How do the carnations change color if we mix some food coloring into the water?
This is the same project but with celery: The science bit – how plants transport water One of the reasons that even wet summers can still end in drought is the efficiency of plants at moving water from the ground to their upper reaches where it evaporates from the surface of the foliage. The process is called transpiration and it’s essential for moving water to all parts of plants, even to the tops of the tallest trees. The experiment with a stick of celery reveals that this happens through special tubes, called xylems, which take up the food colouring. The process is accelerated by evaporation from the celery leaves and you can make it go even faster by using a hairdryer on the leaves. Compare the rate at which the colour is taken up between three celery sticks: one with no leaves, one with leaves, and one with leaves applying a hairdryer. Using the hairdryer simulates a warm, windy summer’s day when water in the ground from a recent downpour can soon find itself being transpired back
