Okay, I know it has been a while since I first planted by sweet potatoes & sunflowers - and this will affect my experiment badly seeing as the sunflowers & sweet potatoes have now had 10 whole days head start in growing.
But I will have to continue with my experiment anyway, so I just have to plough on.
So - I have further researched non-vascular plants, and have come to the conclusion that it will be really quite hard to grow them myself. So I have settled on planting my carrots - as they are largely based underground and will thus be affected if the allelochemicals are released into the ground, whereas the sunflowers will be affected more if the allelochemicals were released into the air.
PLUS - the carrots I bought were already growing. So the sunflowers' and sweet potatoes' head start in growth should be cancelled out. Yay! :)
And for my last plant, I have decided to plant cauliflower - it has a high sensitivity to allelochemicals and also is easier to grow than watercress. In addition, they only need to grow for about 2 and a half months, according to:
http://www.readersdigest.com.au/handyman/how-to-grow-cauliflower/article125633.html
I will plant the carrots tomorrow, and get the cauliflower seeds ASAP.
Finally, my problem's solved. :)
Showing posts with label other plants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label other plants. Show all posts
Finally a decision: THE OTHER PLANT IN PART A
I've realised that, what with my major modification to my experiment and all, that I haven't defined how I'm going to classify the plants in Part A of my experiment. Part B is quite simple - just sweet potatoes in the same box.
However, for Part A, I'd been going through some difficulties choosing how to classify the plants - at first it was non-vascular and vascular, with plants that reproduced in different ways as the classification criteria for Part B. But since Part B has been scrapped, I will now simply use the vascular and non-vascular plants for Part A.
Because, truthfully, the way the plants reproduce has practically no effect on if they are affected by allelochemicals, right? So vascular and non-vascular plants it is.
Ummm...but now that I think of it, I don't think you can actually grow non-vascular plants. Apparently, it's very easy to find them near water bodies, but they won't actually grow in my back garden. Sigh.
Okay, I will think about this tomorrow.
It freaking is tomorrow. Sigh.
However, for Part A, I'd been going through some difficulties choosing how to classify the plants - at first it was non-vascular and vascular, with plants that reproduced in different ways as the classification criteria for Part B. But since Part B has been scrapped, I will now simply use the vascular and non-vascular plants for Part A.
Because, truthfully, the way the plants reproduce has practically no effect on if they are affected by allelochemicals, right? So vascular and non-vascular plants it is.
Ummm...but now that I think of it, I don't think you can actually grow non-vascular plants. Apparently, it's very easy to find them near water bodies, but they won't actually grow in my back garden. Sigh.
Okay, I will think about this tomorrow.
It freaking is tomorrow. Sigh.
Sweet Potato Planting Time!
So yesterday, I went to the local Flower Power and - guess what??
I GOT A SWEET POTATO THAT'S PRETTY MUCH READY TO GROW!!!
All I need to do is plant it in some soil, cover it with a bit of dirt, water it a bit, and then leave it!
However, the vascular and non-vascular plants that I want to plant next to it are really starting to turn out to be a challenge. I wanted to plant a sunflower - but according to the site I found before, they have a "low" sensitivity to allelochemicals! ARGH!!!!
I was really stupid and didn't check it before I went to the Flower Power. I bought sunflowers seeds and carrots already! I didn't get a liverwort, though because I don't think you can actually grow them.....So I have to re-think everything and go buy MORE plants!
:'( I really am stupid.
Anyhow. I will plant the sweet potatoes first, then. I'm gonna do that now.
WAIT - I just had an idea! I will still use the carrots - because I don't want to waste my mum's money, and I will use it in Part B. Although I already have plans for Part B, the carrot can just be another trial plant that I can use. I mean, the more trials the better, right?
Pretty much, anyway.
I GOT A SWEET POTATO THAT'S PRETTY MUCH READY TO GROW!!!
All I need to do is plant it in some soil, cover it with a bit of dirt, water it a bit, and then leave it!
However, the vascular and non-vascular plants that I want to plant next to it are really starting to turn out to be a challenge. I wanted to plant a sunflower - but according to the site I found before, they have a "low" sensitivity to allelochemicals! ARGH!!!!
I was really stupid and didn't check it before I went to the Flower Power. I bought sunflowers seeds and carrots already! I didn't get a liverwort, though because I don't think you can actually grow them.....So I have to re-think everything and go buy MORE plants!
:'( I really am stupid.
Anyhow. I will plant the sweet potatoes first, then. I'm gonna do that now.
WAIT - I just had an idea! I will still use the carrots - because I don't want to waste my mum's money, and I will use it in Part B. Although I already have plans for Part B, the carrot can just be another trial plant that I can use. I mean, the more trials the better, right?
Pretty much, anyway.
Part B of my Experiment [aka: HOW PLANTS WILL DIEE!!!]
