Preview

Does salt inhibit grass growth?

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
342 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Does salt inhibit grass growth?
Option A:

Observation: During the winter, you spread salt daily on your driveway to melt the snow. In the springtime, when the lawn begins to grow, you notice that there is no grass growing for about 3 inches from the driveway. Furthermore, the grass seems to be growing more slowly up to about 1 foot from the driveway.

Question: Might grass growth be inhibited by salt?

My hypothesis is that the grass growth is being inhibited by salt.

An average winter season last approximately five or six months and depending on your region of the world, it depends on the amount of rain or snow and freezing temperatures. If your region has a combination of freezing temperatures and precipitation you will use salt to melt the snow and ice. If this is the case then you will have issues growing grass in the areas around the driveway.

Rock salt or table salt will melt ice creating a combination of water and or saltwater. I would use water to help out flowers, grass and other plants grow. In the winter, farmers come through to clear the snow and put a salt chemical mix on the streets which secretes and either falls into drainage ditches or becomes absorbed by our soil. Through the process the osmosis the saltwater mix is moved through permeable membranes of the soil. The saltwater mix is absorbed by the roots of our grass and plants. Certain plants will benefit some growth with low salt concentration. However, with grass and other non-tolerant plants the salt concentration deprives the moisture and water from the roots. Through the roots and the cells of the grass and the plants being robbed of the water, the results are irreversible death of the area of the grass and plants.

To design the experiment I would design a walkway with a line of freshly grown grass and put ice on it then apply table salt or rock salt and watch how the secretion of the saltwater mixture affects the immediate grass that lines the area of the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    bio potato lab

    • 368 Words
    • 1 Page

    5. Salt kills the plants because the cells of plants contain water and many other dissolved substances. Since the water has a lower concentration, water molecules try to move the inside and outside the cell wall to equalize the concentration of dissolved substances in the cell, which is called osmosis. Water molecules will be sucked out of the cell by a high concentration of salt, and resultingly it causes the plants to dehydrate due to an osmosis.…

    • 368 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A second successful and predictable pattern I've witnessed with high regularity during the late ice period can occur one day and not the next. But the weather man can usually help you out here. It basically involves observing water running into the ice holes. A warm thaw that melts surface ice or snow can result in puddles of standing…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The first thing we did when we performed this experiment was gather our materials. We needed the clear, plastic experiment container, fresh grass, sand, and 20 Sowbugs. Next, we measured the amount of grass…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Salt is applied in the thousands of tons every year to reduce ice and, in turn, reduce accidents on Minnesota roads. When the ice and snow melt each spring, the majority of this solution is relieved into rivers and lakes through storm drains on Minnesota roads. The salt negatively affects fish and aquatic plants by dehydrating them and altering fertilization. The damaging effects of sodium chloride are long term and not easily repaired. The Minnesota Department of Transportation can take effective action by reducing salt usage and opting to alternate the biodegradable solution potassium formate.…

    • 1126 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Science Fair Lab Report

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What would happen if this science fair project were to be repeated using different additives in the water such as commercial plant food or aspirin?

The experiment can also be done using different types of flowers like roses or daffodils?…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In my experiment I will test to see what materials will change the ice to its freezing point depression state where it will be melting and there will be ice surrounded by water it just melted off. A few more scientific concepts that relate to this are the Freezing…

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Road Salt Experiment

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Every winter road salt is used on sidewalks, roads, and highways to melt snow and ice. These are to prevent human activates from turning into accidents. When the snow melts the road salt gets dissolved into the melted ice and snow and becomes a formula. This formula sinks into the land (soil mostly) and kills vegetation.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In general, salt usually hurts a plant. According to djrice69, a poster on Flowerhorn USA, an online forum, there is already a concentration of salt in the soil. When more salt is…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sealcoating Importance

    • 418 Words
    • 2 Pages

    If you have an asphalt driveway, you should consider having it sealcoated this fall before winter hits. Sealcoat is a process that applies a protective layer to the top of your asphalt driveway. Sealcoating your driveway is a great way to fill in small cracks in your driveway and it provides your driveway with an extra layer of protection against wear from chemicals and salt.…

    • 418 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Salt and Grass Growth

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages

    This scientific paper will answer questions on the effects of salt on grass growth. In the winter, many people place a salt compound on their driveways to melt snow and ice that has accumulated. The following spring, it is noticed that the edges of the driveway does not have any grass growing and grass a little further from the driveway is growing slower than the rest of the lawn. It will be determined if grass growth is negatively impacted in the spring after a winter of salt compound applications.…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Effects of Salt on Ice

    • 1976 Words
    • 8 Pages

    On our background we told you that some countries place ice to ice but we also said salt is placed on ice on a hand –cranked ice cream maker. Doesn’t melting happen when the temperature of another thing (may it be air, water, or a solid) in contact is higher than the melting point of the substance (which is the ice which melts at any temperature higher than 0⁰C or 32⁰F) and the ice or snow on the road melts when it is in contact with ice faster so does it mean the salt makes things hotter but does it make that much of a difference, its already freezing cold on winter or on snowy areas? But wait let’s not forget the other statement; salt is placed on ice outside of the container of the ice cream to create the ice cream which we all like to eat so much, clearly the salt has something to do why the ice cream freezes, just imagine is we place ice on cooler and place beverages in the cooler also, we already know the…

    • 1976 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Salt absorbs the water from the grass and ends up killing the grass in the area the salt was place to melt the snow in the winter time. I will be measuring the grass growth each day, with the highest concentration of salt to see if it will harm the grass.…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scientific Method - Grass

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “The "game of science" begins with the scientist 's asking questions about a particular phenomenon which he has observed. He wishes to find out how it behaves and why, in the sense of determining relationships between it and other phenomena.” (Kariel, Herbert G., 1967, California Geographer: Using the Scientific Method to Solve Geographic Problems, Vol. 8, p. 21) The scientific method is the methods used by scientists to answer questions or solve problems. There are five basic steps included in the scientific method. These steps are:…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    2. Exiles stimulated economic development: they were encouraged to invest in trade, build up defenses, and make a footprint for government.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Winter Persuasive Essay

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Before winter hits, there are a few things you should do to prepare your yard. While it might be tempting to ignore your yard for the entire winter, you have to perform regular maintenance. Otherwise, you'll end up with serious issues in your yard that might take a long time to repair.…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays