Grass Case

Introduction:

It is already known that grass seems to be inhibited around areas where one spreads salt in the winter. While it is possible that the grass in being limited by the temperature of the environment at the time, it may also be due to activity of sodium chloride (salt) on the grass itself.

Hypothesis:

Grass growth is inhibited by a high salt concentration in the soil.

Prediction:

If there is high salt concentrated in the soil, then the grass will not grow well.

Controlled experiment:

First, mark out a spot of land that has the dimensions 1 foot x 1 foot. Identify this area by cordoning off the land with a rope around the perimeter of the space. Repeat this process by roping off a second area of the same dimensions a small way away from the first area. Put a marker in the first area that says "Control" and a marker in the second area that says "Experiment." For this experiment, assume that all other soil minerals are identical.

Take salt measurements of both areas and record the findings in a scientific notebook. Add a controlled amount of salt to the area that has been market with "Experiment" as mentioned above. Identify the amount of salt used as Day 1 of the experiment. Take readings of the growth of the grass at the same time every day for 10 days. Record this information in your laboratory notebook. On Day 10, compare the heights of the grass in both squares listed above. Record this data in your notebook. Compare the final height of the grass in the control area with the height of the grass in the experimental group.

Results:

Grass from the control area grew to a final height of 2 inches. The grass in the experiment area grew to a final height of only 1 inch. As we may assume that all the experimental conditions were identical, we can confidently assert that it was, in fact, the salt that negatively affected the grass growth. This information will tell us to be extra careful when applying salt in the area of a driveway or sidewalk in the winter so as not to harm the surrounding grass. Furthermore, we can also state that the temperature of the two areas of grass was the same throughout the experiment, so it was not the temperature of the environment that affected the grass growth.

Sodium in extremely small amounts is needed for healthy plant growth. Under normal conditions, it is available in acceptable quantities in the soil already. However, if grass is exposed to too high a concentration of salt, this will probably kill the vegetation because the cells of grass contain a certain amount of water and other dissolved molecules. When surrounded by water that contains a larger amount of salt there is a general rule that