plants for experiments

[RosalieM]

Hi everyone! Each year our yr 8 kids to pot plant experiments and every year I lose my tote trays for a while... This year I want them back!! Do any of you do this experiment? Or something similar? What do you use to put the little seedling pots on so they don't dry out between classes?

[Narelle01]

ice cream containers???? chinese food containers?

[RosalieM]

considered that but each group of 3 kids has up to 30 little pots each and we have 3 classes... that's a lot of icecream!!

[Narelle01]

i can see how your tote trays make the perfect fit!!!

[RosalieM]

Yes, they are perfect but so annoying to lose them for nearly a term!

[Lis]

We have propagation/seedling trays in little hot houses from the reject shop I think they were about $9 ea, it does add up, but I have found them really good, and they fit onto a trolley and out of the way. I have seen them at Bunnings too, but I think they cost a little more.

Cheers
Lisa

[smiley]

Kitty litter trays from Woolies

[Lyn]

Even cheaper kitty litter trays from the junky shops. Picked up about 20 kitty litter trays from Overflow at $2 a pop some time back. Probably more now but still cheaper than Woolies I bet. Every state has some kind of cheap goods shop. Check them out.
Lyn.

[RosalieM]

Righto, thanks! Will have a look around for those

[merilyn]

Check with your local wholesale nurseries, the retail ones and garden centres won't be any good. You'd be amazed at the sorts of things wholesale nurseries hold onto for years and eventually throw out. They may charge a small price for things, or they may just be happy to get rid of them. You might be lucky to come up with pots and trays that fit each other. The trays will normally have drainage holes, however, but I guess you could try lining them with plastic or alfoil if you really need to.

If you do use old pots, make sure they are scrubbed with hot water and detergent to remove old potting mix and then soaked in about 10% bleach solution to kill any microbes. I usually rinse them after this. Another tip with growing plants is make sure you use a good quality potting mix, look for the Australian Standards tick - avoid those bags you pick up for $3 or $4, they really are nasty. For seed propagation and cuttings I buy a seed raising mix. You can reduce evaporation by putting a plastic bag over the pot, you can support the bag with some clean skewers etc.

Another tip, don't let them dry out, but don't keep them too wet either.

[RosalieM]

Thanks Merilyn. I ended up getting some foil baking trays (4 packs of 10 for $4each) from Crazy Clarks. Couldn't find any kitty litter trays anywhere!! That's a good idea about the nurseries. I might try that for next time (or if I still need some more once the other classes are set up!). I hadn't thought about cleaning out the pots that thoroughly either... We use old seedling pots from the botanic gardens and I usually just give them a quick rinse. As for the potting mix the kids either test for different types (from cheap to expensive) or test different fertilizers (which I buy the super cheapest one for). I will keep all this in mind though. Thanks again

[RosalieM]

Hello brilliant labbies!!

I have been trying to come up with an alternative for the year 8 plant investigation which takes FOREVER and takes up soooo much space and soooo many tote trays, and then half the plants die anyway, or fail to germinate in the first place! Kids planted their vegies in week 1 and they are taking them home this week. I remember at uni we used Canadian Fast Plants to do experiments but upon googling I can only find Wisconsin Fast Plants. Same thing, different name. Perhaps my memory was wrong (it has been known to happen!). Anyway, I was wondering if any of you out there have used these and had success? The only Australian supplier I have come across so far is Southern Biological but they only sell the seeds, not the kits. The kits come with their own little propagation trays etc and would save me losing all my tote trays for a term! They also have a self watering system built in which would be pretty much year 8-proof and their entire life cycle is about 35-40 days. Plenty of time to do their experiments! Germination is 1-2 days so the testing can start straight away (rather than 1-2 weeks for some of our vegies, and then re-planting ones that haven't germinated at all...). It would be soooooooooooo much easier! But I would like some opinions if anyone has used them before I take it to the head teacher.

Rosalie

[bindi]

We dont do Y8 plants on a big scale but I have good success with sunflower seeds.
I have a huge jar in the fridge (avoid stored product pest) been there for at least 6years & still good. We germinate in cups or old marg /yogurt containers in cotton wool, record growth till the second set of leaves and then they take them home. You can fit 3 in a cup and work as groups. A class montor checks water levels every recess as class is not everyday as gives them a spray.
We have found this very cheap (a bag of parrot food) and I set up geotropism every open day!

[noona]

We use plastic bags and paper towel in the bag and staple across the bag about 1/3 the way down the bag.
wet the paper and place seeds on the staples and sticky tape to the window and watch them grow. This way they can see the roots as they grow .
When they are big we then put them in milk cartons and the kids take them home.
Beans work the best as they are large seeds.
Year 7 love it

[linotas]

Noona, do you mean so that the wet paper towel is in the bottom section and the seed sitting in the top? Sounds like a cool idea but I can't seem to visulise it.

[RosalieM]

Our kids do extended investigations, so they choose what they will test with the plants eg different potting mix, different fertilizer, different levels of salt water, different 'drinks' (such as energy drinks), different light (shade vs direct sun or different colours) and so on. I would just like a set-up that is simple and easy to contain and easy maintenance and doesn't take up too much space. I think I will see what I can do about getting these fast plants. The problem is that nowhere in Australia can supply the equipment that goes with it (they have their own little watering systems and everything) so I would have to come up with my own and I think any pots I get will be bigger than the ones they supply in America. Oh well...

[tigger]

Hi,
You can buy fast plant seeds from the CSIRO green machine. They are $15 a packet and we use them every year very successfully.

[Jazz]

Cut Coke bottle in half. Fill in top part with dirt. Use wick cheese cloth, cleaning cloth, or whatever you have for self-watering, fill in bottom part with water. Top part can be painted or covered with black cardboard or it can be in cupboard (for light), wick can be thicker or thinner for water supply, heat mat can be used, )I have old water bed heater that I use) or microscope lamp (they produce lots of heat.
I do apologise for picture, looks said and pathetic, next time we do it I'll take photo

[bernie]

we use mung beans grown on cotton wool.
The little medicine /plastic sample cups with half an eye cleaner/cotton square and about 6 seeds on a very wet cotton square. Takes less than a week for plants to show growth. Students then water them with different sol - nitrate or other element difficient or extra of an element. Min solutions needed
or put in dark etc. or
For effects of colour. The plant and pot is put inside a plastic drink cup with another on top with the top taken off and coloured celophane on top. as it grows you can add to the hight by adding drinking cups sticky taped on. good results not too much room taken up. no messy soils except from those who want to do different soils.

[sunray18]

I noticed haines have kits.. check them out