Experiment:
Understanding how acid rain affects plant growth

Steps:

• In a clear glass jar (well rinsed of any soap residue) pour in ½ cup of clear white vinegar.
• Add a small amount of cold tap water.
• Measure the pH of the solution. For this experiment you want a pH of 3.5 or 4.0. The pH of vinegar by itself is usually 3.0.
• Place some cuttings from houseplants (marigold, African violet, begonia or coleus work well) in this solution to grow roots.
• In another container, grow more cuttings from the same plants in tap water.
• After three weeks compare the root growth of the cuttings. What were the results? Did one cutting grow more roots than the other cutting did?

Experiment:
How acid rain affects soil and plant growth

Sprout some plants (beans spout rapidly), in four non-metallic trays. You may place several plants in one tray.

Tip:

Used cardboard egg cartons make ideal planting trays. Be sure to plant all the sprouts in exactly the same type of soil, either vermiculite or perlite.

Number each tray:

• Tray #1   Water regularly with tap water.

• Tray #2   Water regularly with a solution of five parts water to one part vinegar. (Example: 1000 ml water mixed with 200 ml vinegar)

• Tray #3   Water regularly with a solution of one part water plus one part vinegar. (Example: 500 ml water mixed with 500 ml vinegar)

• Tray #4   Water regularly with vinegar.

In each case, find out the pH of the water solution. In a notebook, record your daily observations for each tray and compare the growth for two weeks. What effect did the acidic water have on the sprouts in Tray #4?

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