Effects of Acidity on the Growth of Plants

In this project we determined experimentally the acidity of various popular carbonated beverages, such as Pepsi, Mug Root Beer, Mountain dew, and Sierra Mist, and their effect on the growth of plants. We found the pH of these sodas with a pH probe and Logger Pro computer software. Pepsi had the strongest acidity while Mug Root Beer was found to have the weakest acidity. Then we grew fifteen bean plants for 20 days. For the first ten days they were fed just water and for the remaining ten they were fed their specific treatment of soda. From our results we found that the acidity of the beverages used seemed to have little effect. Mug Root Beer, which was the weakest drink, appeared to effect the growth of the plants the most. We concluded that it was most likely the type of acidic ingredients and their concentration in the soda in stead of the overall acidity.

Research Done By:

Will Pruehs
L'Anse Creuse

Josh Hamel
L'Anse Creuse

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