[Note: All allelopathy & allelopathic traits mentioned in this entry are negative, unless mentioned otherwise. Hehe.]
For Part B of my experiment, I want to record the effects of allelochemicals on different types of plants. I have researched allelopathic plants, and I believe that I should plant sweet potatoes because apparently they are not hard to grow: "In fact, the question is not how to grow sweet potatoes, it's rather how to stop sweet potato vines from taking over the whole garden!" and "...sweet potatoes grow with little water and fertiliser." - Source: http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-sweet-potatoes.html
Well, that's certainly convenient. Whoo! 8D
Furthermore, all I need to grow them are some cuttings about 30cm long. They should be quite easy to obtain from a gardening place like Flower Power, or something.
However, they should take about two and a half to three months to mature in warm weather, longer in cooler weather - and that period is from planting to maturity. Obviously, since I only have 3 months and I still need time to write up my results, conclusion, discussion, etc. I will have to modify my experiment so that maybe I do not start right from the planting of the sweet potatoes, or I will only record my observations for two and a half months.
I think that I would rather record my observations for two and a half months.
Anyway, as mentioned in my previous post:
"I think I want a range of different plants - I researched modern classifications of plants, and one method of classifying them was by the way the plants took in water - whether they get water from the ground through their roots or simply absorb water through their surfaces (leaves, etc.)."
But I want a range of different plants based on their different structures, so I can see the effects of allelochemicals on a variety of plants. Because of this, I think that I should plant two sweet potatoes - one far Part A, with one vascular plant and one non-vascular plant; and the second for Part B, with different types of plants planted around it. My initial idea for "different types of plants" was: a flowering plant, a cactus and a leafy plant. But I'm not sure if they sufficiently cover a wide range of general plants.
Anyhow, I will plant these around the sweet potato, and observe the effect of the allelochemicals on them, along with taking photos just like Part A of my experiment.
On a different subject, according to my research, not all allelochemicals affect every plant the same way.
"The black walnut (Juglans Ingra) produces the allelochemical juglone, which affects some species greatly while others not at all." - Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathy
In this particular case with the sweet potatoes:
"The allelopathic substances in sweet potato were identified as coumarin, trans-cinnamic acid, o-coumaric acid, p-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid." - Source: http://www.cababstractsplus.org/abstracts/Abstract.aspx?AcNo=20043010129
For Part B of my experiment, I want to record the effects of allelochemicals on different types of plants. I have researched allelopathic plants, and I believe that I should plant sweet potatoes because apparently they are not hard to grow: "In fact, the question is not how to grow sweet potatoes, it's rather how to stop sweet potato vines from taking over the whole garden!" and "...sweet potatoes grow with little water and fertiliser." - Source: http://www.tropicalpermaculture.com/growing-sweet-potatoes.html
Well, that's certainly convenient. Whoo! 8D
Furthermore, all I need to grow them are some cuttings about 30cm long. They should be quite easy to obtain from a gardening place like Flower Power, or something.
However, they should take about two and a half to three months to mature in warm weather, longer in cooler weather - and that period is from planting to maturity. Obviously, since I only have 3 months and I still need time to write up my results, conclusion, discussion, etc. I will have to modify my experiment so that maybe I do not start right from the planting of the sweet potatoes, or I will only record my observations for two and a half months.
I think that I would rather record my observations for two and a half months.
Anyway, as mentioned in my previous post:
"I think I want a range of different plants - I researched modern classifications of plants, and one method of classifying them was by the way the plants took in water - whether they get water from the ground through their roots or simply absorb water through their surfaces (leaves, etc.)."
But I want a range of different plants based on their different structures, so I can see the effects of allelochemicals on a variety of plants. Because of this, I think that I should plant two sweet potatoes - one far Part A, with one vascular plant and one non-vascular plant; and the second for Part B, with different types of plants planted around it. My initial idea for "different types of plants" was: a flowering plant, a cactus and a leafy plant. But I'm not sure if they sufficiently cover a wide range of general plants.
Anyhow, I will plant these around the sweet potato, and observe the effect of the allelochemicals on them, along with taking photos just like Part A of my experiment.
On a different subject, according to my research, not all allelochemicals affect every plant the same way.
"The black walnut (Juglans Ingra) produces the allelochemical juglone, which affects some species greatly while others not at all." - Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allelopathy
In this particular case with the sweet potatoes:
"The allelopathic substances in sweet potato were identified as coumarin, trans-cinnamic acid, o-coumaric acid, p-coumaric acid and chlorogenic acid." - Source: http://www.cababstractsplus.org/abstracts/Abstract.aspx?AcNo=20043010129
Part A of my Experiment [aka: DIE, PLANTS, DIE!!!]
