Native vs. Non-Native Plants in Local SoilPresented by: Drew Gourlie, Zach Anderson, Chris Emmet

Special Thanks To: WSU Vancouver, Shorty’s Garden, Renee Flick, and all our wonderful magnet teachers.

Native

Growth

Experimental Design  Do native plants grow better in the Pacific Northwest then imported plants?Prediction Reason:

The hypothesis:If both native plants and imported plants are exposed to common Pacific Northwest conditions and weather, then the native plants will grow better then the imported plants because they are better suited for the conditions of the Pacific Northwest.

Materials: 2 Heavenly Bamboo2 Scarlettar2 Dwarf Boxwoods2 Evergreen Huckleberry2 Western Sword Fern2 Oregon Grapes12 Large pots 24kg of regular soilSoil Testing kitWater 

Procedure:1:Place 2kg of soil in each pot and plant one plant in each pot, labeling the pot with what it houses2:Leave the pots outside, exposed to the elements. 3:Over the course of two months, water the plants equally as needed4:Before the plants are watered, check the soil for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium5:Repeat steps 3-4 over two months.

Controlled (kept the same) Variables:Soil comes from the same locationPlants are kept in the same placeSame amount of waterSame size of potsSoil testing kit is sanitized between uses.

Manipulated (changed) Variable:Type of plant being tested.

Responding (dependent) Variable:Plant being alive or notVisual health of the plantsMacronutrient levels

The purpose of our experiment is to determine the effects of both native and non-native plants on local soil. If our hypothesis is correct, and non-native plants have a detrimental effect on the soil, then we can use our data to persuade local residents to garden with local plants (rationale). We (who) plan to test 3 native and 3 non-native plants by exposing them to local conditions and treating them like garden plants (what). The results from this will help to persuade residents to stop using environmentally damaging plants in their homes and gardens. Over a span of three months, from March to May, (when) we will run our experiment. We have chosen this time because the majority of shrub planting occurs during this time, so it is ideal to test the plants during planting season. The plants will be tested outside (where), and will be exposed to the elements and treated like they were in a garden. This is to test how the plants will fair against the weather, whether they will last, and what they do to the local soil.

Non-Native

Death

Nitrogen Levels

Phosphorus Levels

Our data showed us that, on average, the non-native plants took a larger toll on the soil’s macronutrient level. From this, we can conclude that native plants have less of an effect on soil. Because of their nutrient draining characteristics, some of the imported plants, such as the scarlettar, require fertilizer to survive.. This fertilizer is what causes severe environmental problems, and the use of native plants circumvents its use

Abstract

Results

ConclusionFuture

Using our data, we hope to persuade local residents to replace non-native plants in their gardens with native plants. This will help reduce the number of imported plants an d species making local soils healthier. Also, we hope to present our data to local plant fairs.

Potassium Levels