Reproducing plants investigation in Science

To finish our Science topic, ‘Living things and their habitats’, we have decided to investigate how long asexual plants take to reproduce themselves. After a class discussion, we decided to expand our investigation because we asked ourselves, “which conditions are best for asexual plants to reproduce?’ We have taken three different cuttings from a mint plant (we planned for geranium plants but they’re out of season right now so the mint plant is a better option!) and placed them into water. We chose three different locations to leave our cuttings: a darkened classroom cupboard, the Year 5 classroom’s window sill and on the roof (the cutting is under shelter so the water isn’t contaminated by rain).

We discussed the importance of ensuring a fair test so we know that we have to keep the containers, the length of cuttings and the amount of water the same. We changed one variable which is the locations. We’re going to make observations by taking photographs of the cuttings every two days to see how quickly they produce new roots. Once new roots have grown sufficiently, we’re going to plant the cutting in soil and reproduce a new mint plant!