Everything Life Sciences Grade 10

FACT

Capillarity: refers to
the ability of a
liquid to flow
through narrow
spaces (capillary
pressure).

• ruler

Method:

1. Remove the label from the Coke bottle. Cut the top of the bottle off 20cm from the
   bottom of the bottle. Poke holes in the bottom of the bottle for drainage. Hold the
   plant cutting in the container while you fill the container with soil. Leave one or two
   leaf buds about 5cm above the soil.


2. Weigh the container to get the total weight of the bottle, soil and plant.


3. Water the plant with enough water so that it starts to run out of the bottom of the bottle
   through the holes.


4. Weigh the container again after the water has stopped running out and subtract the
   total weight in step 2 from the weight in step 4 to get the weight of the water. 1 litre
   of water is equal to 1 kilogram of water, therefore you can work out exactly how much
   water is in the container.


5. Set the containers by the window where they will receive enough sunlight. Wait for
   the leaves to start growing (1-3 weeks).


6. Once the leaves have started growing, weigh the containers every 1-3 days for 3 weeks.
   Subtract the new weight from the weight calculated in step 4. The new number is the
   amount of water that the plant is using. Water the plant as necessary (when the soil
   becomes dry), but remember to reweigh the container when you add more water so
   that you can still tell how much water the plant is taking up.


7. Draw a graph of the amount of water the plant is using. The X-axis should show the
   number of days since the beginning of the experiment and the Y-axis should show the
   amount of water that the plant has used.

Results:

Record your results

Observations and evaluation:

1. What were your observations?


2. What could you have done to improve the experiment?

Conclusions:

From the results of your graph write up your conclusion.

Transport of water and minerals to leaves DUMMY

We have dealt with the transport of water in plants from the roots to the leaves where it is

needed for the process of photosynthesis. We learnt that three processes are necessary for

the absorption and transport of water, namely; root pressure, capillarity, and transpiration.

To understand this section you also need to remember what you have learnt about:

182 6.4. Uptake of water and minerals in the roots