Growth of House Plants Using Epsom Salt

Does Epsom Salt Help in the Growth of House Plants?

Project Design Plan

The growth of house plants is a relatively complex process because these plants require various elements in order to grow. Some of these elements that contribute to the growth of house plants include water and some amount of sun light, which are crucial in the health and strength of house plants. Epsom salt has been regarded as an important element for the growth and health of plants because it contains magnesium and sulfur.
Problem Statement: Epsom salt could help a gardener to grow strong and healthy plants without using chemicals though the salt contains sulfur and magnesium. While all plants require water and a certain amount of sunlight in order to growth strong and healthy, gardeners are faced with the need to maximize plant growth as much as possible. As a result, some gardeners utilize different chemicals in order to promote the strong and healthy growth of plants. Since Epsom salt is considered as one of the non-chemical ways of promoting plant growth, its important to examine whether the salt aids the growth of house plants as compared to water alone. This scientific experiment focuses on determining whether Epsom salt helps in house plants growth versus water alone in order for gardeners and plants owners to enhance their knowledge regarding successful plant growth.
Literature Review
The issue of the role of Epsom salt in promotion the growth of strong healthy house plants has been the subject of numerous studies in the field of science. Epsom salt is a simple chemical comprising sulfur, magnesium, and water that is utilized to enable plants have better uptake of valuable nutrients such as phosphorous and nitrogen during growth. It is also known as magnesium sulfate and considered as one of the most suitable nutrients for plants and gardens (Chalker-Scott, 2007). Epsom salt enhances plant growth through improving seed germination and enhancing the uptake of nutrients. During germination, the magnesium in Epsom salt improves the infusion of seeds with valuable nutrients that in turn develop the cell walls of the plant. Additionally, the magnesium also promotes better uptake of phosphorous and nitrogen, which are valuable nutrients and fertilizer elements. During intensive cropping of several vegetables and fruits, Epsom salt is utilized to alleviate magnesium deficiency. On the contrary, the sulfur in Epsom salt enhances plant growth through improving the production of chlorophyll. Similar to magnesium, this nutrient also works with elements in the soil to enhance the production of potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorous. Therefore, the findings by Chalker-Scott (2007) provide a scientific background for this experiment.
Bender (2017) state that Epsom salt is normally fed to plants that need magnesium such as peppers and tomatoes. The salt is fed to plants through conducting a soil test to determine whether it lacks magnesium or sulfur. The salt is applied in different ways depending on whether the soil lacks magnesium and sulfur and the purpose of application. In this case, 1 tablespoon per gallon of water of Epsom salt is applied for foliar feeding while soil drenching entails adding ½-cup per gallon of water. These findings provide guidelines for the application of Epsom salt, which will guide the experimental design steps of this experiment.
Experimental Design Steps
1. Two house plants are planted in identical pots using the same soil, similar amount of soil in the containers, and similar depth of hole during planting. The pot which Epsom salt will be utilized is marked for easy identification.
2. A gallon jug is filled with water and 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt added. The solution is applied to the marked pot on a weekly basis. The addition of this solution to the house plant is based on similar procedures of watering the plants.
3. The application of the Epsom salt solution to the house plant is carried out once every week using regular water.
4. The other pot is watered using regular water on a regular basis as part of normal watering of house plants.
5. The house plants are then evaluated in terms of their growth after four weeks of the commencement of the experiment.
Reasoning
The easiest and natural ways of using Epsom plant is the use of potted plants, which provides a simple way of adding Epsom salt solution to enhance the health and strength of the plants during growth. The addition of the two tablespoons of Epsom salt to watering is based on the fact that potted plants require the use of such solution, which is substituted for normal watering once every week (Salt Works, 2017). Adding the Epsom salt solution and substituting it with normal watering once a week helps in preventing overuse of the salt while providing a good basis for evaluating its impact on house plants growth. The normal watering of the other pot helps in providing a comparison of how Epsom salt helps in the growth of house plants versus water alone. The measurement conducted after four weeks of the experiment helps in determining the effect of Epsom salt on the growth of house plants in comparison to the use of water alone.
Sequence of Events
The impact of Epsom salt on the growth of house plants is determined by measuring the growth of the potted house plant after four weeks of the experiment as compared to the potted plant using water alone.
1. Epsom salt is considered to aid the growth of house plants when the plant in which the solution is utilized grows faster and stronger than the one using normal watering.
2. Two tablespoons of Epsom salt are mixed with a gallon of water during watering while the other pot is watered using normal watering procedures.
3. The Epsom salt solution is added to normal watering of the marked pot to avoid overuse, which can be detrimental to a plant’s growth.
4. The growth of the house plant in which Epsom solution was utilized in compared to the other one based on the level of growth and the health of the leaves.
5. Soil samples from both pots are taken and measured after the four-week period to determine their nutrients.
6. The results of the measurement of soil samples provides an indicator of how Epsom salt affects house plants growth through impacting soil nutrients.
Tools and Technologies
Plastic pots
Potting Soil
Christmas cactus (house plant)
Water jug
Ultra Epsom Salt
Water
Luster Leaf 1605 Rapitest Digital Soil Testing Kit
A metric ruler marked in inches
Variables
Independent Variable: Epsom Salt solution added to the soil during watering.
Dependent Variables: The growth of the plant and soil nutrients.
Controlled Variables: Two tablespoons of Epsom salt. Consistency in watering the house plants on a daily basis. Watering one of the pots with Epsom salt solution once a week.
Threat Reduction to Internal Validity
The threat to the internal validity of the findings of this experiment will be enhanced through ensuring that all equipment is washed before beginning the study. The soil will be measured before commencing the experiment to ensure its free of any chemicals that may affect the experiment results. The pots will be placed in secure locations to avoid contamination while both pots are subjected to similar basic conditions to avoid any biases and enhance credibility of the findings. In this regard, the plants were kept under the same temperatures i.e. 50°F (10°C) to avoid any negative impacts on the results. The measurements of the house plants and soil will be conducted at the end of the experiment to avoid any interferences during the experiment.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis of this experiment is that Epsom salt solution helps to improve house plants growth. This hypothesis is based on the idea that the magnesium and sulfur in Epsom salt enhances uptake of valuable nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen, which in turn generates healthy strong plants (Tilley, 2016).
Process of Data Collection
As expected, the house plant that was watered using Epsom salt solution on a weekly basis had grown rapidly as compared to the one with water alone. After four weeks of conducting the experiment, the house plant watered with Epsom salt had a height of 6 inches and width of 7 inches. On the contrary, the other house plant had a height of 4 inches and width of 5 inches. Under similar conditions, the phosphorus levels of the soil watered using Epsom salt solution ranged between 6.5 – 7.0 while the other soil ranged between 5.8 – 6.0. The nitrogen levels for soil watered using Epsom salt solution ranged between 6.5 – 7.0 as compared to the other soil whose nitrogen levels ranged between 5.8 – 6.0.
Data Table: Measurements of Growth of House Plants
Type of Watering
Height
Width
Phosphorus Levels
Nitrogen Levels

