Which Organic Material Has the Least Soil Compaction Rate and Allows for the Best Plant Growth?

Overview

Objectives/Goals My goal was to determine which organic mixings have the least compaction rate when mixed with water and soil and will help plants grow the best. I wanted to know the best way to prepare the soil to promote maximum growth once they are transplanted into the ground. Methods/Materials I used a 5 gallon bucket with a 1 inch diameter hole drilled 5 inches from the bottom and placed a 1 inch by 10 inch wooden dowel with a hook screw instered at the end. I then filled the bucket 3/4 quarters of the way with top soil mixed with 2 cups of organic material. Organic materials included wood chips, small rocks, leaves, potato peels, grape extract and grass clippings. I added 2 cups of water and placed 2 bricks on top of soil for 2 minutes then proceeded to remove the dowel using a newton compaction tool. This procedure was repeated 5 times for each organic material. After completing this procedure, I poured the mixture into a 20 1/2 inch by 10 inch plant container and placed a 20 inch by 9 3/4 inch wooden palate over the soil and placing 2 bricks for 5 minutes to compact soil. Finally, I planted 3 rows of wheat grass in each container. Results The average newtons needed to pull the dowel was 8.5 newtons and the average height of wheat grass was 3.3 centimeters. The maximum height of the wheat grass was 5 centimeters using grape extract which allowed for the best plant growth and the least compaction rate was 7 newtons using grass clippings. The lowest height of wheat grass was 2.5 centimeters using wood chips. The most newtons was 11.5 using grape extract. Conclusions/Discussion After testing, I found that grape extract allows for the best plant growth but also has the most newtons. Grass clippings has the lowest compaction of 7 newtons but also has the least plant growth. Crops that are grown using the other organic materials used in this project will not have their best plant growth.

Competition history

• CSEF 2012 Plant Biology · Entry J1905

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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