Collaborative Scientific InvestigationCan food dye alter the colour of a potted plant’s petals?

Sarah Lucas

• Introduction

• Background

• Hypothesis

• Equipment used

• Process

• Data collection Method

• Data

• Discussion

• Conclusion

• New questions

• The art of dying flowers is a simple procedure, practiced by many people all over the world.

• This process is mainly used by florists on cut flowers.

• After visiting a friend with a bouquet of dyed Orchards, I found myself wondering if the same could be done to a potted plant.

• If you google ‘dying flowers with food dye’ hundreds of different web articles and images pop up.

• Most of these are of flowers that have had their stems cut.

• Due to a lack of scientific articles on the effects of food dye on potted plants, I decided that I would investigate the results myself.

• If a cut flower can absorb food dye, then I believed that a potted plant should be able to as well.

• I decided to use eight different dyes, four natural extract and four normal, in case different dyes were stronger or had different effects.

• Controls put in place included;

- Pants all being the same species and colour.

- Plants all being of similar size and health.

- Plants receiving the same amount of water, dye and sunlight.

- Plants all being in the same size pots with the same potting mix.

• A photo was taken of each plant every morning and notes were taken of any changes to the plants.

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

• The natural extract dyes had no effect on the colour of the potted plants’ petals.

• Three of the four plants receiving natural extract dyes died.

• All four plants receiving normal dyes showed a change in colour within seven days, these dyes coloured the petals in different ways and at different rates.

• Three of the four normal dyes also coloured the leaves of their potted plants, the only normal dye that did not change the colour of the leaves of its potted plant was the green dye, which was probably because the leaves were already the same colour as the dye and any absorption would not have been visible.

• In conclusion it would seem fair to say that normal dyes can change the colour of a potted plant’s petals, just as I stated in my hypothesis.

• However it would seem that natural extract dyes had no effect on the colour of their plants’ petals, which contradicted my hypothesis.

• Therefore it depends on the type of dye being used, as to whether a plant’s petals will change colour.

• Why does the natural extract dye not absorb into the plant? Is it because the dye I thicker? Or less potent?

• Why did the natural extract dyes effect the health of their plants? Did this have something to do with why the colour was not absorbing?

• What would happen if I used a different dye: water ratio? Or if I just used dye?

• Would the results be similar or different on other species of flowers?

• Why did different dyes spread differently? Were the differences in rates of absorption and distribution of dye due to the different dyes or due to differences in the individual flowers.