This proves that Maria’s hypothesis is correct and Reignah’s incorrect.

Our experiments helps in the real world because you can use the liquid that has been proven to be the best for plants to help your plants grow better and stronger.

Some sources of error could be human errors like using the wrong amount of liquid, spilling liquid, less carbon dioxide from the coke getting stale, being a day off of watering schedule

Citations - usatoday.com, sciencing.com, nih.gov, tula.house, gardeningknowhow.com

I ackknoledge Ms.Troung, Mrs.Walker, and Maria