Epson salt solution mixed with water
6 inches
7 inches
6.5 - 7.0
6.5 – 7.0

Water alone
4 inches
5 inches
5.8 - 6.0
5.8 – 6.0


· Note: These measurements were taken after a four-week period of commencing the experiment.

Appropriate Methods
The tools utilized in this experiment were suitable because the provided the right potting mix and conditions for planting and evaluating the growth of house plants. The measurements carried out after four weeks provided an ample time for the growth of these plants since it normally takes a minimum of four weeks for a Christmas Cactus plant to start blossoming. Therefore, the methods and tools employed in this experiment are appropriate for determining the impact of Epsom salt in aiding the growth of house plants.
Results
As shown in the graph below, the experiment demonstrated significant differences in the level of growth of house plants using Epsom salt and water alone during watering. The house plant subjected to weekly watering using Epsom plant grew within the expected range i.e. 6 inches whereas the other plant did not achieve this. On the other hand, the phosphorus and nitrogen levels of the house plant watered using Epsom salt solution were sufficient at 6.5 – 7.0 respectively while the other plant had medium (or ranging from deficient to adequate) levels of these nutrients at 5.8 – 6.0 respectively.









Conclusion
This experiment has demonstrated that Epsom salt aids the growth of house plants through improving the uptake of valuable nutrients by plants.
Confirmation of Hypothesis
The results of this experiment confirm the hypothesis that watering a house plant using Epsom salt solution enhances plant growth versus water alone. This is proven by the fact that the house plant watered using Epsom salt solution had higher levels of growth and its soil had more nutrients as compared to a similar plant grown using water alone.
Experimental Design as Key Factor
Scientists need to carefully design their experiments before conducting them in order to enhance validity and credibility of the results. The lack of proper planning of an experiment before carrying it out enhances the likelihood of negative impacts from other factors that enter the experiment. Therefore, careful design of an experiment helps in controlling variables effectively and improving the validity and reliability of results.
Replication
Replication of this experiment would require using relatively similar tools and technologies in order to test the accuracy of these findings. For the replicated test to be fair, similar temperatures and amount of Epsom salt solution should be utilized. However, the researcher could use a different measuring equipment other than the Luster Leaf 1605 Rapitest Digital Soil Testing Kit, but still have a fair test of the results of this experiment. This is primarily because there are different tools and technologies that can be utilized to measure soil.
Evaluation of Validity
One of the most important measures for evaluating the validity of the findings of a scientific experiment is through replication. Replication helps in determining whether scientific results are valid by showing whether a repeat of the experiment would generate similar results (Hanna, 2012). If an experiment cannot be replicated, the validity of the process, accuracy of findings and research procedures are questionable. As a result, scientists place much emphasis on replication of results in order to determine the validity of findings and their application.


References
Bender, S. (2017). Are Epsom Salts Really Good for Plants? Retrieved July 24, 2017, from http://www.southernliving.com/garden/grumpy-gardener/are-epsom-salts-really-good-for-plants
Chalker-Scott, L. (2007). Epsom Salts. Retrieved from Puyallup Research and Extension Center – Washington State University website: https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/epsom-salts.pdf
Hanna, M. (2012, December 30). Why is Replication So Important? Retrieved July 24, 2017, from https://honestuniverse.com/2012/12/30/why-is-replication-so-important/
Salt Works. (2017). Gardening with Epsom Salt. Retrieved July 24, 2017, from https://www.seasalt.com/gardening-with-epsom-salt
Tilley, N. (2016, November 27). Information About Using Epsom Salts for Plants. Retrieved July 24, 2017, from https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/epsom-salt-gardening.htm