so my son wants to do a science project on how sun affects the growth of plant. and he picked fig tree. i guess it's because he has seen me rooting and growing the cuttings last winter.

i explained that figs don't grow all that well in winter.

but he says he already submitted the outline and he will do it. so i started 5 Kathleen's Black cuttings. to meet the schedule, the cuttings better root in next 2 weeks, put on top growth by 3rd week and have measurable growth by 6th week when the report is due.

i got him few sweet pea seeds just in case rootings let me down.

Pete...nice to get involved in your son's project...best of luck.

Pete,

Does the experiment require growth from seed or cutting or just growth comparisons? My son did an experiment with tomato plants. We bought some tomato plants because we procrastinated getting them started (this was in spring). We got 3 inexpensive single bulb sockets and 1 green, 1 red, and 1 white bulb. We put the plants at the bottom of a trash can to block all other light and then measured the difference in growth. If you have small fig trees of equal size you could do this. And BTW, the red bulb caused more growth and deeper green leaves!

Very father, thanks for sharing.

Best,
Tam

String beans grow fast. It was my 2nd grade science teacher that helped hook me on gardening. We put string beans in a clear cup with colored paper inside behind the bean, put in some water and observed as the bean sprouted roots and top growth. Been hooked ever since.

Cruciferous plants (radishes, broccoli, etc.) always come up fastest for me...seeds are usually up within 4 days.

Pete,
I still have a bunch of seedlings, they are 1-2 inch tall, they will grow through the winter very well. They have a very nice root system and do not care about the too much water. I can try to ship them, if you want. Send me a PM.

I will never forget that experiment.. some 50+years ago... my teacher got a hat box, only of those large cardboard boxes, in which the lid comes off easily. put some regular old beans in a small container and put it  a small coffee plate (those are tiny plates  for the tiny cups we drink coffee in Brazil) to collect any excess water of the cup with soil.  On the opposing side, she made a hole the size of a quarter, in which the light would come in.

she would open just to make sure it was germinating, but kept it close for most of us to see. we could only peek at the hole.  when the bean germinated, it streached all the way across to reach for the hole and came out from it, making green leaves. At that time, we looked how the stem was white, weak... wheareas the other beans planted at the same time and placed at the light were much bigger and stronger.  this was the begining of my curiosity about plants and how they grow. Hope your son finds that experiment as soul branding as mine was.

Way to go how to teach our next generation how to grow them lettuce, tomatoes, figs, etc.

Good luck with it!

It will be a huge A+!  Just feel it!!  You could make caprese salad for dinner, and put the basil stems with the tiny leaves in water and they will root for you easy!! 
Suzi

Sounds like a great project! I love gardening with my dad and going thru grandpas old garden