Justin Valdez

11/15/16

Seed Germination
Introduction:
Organic and Inorganic fertilizers are composed of different nutrient structures; both of
these fertilizers have different results due to the containment of nutrients on each fertilizer.
Inorganic is a synthetic fertilizer usually made through a manufacturing process and naturally
comes from mining deposits but it only contains few nutrients. In fact =, it can damage plants by
the amount of inorganic fertilizer you may apply. Organic fertilizer has many plant nutrients but
in low concentration but needs to be converted to inorganic for a slower release, during time
passes. An advantage that organic fertilizers offers is that it lets water run through easier and soil
has an addition of structure. "One of the most difficult things to determine for an organic
gardener is how much organic fertilizer to use... (Penhallegon, 2008).
As soil for being the habitat for plants, it's affected by physical, chemical and biological
properties. In addition, physical properties can change soil to because of the way it's used. As
time passes and seasons change; air and water changes in a wide variety. When chemical and
physical properties together combine and they give the appropriate amount of nutrients, it helps
soil structure and nutrient cycle. If they are not nutrients present in this it will affect the plants
growth. However, the physical characteristics of the solid components, inorganic and organic
particles, are essentially unchanging(V. A. Haby, et. al, 2016).
Plants start their growing develop by starting being a seed with an outer covering and a
embryo inside. The plant will require certain actions in order to grow, it will need moisture,
warmth, rich soil with nutrients, and solar energy. When the seed receives water, the embryo

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11/15/16

inside will multiply plant cells and enzymes will be activated. The embryo starts to grow after
being nourished many times; causing the coat to fall and the root underground starts to hold it
marked point. After the development of growing is over, the plant searches for nutrients and will
receive sunlight which will develop leaves. This process of the growth of seeds into a plant is
called germination (Smart Learning For All, 2015).
Experimental Design:
Problem Question: How do different fertilizer types affect seed (red beans) germination rates?
Hypothesis: If we plant red beans in topsoil, topsoil + organic fertilizer, and topsoil + inorganic
fertilizer, the top soil + inorganic fertilizer will grow fastest because inorganic fertilizers are
faster at releasing specific nutrients for plants than plain topsoil and organic fertilizer.
Independent Variable: fertilizer types
Dependent Variable: Seed germination rate
Control Group: plain topsoil
Experimental Group: topsoil + inorganic, topsoil + organic
Materials and Methods:
Get six Coke bottles. Cut the widest point of three bottle and cut the bottoms off three bottles.
Pour 300 mL of water each into the bottoms of the cut-open container. Get one gallon of water
and teaspoon of inorganic fertilizer. Dissolve the inorganic fertilizer in the water and get 75
mL of the solution. Put 300 mL of plain topsoil in one closed top, 75 mL of inorganic solution +
150 mL of topsoil into the second closed top, and 150 mL of organic fertilizer + 150 mL of
topsoil into the third closed top. Mix the Plant five red beans each into the soil groups. Put every

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11/15/16

closed top container on top of every base (water) bottle so that every water bottle secured by the
dirt bottle. Then, place a moist pipe cleaner from the water into the opening of the top bottle. To
make sure the soil does not go to the water, cover the opening with paper towel and an inch of
gravel. Finally, tape the bottoms back onto the highest point of the eco-segment.
Data:

Conclusion:
To conclude, the seed
germination rate was the fastest with the topsoil + organic fertilizer and the slowest with the
topsoil + inorganic fertilizer. At the end of the experiment, the topsoil + organic fertilizer, plant
had 5 sprouts and 16 leaves while the topsoil + inorganic fertilizer plant had 1 sprout and 2
leaves. Because of this, our hypothesis was refuted. First, we thought that the inorganic fertilizer

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11/15/16

would act faster than the organic fertilizer and would cause the seeds to grow faster than the
other groups. Despite this belief, the topsoil + organic fertilizer grew fastest because we overfertilized with inorganic fertilizer in the other group. The over-fertilization caused too many
nutrients to be released at once into the soil. The organic fertilizer was more natural than the
inorganic fertilizer and then the plant grew at a faster rate. These results are what should have
scientifically happened, so this makes the experiment accurate. On the other hand, the
experiment is not precise due to its one-trial basis.
Citations:
Haby, V. A., Baker, M. L., & Feagley, S. (n.d.). Vegetable resources. Retrieved from http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/guides/texas-vegetable-growers-handbook/chapter-iiisoils-fertilizers/.
S. (2015, December 26). Seed germination. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=TE6xptjgNR0.
Savonen, C. (n.d.). Here's the scoop on chemical and organic fertilizers. Retrieved from
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/955.