Doing the Scientific Report...

Oh jeez. This is so hard, it's not funny at all!

Because I'm in such pain right now, I just wanted to add something to my acknowledgements - this will never go on my actual scientific report.

Acknowledgement

I ACKNOWLEDGE ME AND MY AMAZINGLY HARD-WORKING BRAIN, WHO HAS HELPED ME TO SLOG THROUGH ALL THESE PAINFUL LONG HOURS AND HARD WORK. 

I also acknowledge my mum, who has helped me water my plants countless times when I forgot to. Thank you. :)

Graphs and Experimental Results

Here we go - this is an amazing amount of data here:

They're pretty self-explanatory, right? At least I think so...

Help me! This is a graph of the number of leaves grown by sweet potatoes a, b, c, d, e, f and g. It looks fine - except the bottom, because that shows all the days of my experiment, and right now they look like a line of running numbers - but if the graph is enlarged, it should look okay. BUT. The fact is that none of my sweet potatoes grew 40 leaves! None of them even grew 20! The most leaves grown were 14! So how come this graph shows values greater than 40? 

I've tried, and I can't change it because I know absolutely nothing about dodgy graphs in Excel. Usually they work for me! But not this time. Can someone help? Please?

Where the Plants were Planted:

Final Results

Okay, this isn't the final final set of results, but this is what I got from spending a couple hours outside measuring the plants that grew above ground, and digging up the plants that grew underground. :)

FYI: 
S1 = Sunflower 1 [Box 1]
S2 = Sunflower 2 [Box 1]
S3 = Sunflower 3 [Box 1]
Si = Sunflower i [Small Pot]
Sii = Sunflower ii [Small Pot] 
C = Carrots [Box 1]
SP1 = Sweet Potato 1 [Box 1]
a =  Sweet Potato A [Box 2]
b = Sweet Potato B [Box 2]
c = Sweet Potato C [Box 2]
d = Sweet Potato D [Box 2]
e = Sweet Potato E [Box 2]
f = Sweet Potato F [Box 2]
g = Sweet Potato G [Box 2]

Final Height
Plant	Height (cm)
S1	27.2
S2	20
S3	7
Si	15.7
Sii	4.3
C	23

 

Final No. of Leaves
Plant	No. of Leaves
S1	11
S2	14
S3	13
Si	13
Sii	8
SP1	6
a	9
b	14
c	2
d	4
e	5
f	2
g	5
Average of Box 2	5.8571

 

Length of Longest Leaf
Plant	Length (cm)
S1	9.2
S2	11.3
S3	3.8
Si	6
Sii	2.7
Length of Longest Root
Plant	Length (cm)
SP1	16
a	32.8
b	29.2
c	13
d	37
e	20
f	21.5
g	27.5
Average of Box 2	25.8571

~ Day 76 ~

I am late. Again. On the last post of my observations, no less. But...you know....okay. No excuses. I'm sorry.

Anyway, on to my observations! Sunflower 1 has finally flowered - and only a little at that! Hahahaha >:) The flower of Sunflower 2 is looking robust and still growing in size.The other plants - carrots and watercress - look good as well. Here's a photo: 

Okay. Now for Box 2 - which looks like it hasn't grown much since... a while. So here's a last photo:  

As for my Small Pot, the sunflowers in it have flourished - the one that wasn't crippled during the early stages of its life has flowered spectacularly. :)  Actually, all my sunflowers that have flowers are pretty!

So yeah - that's it for the practical part of my SRP. It's been 2 and a half months (30 + 31 + 15 days = 76 days exactly) and I have taken photos and observed for as much as I planned to. Overall, I am quite pleased with the outcomes of this experiment! There will be another few posts, firstly to summarise my raw experimental results, and a few more just for the heck of it! I've actually enjoyed doing this science experiment, believe it or not. 

Goodnight! :D

~ Day 74 ~

Uh, I really don't want to bother describing everything today, despite the fact that this is my second-last post on my observations.  /-\ Oh well. I suppose it's inescapable.
 
Box 1: Sunflower 1 STILL hasn't flowered!!!!! I can see the inside of a bloom in between the green spiky things, though. The rest of the plants look fine. Really.


Box 2: Uhm. Same old? I've been using that phrase wayy too much. 


Small pot: The sunflower has opened up more, and is now more pretty. :)


Goodnight! [I really want to get to sleep now...]

 

~ Day 67 - 72 ~

Only 4 more days and two more photo-taking sessions until my experiment is finished!! 8D

But first of all to the observations over the days that I have, yet again, missed. Sorry. 

~ Day 67 ~
MY SUNFLOWER HAS BLOOMED! Yay. 8D
I feel...like a parent. :) I'm such a nurturing person... [NOT REALLY.] 
So, as said before, the sunflower in the bottom left-hand corner of Box 1 (let's call it Sunflower 2) has bloomed! And - this makes it even better - Sunflower 1 hasn't bloomed! That may mean the sweet potato has released allelochemicals! This is what I've been waiting for my entire experiment~! Okay, rant over. The sunflower in the top left-hand corner isn't anywhere near blooming, but that's because it was crippled early in its life by a malicious insect. Damn you, insect! Grrrr. 

The carrots look fine, as do the watercress. Whoever wrote those sites that stated that they were sensitive to allelochemicals - lies! :(

Box 2: Same old, same old. I'm sad to say that.

Small pot: Um. These haven't flowered yet... But they look alright. [Just flower already so I can prove (well, almost) that the allelochemicals are affecting Sunflower 1!]

~ Day 69 ~
New camera! So if you notice that these photos are suddenly so much better quality than my previous ones, you know why. :)

Box 1: The bloom of Sunflower 2 has grown wider and prettier. It's also facing a particular direction - I suppose the sun mainly comes from there. SUNFLOWER 1 STILL HASN'T BLOOMED. Oh yay. :)


Box 2: It's the same as always. :(

Small pot: I can see the beginnings of yellow petals forming! [Flower already, please???] The small sunflower (the one - if you can remember - I transplanted from Box 1 ages ago) isn't anywhere near to flowering either, but that's because it also was crippled early on in its life. Stupid insects. >:|

~ Day 72 ~
Observations of the small pot first today because [drum rolllll] THE SUNFLOWER HAS FLOWERED!!!!! And Sunflower 1 hasn't! I can now say that allelochemicals are affecting Sunflower 1 in Box 1! WHOOO! Furthermore, none of this is made up - I have photographic evidence that is completely, 100% real~! I feel so accomplished - my experiment has worked, to an extent. Lovely. 

Box 1: Sunflower 2 has begun to develop a shiny middle section of the brown part of the flower, and a furry outer part. Awesome. Sunflower 1 hasn't flowered, as stated before 8D
On the other hand, the carrots and watercress seem as unaffected as ever by the sweet potato. Awwwwwh. :( Anyhow, photo: 

Box 2: Same old, same old. Here's a photo: 

Small pot: HAS FLOWERS! yay. Nothing else to report.