Australian International Academy

Kellyville

Assessment Task
Cover Sheet
2019
Name: Nour Hussein
Year Level: 10 Date: 2/3/2020

Subject: Science Word Count: 1764

Task Name: SRP
Unit Name: Gene at Work

Student Checklist and Declaration:

 Every student must complete and tick each section before submitting their work.
 This process is in accordance with the School’s Academic Honesty and Assessment
Policies.

I confirm that this is my own work and is the final version.

I have acknowledged each use of the words or ideas of another person, whether
written, oral or visual.
I have completed and submitted all work requirements for this tasks.
All work has been submitted online via Managebac.
Teacher Declaration:
I confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, the individual oral commentary
submitted is the authentic work of the candidate.
TEACHER NAME:

Abstract Page 1

Research Question Page 1

Aim Page 1

Hypothesis Page 1

Variables Page 1

Risk assessment Page 1

Materials Page 1

Background Research Page 2

Method Page 2

Timeline Page 2

Images Page 2 & 3

Results Page 3

Discussion Page 4

Conclusion Page 4

Acknowledgements Page 5

Appendix Page 5

References Page 5
 SRP

Abstract: This paper will investigate the growth effect of changing soil pH; this means that I
will be aiming to test and measure what is the perfect soil pH for plants to grow. This
research aims to inform people about the effect of pH level on the growth of your plant
which can be beneficial for most of the unaware general public. The results are promising
and give an insight on why this information is crucial if you want to maintain your garden’s
health. It is set in household conditions and locations making it very relatable and trustable
data for people who are looking to apply this concept to their plants.

Research Question: What soil pH is most suitable for planting a flower and what is the
reasoning behind that? What is the growth rate of each plant in different soils?

Aim: To Investigate the growth effect of changing soil pH on Hydrangea plants

Hypothesis: If I grow plants with different pH levels then the flower with more acidic soil will
grow faster and the flower with a more alkaline soil will grow at a slower pace.

Variables:

Controlled Variable Soil type, water amount, pot size, soil

amount, sunlight, position, plant
Independent Variable Soil pH
Dependent Variable Growth of the plant in different pH levels

Risk Assessment:
Risk:
Weather unprediction
causing delay or harm
Insects, bug & pests
Plant’s soil pH is too strong
Potential Hazard:
Experiment might be
harmed by excess rainfall,
hail, storm or any bad
weather
Plant being eaten or
damaged by pests and bugs
Could cause death of the
plant
Prevention:
Check weather forecast
often and ensure plants are
positioned safely
Check on plant health and
spray plant with insect spray
Continuously monitor the
pH level of the soil to make
sure it is stable

Materials:
 3 small pots (all same size)
 Soil
 3 hydrangea plants (that already have established a root and grown a little)
 Water
 pH measuring kit or tester
 soil pH changer
 Background Information: As mentioned in my logbook I have talked about the relationship
between soil pH and the growth of a plant. Firstly, soil pH is an important factor for soil
growth because it effects the nutrient intake of a plant. There are essential nutrients that
plants require they include, nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus, potassium, micronutrients. In a
more acidic soil or environment this will likely cause loss of nutrients because some
nutrients can’t be dissolved therefore not all nutrients will reach the plant. In acidic soil
some nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are not available and in alkaline
soil there is lack of iron, manganese and phosphorus. Each different plant requires its own
pH level, but most plants are able to grow in a pH level of around 6.0-7.0. Sometimes other
factors can affect soil pH such as climate and geographical location, for example area with
high rainfall have moderately acidic soil whilst areas with limited or no rainfall have more
alkaline soil. After researching I have found out that hydrangeas grow both in acidic and
alkaline soil and that is while I chose it as the plant will not die and is able to grow in both
pH levels so it gives me a more fair test while seeing which pH does it grow faster in. Not
only this but the certain types of hydrangeas bloom in different colours when you change
the pH. Bigleaf hydrangeas, mop heads and lace caps are all examples of hydrangeas that
bloom in different colours when planted at different pH levels. Hydrangeas turn pink when
planted in alkaline soil and blue when planted in acidic soil.

