rearch paper.docx - Cruz, p.1 of 7 Will Aerated Compost Tea...

Cruz, p.1 of 7
Will Aerated Compost Tea Increase the Growth Rate in Radishes Compared to
Homemade Composted Soil?
Daniela Cruz Lezcano , Miami Dade Collegue
Introduction
The purpose of this experiment is to explore the effects that aerated compost tea and
homemade compost have on radish growth (on this case the Crimson Giant). One of the
main questions to be answered in this research is: Will the aerated compost tea or
homemade compost increase the growth rate of the crimson giant radish over potting soil
alone? Using aerated compost tea will have a significant effect on plant growth when
compared to the control group (potting soil). However, our hypothesis is that Homemade
compost will haves as result a higher growth rate than the compost tea. The reason to
support this is because potassium is known to be one of the best ingredients in a fertilizer
for radishes, so adding the banana skin in the Homemade Compost will aid in its growth.
Also, radishes usually don’t tend to germinate in moist soil or with excess liquid, so the
guinea pig droppings and cat litter will help to absorb the extra moisture.
Methods:
For 7 weeks, these procedures were used on a total of 3 trials for the research:
A mix of half homemade compost (eggshell, banana skin, dry leaves, grass, cat litter,
guinea pig dropping, paper litters, sawdust) and half potting soil was made, and one seed
(of Crimson Giant radish) was planted in 15 pots each with this mixture. The pots were
watered daily by the greenhouse system. Once again, one seed was planted in 15 pots each,