Awards Earned: 1st Place, 7th Life Science, PCA Science Fair 2nd Place, 7th Life Science, ACSI Science Fair 3rd Place, Botany, Lehigh Valley Science Fair

Do different color lights affect plant growth?

The plants that grow under the purple cellophane will grow the best. This is because red light makes the plant grow, flower, and produce seeds, and blue light mostly controls leaf development. Since purple is a combination of both blue and purple, it should grow tall and have large leaves.

1. Five boxes that are large enough for the plant to grow in
2. A pair of scissors
3. A roll of blue cellophane
4. A roll of red cellophane
5. A roll of clear cellophane
6. A roll of green cellophane
7. A roll of purple cellophane
8. A large window
9. A centimeter ruler
10. A camera
11. At least fifty bean plant seeds
12. Potting soil
13. At least fifty planters or cups

First get five boxes of equal size and a roll of blue, red, green, purple, and clear cellophane. Cut a ten by ten hole in the same spot in each of the five boxes. Cut out a twelve by twelve piece of cellophane. Tape one piece of the a different colored cellophane on each of the boxes. Make sure it completely covers the hole in the box. Two layers of cellophane will be needed on each of the boxes. Make sure no air bubbles are in between the layers. Take twenty-five pots and fill them with potting soil. Plant one seed in each of the pots. Each of the seeds should be the same depth in the soil. Place each of the pots in the boxes. Place the boxes in front of a large window that is big enough so that the boxes can all get the same amount of light. Water and measure the plants with a centimeter ruler every other day. Also check on leaf development and how green each plant is. Take pictures of the plants at least once a week. Record all this data in a logbook. After a month, take the average height of the plants and compare them. When choosing which plants grew the best, remember to take into account how green each one is. Make your conclusion. Repeat the experiment again if necessary. Create a graph for all the data.

My control group is plants grown in the box covered with clear cellophane.

My hypothesis was correct. The plants under the purple light grew the best. The plants under the green light were last. The plants under the green light grew the least because they did not absorb any light, for plants reflect green light. In the last few days of both rounds of my experiment, many plants, especially those that were under the green light, started to shrivel up. This is probably because they were at the end of their life span. If I were to conduct this experiment again the plants would be grown for a longer amount of time and they would be grown in warmer weather.

John 8:12 says When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’. This verse applies to this project because just like the purple light helps the plants grow the best, Jesus is our light and helps us grow spiritually. Christians should want to go spiritually because that is the Lord’s will for them.

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