[Note: All allelopathy & allelopathic traits mentioned in this entry are negative, unless mentioned otherwise. Hehe.]
For Part A, I want to investigate IF negative allelopathy actually occurs; and, if so, WHEN and WHERE the allelopathic plant secretes its allelochemicals. I looked up examples of plants that use allelopathy [on Wikipedia, I admit, but also on sites like this one: http://apps.caes.uga.edu/sbof/main/lessonPlan/allelopathy.pdf]; and the plants that use allelopathy include: black walnut trees, sagebrushes and desert shrubs. Thus, it looks like the easiest plants for me to use are either sweet potatoes, alfalfa or sunflowers....perhaps I will use two of the three, to see the effect of two different allelopathic (yes, that is a word. I looked it up.) plants on each other. But I will research more about the different types of allelochemicals they release, and when they release them, before deciding which ones to plant close together.
The next biggest question is: which plants should I test for where the allelochemicals are released? That is, which non-allelopathic plants should I place near the allelopathic ones to see what happens to the non-allelopathic plants? I think I want a range of different plants - I researched modern classifications of plants, and one method of classifying them was by the way the plants took in water - whether they get water from the ground through their roots or simply absorb water through their surfaces (leaves, etc.).
"Plants are either vascular or non-vascular. Vascular plants have tube-like structures that transport water from the roots to the stem to the leaves. Non-vascular plants absorb water only through their surfaces." - Source: http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/classify/classify.html
I believe that it will be helpful to have both a vascular and non-vascular plant that are non-allelopathic so that I can tell whether the allelopathic plant releases its allelochemicals into the ground (in which case the vascular plants would be more affected) or into the air or somewhere else. If the allelochemicals are released into the air, I believe that the non-vascular plant will be more affected by it.
In this case, the independent variable would be if the allelochemicals are actually released. The dependent variable will be the effect on the other plant - how its will growth be impacted on by the allelochemical, and things like that.
I will take observations on the plants every few days, as I said in my last entry....perhaps every 4 days? I'll also take photos, because I want to know when the allelopathic plants start to produce allelochemicals - according to my research, it could be when the plant is actively growing OR even when it's decaying. Does that mean I will have to kill the plants at the end of my experiment and wait until it decays to see the effects of the allelochemicals? I really hope not....that would be really troublesome. =="
BUT I think I will modify my experiment to see when the allelochemicals are released in the lifespan of a plant. That would be better. :D
Since it is March right now, I still have three months to get started on this experiment. It should be enough time.
For Part A, I want to investigate IF negative allelopathy actually occurs; and, if so, WHEN and WHERE the allelopathic plant secretes its allelochemicals. I looked up examples of plants that use allelopathy [on Wikipedia, I admit, but also on sites like this one: http://apps.caes.uga.edu/sbof/main/lessonPlan/allelopathy.pdf]; and the plants that use allelopathy include: black walnut trees, sagebrushes and desert shrubs. Thus, it looks like the easiest plants for me to use are either sweet potatoes, alfalfa or sunflowers....perhaps I will use two of the three, to see the effect of two different allelopathic (yes, that is a word. I looked it up.) plants on each other. But I will research more about the different types of allelochemicals they release, and when they release them, before deciding which ones to plant close together.
The next biggest question is: which plants should I test for where the allelochemicals are released? That is, which non-allelopathic plants should I place near the allelopathic ones to see what happens to the non-allelopathic plants? I think I want a range of different plants - I researched modern classifications of plants, and one method of classifying them was by the way the plants took in water - whether they get water from the ground through their roots or simply absorb water through their surfaces (leaves, etc.).
"Plants are either vascular or non-vascular. Vascular plants have tube-like structures that transport water from the roots to the stem to the leaves. Non-vascular plants absorb water only through their surfaces." - Source: http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/classify/classify.html
I believe that it will be helpful to have both a vascular and non-vascular plant that are non-allelopathic so that I can tell whether the allelopathic plant releases its allelochemicals into the ground (in which case the vascular plants would be more affected) or into the air or somewhere else. If the allelochemicals are released into the air, I believe that the non-vascular plant will be more affected by it.
In this case, the independent variable would be if the allelochemicals are actually released. The dependent variable will be the effect on the other plant - how its will growth be impacted on by the allelochemical, and things like that.
I will take observations on the plants every few days, as I said in my last entry....perhaps every 4 days? I'll also take photos, because I want to know when the allelopathic plants start to produce allelochemicals - according to my research, it could be when the plant is actively growing OR even when it's decaying. Does that mean I will have to kill the plants at the end of my experiment and wait until it decays to see the effects of the allelochemicals? I really hope not....that would be really troublesome. =="
BUT I think I will modify my experiment to see when the allelochemicals are released in the lifespan of a plant. That would be better. :D
Since it is March right now, I still have three months to get started on this experiment. It should be enough time.
