return to ecocolumnFarmer in the Ecocolumn
Today you will make a model of the part of the earth that is made of land. Once you have plant life suitable for supporting animals, the animals will arrive. The part that you are making is the terrarium. It is a ecosystems that includes biotic and abiotic parts. The seeds that you will be planting are grass, mustard, and alfalfa.
You are to begin by using the T section of your ecocolumn. Keep your bottle cap.
Place this section in a large cup for balance. Have the materials person in your group go to the table and collect:
1 cup of gravel
2 cups of potting soil
1 piece of fiberglass screen
1 rubber band
1 spoon
1 cup of water
1 dropper
1 small cup of each seed: grass, alfalfa, and mustard
4 toothpicks
1 hand lens
1 marker
Outside ( leaf matter, small rock, and twigs)
Follow the steps below to plant the seeds in your terrarium:
1. Remove the cap from the bottle "T". Place a square piece of the fiberglass screen over the mouth of the bottle. Secure the screen with a rubber band.
2. Stand part T neck down in a large plastic cup.
Add one cupful of gravel to the bottle.
Add two cups of soil on top of the gravel.
3. Use the toothpicks to divide the terrarium soil into four equal parts. Use a permanent marker to label each section on the outside of the bottle. The words are grass, alfalfa, mustard, and leaf matter.
4. Plant all of the seeds the same way:
a). Count your seeds and record the number. use the hand lens to observe the seed. The seed should not be planted deeper than twice the length of the seed. Since the seeds are tiny, you will be covering them with soil. Press the seeds gently into the soil with your fingers.
b). Repeat step a for each type of seed.
5. Using the cup of water, begin watering with the water dropper. Count how many dropperfuls of water your terrarium will take before the water begins to drip out of the bottom of the bottle. Record this number .
6. In the fourth section, add some dead plant material and a few small rocks.
7. Draw and label a picture of what you put in your terrarium. Include the date, how many seeds you planted, what the dead material is and looks like .
8. Return your ecocolumn to your section of the table under the grow light.
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