Introduction: Make Your Own Greenhouse - How Fast the Plants Grow

Greenhouses are structures with roofs and walls made of glass or plastic, and are mostly used to grow vegetables, fruits, plants and flowers. Greenhouses protect crops from too much heat or cold and shield their inhabitants from storms and harsh weather. They also help keep out damaging pests. Some areas of the world rely on greenhouses as their means of survival, especially those living in harsh landscapes such as deserts and arctic wastes.

SCIENCE BEHIND:

Greenhouses create a sheltered environment for plants by using solar radiation to trap heat. This system of heating and circulating air helps to create an artificial environment in a greenhouse that can sustain plants when the outdoor temperature is too cool or variable. Heat enters the greenhouse through its covering of glass or plastic and starts to warm the objects, soil and plants inside. The warmed air near the soil begins to rise and is immediately replaced with cooler surrounding air that starts to heat up. This cycle raises the temperature inside the greenhouse more rapidly than the air outside, creating a sheltered, warmer microclimate.

FUN FACTS:

In the first century, Pliny the Elder made a reference to the Emperor Tiberius having had a portable greenhouse that was protected with a covering made of transparent stone. This unusual and rare greenhouse was devised to cultivate the emperor's favorite vegetable, the cucumber.

Materials Required:

  • Plastic Strips (Sticks) to make the structure of GREENHOUSE
  • Transparent greenhouse sheets, cut as per the sizes
  • Instant Glue (Feviquik)
  • Plastic mini pot
  • Garden soil
  • Seeds

You can buy the materials online at http://modelshop.in/how-fast-plants-grow-make-you...

Step 1: Making the Side Walls of Green House

Take the 6 sticks and arrange them as in the picture to make the long side walls, glue them together with quick fix. You should have a rectangular wall with two support sticks to hold the weight of structure.

Step 2: Make the Another Side of Long Wall

Repeat the step 1 to make one more wall.

Step 3: Making the Short Wall

Attach the three sticks with the longer wall as shown in the pic. Use a quick glue to stick it fast.

Step 4: Connecting the Structure

Use a quick glue and connect the another longer wall with the short wall.

Now the structure without the roof is ready!

Step 5: Making the Roof

Take four small sticks and one long stick. Use the smaller stick to make a triangle on both sides. Glue the longer stick to complete the shape of roof.

Step 6: Complete the Roof Structure

Take two small sticks and glue them with the structure made in previous step. Now the GREENHOUSE structure is ready.

Step 7: Putting the Plastic Sheets on Your GREENHOUSE

Your ModelShop.in kit has the appropriate size of plastic sheets in the box.

Use the appropriate sized plastic sheet and glue it on the walls of your GREENHOUSE structure.

Your GREENHOUSE is complete and ready for science experiment.

Step 8: Testing Your GREENHOUSE

Use the plastic container and garden soil in the ModelShop.in science kit.

Empty the soil content into the container and put some seeds. Your mini garden pot is ready!

Put a few drops of water into the garden pot. Cover the mini garden pot with the GREENHOUSE and keep it outside.

Place your mini greenhouse near a window where it will get plenty of sun and leave it there.

After a few days you will notice the GREENHOUSE "sweating". If the GREENHOUSE gets too moist, remove the GREENHOUSE and let it dry out for a while. Put it back again.

You will notice that your plants grow much faster and remain healthy.

Step 9: Science Experiment

Observation

Observe your plant at least once a day and note it's growth.

Why do you think that the GREENHOUSE sweats?

After a week, has your plant started to grow?

Step 10: Analysis and Conclusion

The sun's energy can travel through greenhouse glass easily, but the radiation emitted by the plants and soil that have absorbed the heat doesn't get out as easily, helping to trap heat inside.The temperature inside the greenhouse starts to rise. Because the GREENHOUSE has sealed the air inside and keeps it heated, even when air outside the greenhouse cools down.