Experiments With Different Watering Regimes

Select Your Plants

• Begin the experiment by selecting a type of plant. Consider a flowering or fruit-bearing plant, such as tomatoes, to better evaluate the effectiveness of the different regimes. Visit your local nursery or home improvement store and choose 12 plants that have sprouted. Make sure they are roughly equal in height and health.

Prepare the Experiment

• Place the plants in identical containers using equal amounts of potting soil. Choose a location, such as a window sill, where all 12 plants receive equal amounts of heat and light. Conduct the experiment indoors to control weather-related issues like rain. It's vital to make sure your plants only get water when you provide it. Arrange the plants into four groups of three and mark the containers for identification. Photograph the plants before beginning the experiment to compare them with the end result.

Conduct the Experiment

• Use a different watering regime for each group. Use a spray bottle mist for groups one and two. Use a watering can with a spout for groups three and four. Give groups one and three 1/4 cup of water each day at the same time. Give groups two and four 1/8 cup of water in the morning and 1/8 of a cup of water in the evening. Evaluate whether misting or spraying is more effective, and whether watering once or twice a day is better.

Evaluate Your Data

• Continue to water and monitor your plants on the prescribed regime each day for three weeks, then evaluate the plants. If you used flowering or fruit-bearing plants, count the number of flowers or fruit. Compare the plants to the photographs you took before you started. Take the average number of flowers or pieces of fruit for each group to help determine which regime was most effective.