Praxis: Sprout science
By Patty Rooks on May 18, 2019.
praxis@praxismh.ca@PraxisMedHat I know that many of us are eagerly anticipating the “unofficial start to summer” as the May long weekend quickly approaches! We are all hopeful that we will be able to get out in our yards and start planting, mowing, pruning, you name it. After a long winter, I am eager to get started as well! It is time to get everything growing for the season. As I listen to the forecast for the long weekend though, I am becoming less and less hopeful that I will be able to get out and get my hands dirty. There is even a hint of snow for some areas of our province – yikes! I guess the positive is that it will not last long if it does snow. That being said, I will take moisture in any form right now!! In order to not shatter those hopes of planting this weekend, I thought I would come up with an activity should we get stuck inside. Let’s get started! *Remember to ask an adult before doing this experiment. Materials – grass seed or other fast germinating seeds you may have on hand – six sponges – scissors – plastic container with a lid (large enough to fit your garden in – water – sunny location – black marker – sink – spray bottle filled with water Procedure 1. Take the sponges and put them in a design – use your imagination. These will be what you are going to grow your seeds on. I cut mine into the shape of a house with a wall beside it! 2. If necessary, use the marker to draw shapes that you want to cut out. 3. Once you have your “garden” designed, have an adult help you with the sharp scissors to cut the shapes out. 4. Rinse the sponges out under warm running water. Squeeze most of the water out. You want them to be wet, but not dripping. 5. Arrange the sponges on the lid of your plastic container. 6. Spray the sponges once again with a light misting of water. 7. Sprinkle the seeds over ALL of the surfaces of the sponge. 8. Carefully mist the seeds so they “stick” in place. 9. Place the bottom of the plastic container loosely over the garden. You do not want it to fit tightly, but you need to create a warm moist environment for the seeds to grow in. You are simulating a greenhouse with the container. 10. Place the garden in a warm sunny location. 11. Be patient, in a few days, you should see some sprouts coming up. 12. Make sure you keep your garden damp by regularly spritzing it with water. What is going on? Did you know that you can grow plants without soil? This is call hydroponics and it is a fast growing industry. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil and instead uses minerals and nutrients in the water. This is a great way to start plants if you have a limited area to start your seedlings inside. You provided all of the other essentials to get the seeds germinating or growing: water, sunlight, and a warm environment. The possibilities are endless on what you can grow on your sponges – lettuce, herbs, mustard greens. Use your imagination and happy gardening! Patty Rooks is senior scientific consultant at PRAXIS, “Connecting Science To The Community.” Contact Praxis at praxis@praxismh.ca, http://www.praxismh.ca, Tweet or follow us @PraxisMedHat, or friend us on Facebook. 31-30
