Every Drop Counts: Comparing Watering Methods

CWSF · 2026 Agriculture, Fisheries & Food

Sarah Williams · Intermediate Division · Grades 9–10

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Overview

All over the world, drought is an increasing issue that is a major threat to our produce. To try and help minimize that problem, I decided to test different plant watering methods and see which is the most efficient and effective choice. I observed the health of three different groups of plants, one being watered by surface drip irrigation, another by subsurface drip irrigation, and the third with a watering can. The subsurface drip irrigation system proved to be the most productive by having the greatest plant health of the three systems. It maintained the best range of soil moisture, kept up in height, created the highest quality of foliage, and had the healthiest plant colour. This shows how subsurface drip irrigation will provide the best produce when using a minimal amount of water, allowing for water to be optimized.

Video

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Video

Video Script:

Hi! My name is Sarah Williams and I am from Nova Scotia. My project is called, Every Drop Counts: Comparing Watering Methods. I tested three different plant watering methods, which were surface and subsurface drip irrigation, as well as watering with a watering can, to see which one would be the most efficient and effective choice. The reason I chose this is because I have experienced drought and its impacts on my small family farm. That’s why I wanted to choose a project that would help conserve water. I did this by having fifteen bean plants, all in the same environment, except five were being watered by surface drip irrigation, five more were being watered by subsurface drip irrigation, and the last five were being watered with a watering can. Every four days, I tested the soil moisture, measured the height, counted the leaves, and took note of the colour for each plant. After one month, subsurface drip irrigation grew the healthiest plants, proving it to be the most efficient and effective system of the three I tested. This is beneficial because it allows us to optimize our water use and grow healthier produce during dry seasons.

Why?

I did this project because I wanted to find a way to optimize water use in drier seasons. The inspiration for choosing this was because I've experienced drought and its impacts first hand on my small family farm. As the years go by, drought is continuing to become a bigger issue, which is why I want to save water. This project would help optimize water use by revealing which watering method can grow the healthiest plants with the least amount of water. The conclusion of this project would help solve the problem of droughts' impacts as well as answer the question of which plant watering method is the most efficient and effective choice. My hypothesis was that subsurface drip irrigation would work best because it is underground and watering at the plant root level. The answers found in this project could greatly benefit farmers, especially ones in drier and warmer climates, because they could learn which watering method would be the most beneficial to their crops. This would allow them to optimize their water use and get the best possible results in their produce. By minimizing the problems drought causes with our produce and allowing plants to be grown to their fullest potential, this can make the world a better place.

How?

Materials:

Grow lights

3 plastic tubs

Planting soil

15 popsicle sticks

Sharpie

20 bean seeds

Plastic zip lock baggie

Paper towel

Spray bottle

Water

Watering can

Plastic tubing

2 tube plugs

3 way tube connector

Gauze

Scissors

Water dispenser

2 screws

Stool

Toothpicks

Soil moisture testing kit

Laptop

Ruler

Procedure:

First, gather all the materials and germinate the seeds using the plastic bag method. Once the seeds sprout, take three plastic tubs filled with planting soil and plant five seeds in each tub. Place the water dispenser on the stool next to the tubs. Put a piece of tubing on the end of the water dispenser with a three way tube connector on the other end. Connect two pieces of tubing with tube plugs in the end to the other prongs. Put a screw size hole in each tube just before the plugs and put a screw in each one. Puncture five more holes in each tube using scissors. Plug each hole with gauze using a toothpick. Bury one of the tubes next to the seeds underground. Put the other tube above where the plants are growing in another tub. Have a popsicle stick numbered 1-15 where each plant is growing and set the grow lights up above the tubs. Water the plants without a tube using a watering can and give each plant the same amount of water. Put ten times that amount into the dispenser and open it to water the other plants. Open the screws slightly to let any air out of the tubes. Water the plants as needed and test the soil moisture, measure the height, count the leaves, and record the colour for each plant every four days. Gather the results and find the most efficient and effective plant watering method.

What?

My results show subsurface drip irrigation to maintain the highest, but also the best range of soil moisture, keep up in height, produce as many or more leaves as the other systems, and have the best plant colour. In conclusion, subsurface drip irrigation is the most efficient and effective watering method of the three I tested. These results mean that when trying to optimize water use, subsurface drip irrigation is the watering method to use. It will provide the healthiest plants when using a minimal amount of water. The prototype I used to test this experiment was a model of a surface and subsurface drip irrigation system. I had a water dispenser with two lines coming off it. One line acted as a surface drip irrigation line and the other as a subsurface drip irrigation line. It worked by having small holes stuffed with gauze in each line. That allowed for the water to drip out of the lines slowly, creating a very close replica of surface and subsurface drip irrigation.

So What?

The results of my project show me that subsurface drip irrigation maintains the best range of soil moisture, keeps up in plant height, grows as many or more leaves as the other systems, and has the healthiest plant colour. All of this shows how subsurface drip irrigation is the most efficient and effective watering method, which proves my hypothesis to be correct. This means that of the three watering methods I tested, subsurface drip irrigation can grow the healthiest plants when using less water. These results will help prevent the struggle farmers are fighting with drought as they will be able to produce higher quality produce in dry seasons. They can also use the more efficient watering method and potentially prevent themselves from needing to find other water sources during times of drought. Along with that, these results will help farmers keep up their production during dry times, allowing for them to maintain a good income. Overall, farmers can learn from this project and save time, money, and water.

What's Next?

There are many aspects to this project that could be improved and taken further. One thing I could have done differently is watered the plants at the same time each day to ensure the soil moisture was consistently accurate. This project could also be improved by the data being taken for a longer period of time, allowing for results to be gathered on the quality and amount produced by the plants. For next steps, I could test this experiment on plants that produce underground versus above ground crops to see if the results are consistent across plant types as well.

Thanks

I would like to thank my father for helping me find, gather, and prepare my materials, including buying soil.

I would also like to sincerely thank my science teachers, Ms. Tuttle and Mrs. Scallion, for finding me a soil moisture testing kit and providing me with any guidance and assistance I needed during this project.