Do seeds need soil to germinate? Prep III investigate…

Like all good gardeners, Prep III know, especially since they have started studying plants as part of their Science topic, that seeds need soil to help them germinate and grow.  But what if they don’t have soil?  Will they still germinate if seeds are placed in other materials?

Prep III have devised a fair test – where we only change one thing, in this case what we put the seed into – to see if seeds will germinate in other things, such as sand, a paper towel and cotton wool.  Interestingly, all the class think that the seeds will germinate in soil.  Three quarters of them think they will germinate in sand, while only one or two think they will germinate in the paper towel and cotton wool.  Watch this space for further developments!