More Activity Ideas 1. Have students make graphs pH vs. time or pH vs. plant growth. Have student do experiments to determine effects of nutrient deficiency. Background for Teachers At their roots, plants take in nutrients in the form of anions and cations. A plant generally absorbs more negatively charged than positively charged particles.
Plants have a narrow range of pH tolerance.
They typically do best in pH solutions of 5 to 6.5. If a solution is too basic, this may impact the plants' ability to absorb iron. Iron, an essential element for plants, is no longer soluble beyond a pH of about 8.