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Grow It 3-5 / Week 12 / Wednesday
3/6
Week 12 · Garden Design Capstone

Wednesday

Pots and water
// Plan it, test it, grow it
⏱ about 15 min

Wednesday: Pots and Water

Rocket fills a cup with soil and plants a bean. He waters it every day. Soon the soil is soggy, and the leaves droop.

Raven tips the cup over. "What do you notice at the bottom?"

Nova hovers close. "Where can the extra water go?" she asks.

Rocket peeks underneath. "Nowhere! There are no holes!"

Container gardens

Many vegetables grow well in pots, like beans and carrots.

Some plants are too big for small spaces. Corn on a balcony may not work well.

Every pot needs drainage holes near the bottom.

Use potting mix that drains well.

Pots dry out quickly, especially in full sun.

Water when the soil feels dry. Keep going until water runs out the holes.

Do not let the soil stay soggy.

POT PROBLEMS
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Rocket's cup had no holes. What went wrong?
When should you water a pot?
Which plant may not be practical on a small balcony?

Plan a fair test

Engineers test a design to find its weak spots. These are called failure points.

Our question: does a cup with drainage holes drain better than a cup without?

In a fair test, you change only one thing.

Here, the only change is the holes.

The one thing we change in our test:
Should both cups get the same amount of water? (yes or no)
Should both cups hold the same soil? (yes or no)
SET UP THE TEST
  • Tap a card.
  • Then tap its spot.
11
22
33
44
Safety first
A grown-up pokes the holes and handles the potting mix bag.
Wear gloves when you touch soil. Wash your hands after.
Nothing from the test goes in your mouth.
For a grown-up
Use two matching cups. Poke four small holes in the bottom of one.
Fill both with the same amount of soil, then set them on plates or trays.
StatementTrue or false?
Pots dry out quickly in full sun.?
Soil should stay soggy all the time.?
Beans can grow well in pots.?
A pot does not need any holes.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEPots need drainage holes and water when the soil feels dry.
On paper, draw a pot with drainage holes. Use arrows to show where extra water goes.

Check your bean plant. Does its pot have drainage holes? Feel the soil.

Clever planning! Tomorrow we run the fair test and look for failure points.

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