Some background resarch WHAT TO EXPECT!!! hopefully..

Hey again! So I’ve done some research into what I should expect from my experiment. I’ve researched the effects of water on plants and why its so important for them as well as what plants require to be healthy and all that sort of stuff but I don’t know if I should include that background information on here???

Well here’s what I’m expecting should my experiment go to plan. The 1st plant is being under watered. The 2nd just right and the third over watered. these are some extracts from the some of the sites i used that are relevant to what happens if the water balance is out and how i will be able to tell this is happening:

If there is not enough entry of water in a plant, the nutrients it needs cannot travel through the plant.

If a plant’s soil has too much water, the roots can rot, and the plant can’t get enough oxygen from the soil. A plant cannot grow if it doesn’t have healthy roots, so the proper balance of water is key when growing plants.

One of the quickest ways is to just put your finger in the soil, up to your knuckle. If the soil is moist, it has enough water; if it is dry, you need to water the plant. If the pot feels lighter than usual, or if the soil is pulling away from the sides of the pot, it needs more water.
- http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/children-in-the-garden/how-does-water-affect-plant-growth.htm

Over-watering is the most common cause of death in indoor plants. If the roots of a plant are surrounded by water, they cannot absorb oxygen. Does a plant need water or oxygen to survive? It needs both, so over-watering kills the plant by rotting the roots and preventing the plant from absorbing much needed oxygen

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/how-to-water-a-plant.htm

Signs a plant is not getting enough water:
• Yellowing leaves or dried leaves toward the bottom of the plant. – too little water for a plant makes it conserve what little water it has by keeping the stalk green and the roots moist, but the leaves will turn yellow and wilt and eventually dry up.
• Start showing some root at the surface. The ground around the plants will be cracked, and you can be assured that your plant roots are not getting the moisture or nutrients they need to grow properly.
• The plant will eventually die.

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/under-watering.htm

The signs for an overwatered plant are:
• Lower leaves are yellow
• Plant looks wilted
• Roots will be rotting or stunted
• No new growth
• Young leaves will turn brown
• Soil will appear green (which is algae)
• The signs of plants affected by too much water are very similar to plants that have too little water


The reason plants affected by too much water is that plants need to breath. They breath through their roots and when there is too much water, the roots cannot take in gases. It is actually slowly suffocating when there is too much water for a plant

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/signs-of-plants-affected-by-too-much-water.htm

I also asked a guy working at flower power who explained the earliest signs of over watering will be dieback on the tips of the leaves.