St Patrick Day Green Carnations experiment

I kept my carnation out of water for 2 hours before I placed it in the color water.

This is a great hands-on experiment with your kiddos. Don’t pass up those white carnations in the stores. Your going to be able to witness Capillary Action of water in plants.

Most of the time, plants get their water from the ground. This means that the plant has to transport the water from its roots up throughout the rest of the plant. How is this done?

Well good question, Water moves through the plant by means of Capillary action. Capillary action occurs when the forces binding a liquid together and the forces attracting that bound liquid to another surface are greater than the force of gravity. The plant’s stem sucks up water much like a straw does. A process called transpiration helps the Capillary action to take place. Transpiration is when the water from the leaves and flower petals evaporates, or, in other words, the water leaves the plant and goes into the surrounding air. As the water evaporates, the plant pulls up more water.