Method:
1. Begin by placing a hydrangea with an established root and a sprouted seedling into a
pot of soil.
2. Check the pH of the soil using a pH measuring kit (as shown in the images below,
following the direction on the package)
3. Now repeat this step two more times for two other plants
4. After checking all the pH of the soils, adjust it, accordingly, make sure on plant soil is
acidic, one is alkaline and one is neutral (changing the pH will need a special
fertiliser, also shown above)
5. Now wait for the plants to grow and take measurements regularly

Timeline:

Thu 6/2- Fri 14/2- Sat 22/2- Fri 28/2-

Research due Experiment Extension
SRP given, due
and completed, completed or given &
dates
hypothesis waiting for feedback
announced, results
made received
logbook set up

Fri 7/2- Mon 17/2- Mon 24/2- Sun 1/3-

Project topic Experiment Data Final SRP
outlined and gathered and submitted
should be
selected equipment draft
procured submitted
Images:
Testing soil pH to see if changes need to be made:
Plant Progress:

Changing pH:

Results:
Table:
Day 0 Day 3 Day 6 Day 9 Day 12
Acidic plant 4 4.7 5.5 6.2 6.9
Alkaline 4 4.4 5 5.5 6
plant
Neutral plant 4 4.8 5.7 6.6 7.5
Note: The plants grew at a faster rate than usual because of special fertilisers in the pH level
changing solutions and we added fertilisers so the effect would be faster. Also, I used plants
that already had an established root due to lack of time so I could see better results faster.

Graph:
Discussion: The results of this experiment coincide with the hypothesis I had created after
my research. The plant that grew the most was the acidic plant, then it was the neutral plant
and the plant with least progress was the alkaline. I think this was because the acidic soil we
grew the hydrangeas in was at a pH of around 5.5-6.0 which is within the best range to grow
any plant in which gave it an advantage as the hydrangea probably received most nutrients.
The average growth rate of the alkaline soil plant was 0.50cm, the acidic soil plant was
0.73cm and the neutral soil plant was 0.88cm, this helps understand how each plant grew and
by how much. The results were satisfying because they support all my previous knowledge
and act to reassure me of all my research because it perfectly justifies the background
information. One thing I was very surprised about was the ability the flowers were able to
withstand the inconsistent weather patterns that we recently had for example the first week of
the experiment there was much rainfall causing a more acidic environment for the plants to
grow and as we transitioned into more hot weather the plants were in a more alkaline
environment. Regardless, overall the hydrangeas served as a very good plant for this
experiment as they survived through the inconsistent weather, grew in both soils and even
bloomed in two different colours (a pink one and a blue one just as research suggested it
would). I believe this experiment is very important as the results may be very helpful, for
example if this experiment was conducted in a proper lab where we could get more accurate
results, we could use these results to help out farmers and just to inform the general public so
that they can use this information to guide them when growing their plants. There weren’t
many patterns as the data wasn’t consistent, but the results help justify the initial aim of the
whole experiment and answer the question asked which was what was the effect of growth
and which one grew the most which was the acidic plant. Next time I would like to improve
on my assignment by maybe seeing the effect of rainfall on plant pH as from research it has
interested me to find out if rainfall or weather effects the pH and growth of a plant. I think my
experiment was mostly successful, but we did come across an issue towards the end because
of lack of time it caused us to use a plant that has already grown, I would’ve liked to plant a
seed to see if that changes any results.

Social Cause: This ties with social causes because the information is helpful to the general
public and famers which benefits the community and informs them. This is an important part
of the SRP because it links to our science topic and this is because my experiment can help
people and the information in it is suitable for access and can make others aware an
implement or try them out in their own households.

Conclusion: In conclusion the plant that grew the most during this experiment was the acidic
soil plant because it was grown at a pH level of 6 which is very suitable for growing most
plants, it also had the fastest growth rate. This justifies the hypothesis in which I state that the
acidic soil plant grew the most.

Acknowledgements: I would like to acknowledge the efforts of my parents for reminding me

to water the plants because I almost killed the plants several times, also for their constant help
and guidance throughout the whole experiment and dealing with my complaining about
stress.

Appendix: logbook: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sB7_JD3P-

faiCrQYw_EPq3duz2ckeh5XPkwdRHIqLcc/edit

Reference:

1. Sunset Magazine. (2020). Acid or alkaline soil: Modifying pH. [online] Available at:
https://www.sunset.com/garden/garden-basics/acid-alkaline-soil-modifying-ph [Accessed 1
Mar. 2020].
2. Plantea.com. (2020). Acid or Alkaline? What pH Means in Gardenspeak. [online] Available
at: http://www.plantea.com/pH.htm [Accessed 1 Mar. 2020].
3.  Flowersandflowerthings.com. (2020). Fastest Growing Flower Seeds for Science Project -.
[online] Available at: https://flowersandflowerthings.com/fastest-growing-flower-seeds-for-
science-project/ 
4. Plants.usda.gov. (2020). Classification | USDA PLANTS. [online] Available at:
https://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?
source=profile&symbol=HYDRA&display=31

5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6158341/ (couldn’t be cited)

6. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2018.01335/full (couldn’t be cited)