Why Does Salt Grow Lab Report

The purpose of this lab activity was to observe the effects that salt has on seed germination, plant growth, and flower production.
Similar to humans, plants have vital needs that must be fulfilled in order to grow. Light, water, air, nutrients, and proper temperature all affect plant growth. The importance of these necessities differs widely among plants but are vital nonetheless. Plant health also relies heavily on what scientists refer to as the limiting factor. This concept correlates the plants needs with how it interacts with the environment. Any factor may act as a limiting factor and affect the overall health of plants.
Salts are a natural part of the environment and are formed as a result of many different minerals. Salts are also deposited around the environment by water tables, seawater intrusions, fertilizers, and soil amendments like gypsum and lime. These are commonly used provide essential nutrients to the soil as well as improve acid levels in soils. However, excess amounts of salt …show more content…
As previously stated, salt is a natural part of the environment. However, high salt concentration has the potential to change the osmotic influence, the amount of fluid that can be diffused through a semipermeable membrane, and therefore can result in the plant not getting enough fluid throughout the body to grow.
Preparation for this lab required eight sample soils each containing a different concentration of salt. The concentration ranged from the control of 0% to a 6% salt concentration. In order to gather plenty of soil, each group mixed one cup of regular soil with one cup of the soil and salt mixture that had been previously prepared. Essentially, each sample was diluted to contain half of the concentration as the soil that was previously