Jaidon Faircloth-Scott

Professor Ashby

Biology 102

4 November 2024

The Effects of PH on Germination

Introduction

The pH scale measures the level of acidity or alkaline a substance is (United States

Environmental Protection Agency, 2024). Its values range from 0 to 14 on the pH scale. A

substance is acidic if it has a pH range less than 7, neutral with a pH of 7, and alkaline with a ph

range of greater than 7. Germination is the process by which seeds become seedlings under the

right conditions such as with temperature, oxygen, and water (West Virginia University, 2021).

An experiment with beans was performed to observe the effects that pH has on seed germination.

Three different solutions were used which were 100% vinegar, 100% water, and 100% baking

soda. These solutions were placed in separate sandwich bags for 7 days.

I hypothesized that the water solution will result in the greatest average sprout length due

to plants performing the best in their environments with a pH range near water or neutral. The

100% vinegar solution will perform slightly worse than water due to it being acidic. Acidic

solutions allow plants to dissolve nutrients than in basic solutions due to the acidic solutions

being able to break down substances more easily than basic solutions (CANNA, 2010). Plants

can perform well in slightly acidic solutions. The 100% baking soda solution will perform the

worse out of all the solutions used in the experiment. This is due to baking soda being a basic

solution which plants do not perform well within.

Materials and Methods

For the experiment, I collected the necessary materials to conduct the experiment. The

materials for the experiment were distilled vinegar (acetic acid), baking soda (sodium

bicarbonate), 30 dry great northern beans, 3 half sheet paper towels, water, permanent marker, 3

plastic zipper sandwich bags, ruler, and scissors.

At the beginning of the experiment, I labeled the 3 bags separately, with the solutions

names being vinegar, baking soda, and water. Then, I gathered the 3 half sheet paper towels and

folded each of them in half to fit inside the sandwich bags. I placed each of the folded paper

towels into the sandwich bags and added enough of the perspective solution to moisten the paper

towel without drenching it. Afterwards, I arranged 10 of the great northern beans on top of one

of the moistened paper towels and separated them out to give them enough room to germinate. I

repeated this step two times for the other solutions. Once this was done, I zippered up each of the

sandwich bags and placed them by my window. I typed down my hypothesis for the experiment

and then recorded the number of seeds germinated and bean sprout length over the course of 7

days.

Results

On Day one of the experiment, one vinegar, zero baking soda, and zero water seeds

germinated. On Day two, one vinegar, zero baking soda, and three water seeds germinated. On

Day three, one vinegar, zero baking soda, and five water seeds germinated. On day four, one

vinegar seed, zero baking soda, and nine water seeds germinated. On day five, two vinegar, zero

baking soda, and ten water seeds germinated. On day five, two vinegar, zero baking soda, and
ten water seeds germinated. On day six, three vinegar, zero baking soda, and ten vinegar seeds

germinated. On day six, three vinegar, zero baking soda, and ten water seeds germinated. On day

seven, four vinegar, zero baking soda, and ten water seeds germinated.

Table 1: pH and Number of Beans Germinated

Day Vinegar Baking Soda Water
(Acetic (Sodium Bicarbonate)
Acid)
1 1 0 0
2 1 0 3
3 1 0 5
4 1 0 9
5 2 0 10
6 3 0 10
7 4 0 10

On the seventh day, I recorded the lengths of each of the beans' sprout length. I recorded
their length using the measurement of centimeters. The vinegar seeds had an average sprout
length of .40 centimeters. The baking soda seeds had an average length of 0 centimeters. The
water seeds had an average length of 10 centimeters. In observation, the water seeds had the
highest sprout length compared to the other solutions in the experiment.

Table 2: pH and Bean Sprout Length (in mm or cm) Be sure to indicate which unit.
Bean Sprout Length Vinegar Baking Soda Water
(Acetic Acid) (Sodium Bicarbonate)
Bean 1 1 cm 0 cm 10 cm
Bean 2 1 cm 0 cm 10 cm
Bean 3 1 cm 0 cm 10 cm
Bean 4 1 cm 0 cm 10 cm
Bean 5 0 cm 0 cm 10 cm
Bean 6 0 cm 0 cm 10 cm
Bean 7 0 cm 0 cm 10 cm
Bean 8 0 cm 0 cm 10 cm
Bean 9 0 cm 0 cm 10 cm
Bean 10 0 cm 0 cm 10 cm

Table 3: pH and Average Bean Sprout Length (in mm or cm) Be sure to indicate which unit.
 Avg. Sprout Vinegar Baking Soda Water
Length (Acetic Acid) (Sodium Bicarbonate)

.40 cm 0 cm 10 cm

Discussions

The water solution resulted in the greatest average sprout length of the three solutions
used, which means that beans grow best when near a neutral pH level of seven instead of high
pH levels. My hypothesis was supported by the experiment’s outcomes. This makes sense
because the majority of plants survive best in conditions that are not extreme in pH due to it
having a negative effect on the solubility of nutrients. In various organisms and plants, the pH
range of the organism can affect the availability of nutrients they need to survive. A ph scale near
seven gives plants the most ability to uptake and absorb nutrients from their surroundings. A pH
scale that is extremely low or extremely high, results in a lessened ability of plants to absorb
nutrients due to them being either too acidic or alkaline.

Potential factors that could have had an effect on the experiment’s outcomes are the
temperature of my room, the amount of sunlight the beans received, and the amount of solution
present within the zipper sandwich bags. The temperature of my room throughout the experiment
wasn’t constant due to my home’s system automatically adjusting the temperature throughout the
day. A decrease in temperature could have led to a decrease in germination due to plants
germinating better in warmer temperatures to perform photosynthesis. The opposite could apply
to an increase in temperature that would have led to an increase in germination due to an increase
in photosynthesis. The amount of sunlight the beans received could have affected their ability to
perform photosynthesis and perform germination throughout the experiment. My room window
received sunlight, but was facing away from the sun due to my home’s position in relation to the
sun’s. The amount of solution in the experiment could have resulted in an increase or decrease in
germination due to the various solutions potentially exciting the process of germination.

Conclusions

The data collected in the experiment supports my hypothesis. Throughout the experiment,
the water solution resulted in the most seeds being germinated, followed by vinegar and baking
soda. At the end of the experiment, the water solution resulted in the highest average bean sprout
length compared to vinegar and baking soda. The water solution resulted in the greatest average
of sprout length and beans germinated in the experiment due to water providing plants a greater
ability to absorb nutrients. This means that water has the most significant effect on germination
out of the 3 solutions used due to the plant growth performing best in near neutral pH conditions.
As a whole, the acidity or alkaline nature of a substance can have a substantial impact on the
ability of plants to grow and develop.

Works Cited
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2015, August 11). What is pH?
Www.epa.gov. https://www.epa.gov/goldkingmine/what-ph

Bennett, M. B. (2021, February 1). Extension | Germinating Seeds. Extension.wvu.edu;

West Virginia University.
https://extension.wvu.edu/lawn-gardening-pests/news/2021/02/01/germinating-seeds