A Salty Situation
description
Transcript of A Salty Situation
A Salty SituationThe Effect of Different Ice Melts on the Growth of Plants
Clara M. Selbrede Mrs. Marusich Pd. 7
How I chose my project
This idea was derived from a list I thought up
at the beginning of the year to replace my
previous project.
Research Question
Do different ice melts affect
the growth of roadside
vegetation?
Types of Ice MeltsIce melts are made from a variety of chemicals, most of which include salt. Some types are● Ammonium sulfate
(NH4)2SO4
● Calcium chloride CaCl2
● Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) CH3COOH MgCO3 CaCO3
● Magnesium chloride MgCl2
● Potassium acetate CH3COOK
● Potassium chloride KCl● Sodium chloride (rock
salt, halite) NaCl
How do Ice Melts Work?
Ice melts work by lowering the freezing point of
the ice so it returns to its liquid state, and they
also dry up the water by producing heat. When
mixed with abrasives such as sand, they
provides friction to keep the car tires from
slipping.
How Can They Damage Plants?
• They can kill buds and twigs from direct
contact
• They can brown or yellow evergreens.
• They can cause salt to accumulate in the soil.
About the Melts Used
• Iodized Salt- The version of salt is not commonly used as an ice melt even though it has that ability. This is partially because it soaks up water easily and will prevent water from getting to the roots of plants.
About the Melts Used
• Calcium Chloride- This was the only product advertised as an ice melt, and it is considered one of the more “plant-friendly” chemicals. It is also useful in some mining applications.
• Unsulphured Molasses- Molasses has been recently tried as a natural substitute for chemical melts and salt.
Why Use Grass?
• Grass is inexpensive.
• Grass is not as delicate as flowers.
• Grass is what is mostly affected by ice melts
as it is by roads and sidewalks.
Hypothesis
“If the ice melt is edible, then it
will cause a less harmful effect
than the chemicals on the
plants”
Reasoning for HypothesisPlants are a form of life and although they are in Kingdom Plantae, or Vegetalia, they need nutrients to survive, similar to organisms in Kingdom Animalia. Because it is safe for animals to ingest salt and molasses, it would seem that the same would apply for plants. Therefore, salt and molasses would not be as harmful to plants as the chemicals in generic ice melts.
Procedures - Set up1. Find an available outdoor area with soil and sun.
2. Unroll the sod.
3. Cut it into equal strips (four to six).
4. Place skewers at equal intervals.
5. Wind twine around the skewers to form a 4x25 grid.
6. Wait about a week for the sod to start growing.
7. Spread one type of melt over each strip of 100 samples.
Procedures - Measurement
• They were measured by the tallest piece of grass.
• The number was rounded down if the tallest was much
taller than the rest of the sample.
• The samples were measured on the fourth, seventh,
eleventh, and fifteenth day.
• If the tip of the grass was yellow and the rest was green, it
was measured up to the end of the green.
Control
Molasses
Table Salt
Ice Melt
Summary of Average Lengths
if the sample was clearly dead, the sample was counted as a two.
Observations
Control - Healthy
Molasses - Healthy (torn up by deer)
Ice melt - Dead (after 11 days)
Table Salt - Dead (after 7 days)
End Result
Table Salt
Molasses
Ice Melt
Control
Conclusions - Comparison
No ice melt is the best for vegetation
but molasses does not do as much
harm as other ice melts. Table salt
should try to be avoided as it causes
the most damage.
Conclusion - Hypothesis
My hypothesis was only half supported by my data.
• Table Salt (edible) - harmful
• Molasses (edible) - not harmful
Limitations
• The melts could not be applied evenly.
• The project had to be done outside.
• The project had to be done in cold weather.
• The project could not be extended to see the
results of the grass in spring, or after snow.
Scientific Error
• The deer licked off most of the molasses the first
night.
• Some sample measures were counted twice in a
set of data and some were skipped over.
• Much more of the melt was used than would end
up on the plant regularly.
How This Applies to Life
This information can be used by
consumers to help them pick products
that will keep their plants at their
healthiest.
How This Research Can Be ExtendedResearch could test the effect of different
kinds of advertized ice melts on plants
against each other to find which is the most
plant-friendly. It could also be extended to
spring in order to see the long term effects of
the melts.
Acknowledgements
Craig II My Father
My Mother
Sponsored by...
ACCPublishing inc.