7. Conclusion
By analysing the given data sheets and completing the experiment, we can
clearly see some sort of correlation between plant growth and their corresponding pH level of water. My hypothesis didn't turn out to prove itself, rather doing the complete opposite. I also ended up with results that were totally unexpected, that I couldn't also
scientifically explain. Plant Delta (watered with pH 9) turned out to grow the most
successful of all. It outperformed all other plants both in density and length. Plant
Echo (watered with pH 11) didn't preform especially successfully, when looking at its
increased length by time, which wasn't much of a surprise, as I did and could've
predicted. Plant Charlie (watered with pH 7) surprised me - even though it was
watered with a neutral pH level of water, it preformed worst of all plants. This was
totally contradictory to any scientific literature. Plant Charlie, for some reason, only had one successful sprout, which meant the results were less precise. Moreover, the only seed to sprout from Charlie had a slow, but exponential growth rate, rather than Echo, which could barely sustain an increasing length, yet had a longer plant in the end.
I was surprised by the fact that Plant Alpha(watered with pH 4) was the 2nd
longest, although it was far from the recommended pH level. This lead to me to
deduce that thyme is a very self-sustainable plant and is able to grow successfully, even if the conditions are not as good as they could be. Although I had already understood this before, I had expected that Plant Alpha would preform more poorly, simply due to the very alkaline soil and water used to saturate it.
Plant Echo did not surprise me at all and lead to me conclude that thyme is able
to grow more successfully at a lower pH, rather than a high pH. The pH was simply
too high for the plant and, as mentioned in the relevant theory about pH, it meant that
Plant Echo was unable to obtain phosphorus, calcium and magnesium as efficiently. The impact of this was only noticeable by the end of the experiment, due to its stunted growth.
…
