I am doing a science project trying to figure out which types of plants retain the most moisture in soil, as an attempt to combat desertification.

A garden expert suggested different plants for me to use, based on the fact that they use little water and provide a lot of shade. But, he suggested to me for my setup, to use grow lights, accompanied by an under-plant heating pad, rather than a heating/grow light.

Now that I think about it, don't his choices for plants seem moot? What is the point of using plants that create a lot shade, if the heat is coming from under the plant, rather than rays from above it?

The plants I am using are Bermuda Grass, Evening Primrose, and Bergenia (winterglow)

I am also aiming to maintain a heat of about 80-90 degrees F, and using minimal water

What kind of set up do you think I should use, and do you have any other comments on the experiment?

 

I am doing a science project trying to figure out which types of plants retain the most moisture in soil, as an attempt to combat desertification.

A garden expert suggested different plants for me to use, based on the fact that they use little water and provide a lot of shade. But, he suggested to me for my setup, to use grow lights, accompanied by an under-plant heating pad, rather than a heating/grow light.

Now that I think about it, don't his choices for plants seem moot? What is the point of using plants that create a lot shade, if the heat is coming from under the plant, rather than rays from above it?

The plants I am using are Bermuda Grass, Evening Primrose, and Bergenia (winterglow)

I am also aiming to maintain a heat of about 80-90 degrees F, and using minimal water

What kind of set up do you think I should use, and do you have any other comments on the experiment?

 

I agree that trying to test soil moisture parameters with an indoor experiment might not reveal much, and how could you be sure of "evenly" distributed heat from your source....

 

But whatever setup you use:

I'd be interested to see the difference that a soil amendment might make. Adding charcoal to soils, called biochar, is a way to improve water retention, nutrient retention and CEC, and biochar also helps soil aggregation--reducing water leaching and erosion--which is extra important in sandy soils.

 

Some plants produce more "root exudate" than others, and the more root exudate produced, the more water will be retained. Biochar stabilizes the root exudates, helping to build up higher levels of humic substances in the soil, which also helps retain more water. Biochar also promotes microbiological and mycorrhizal activity in the soil, which helps retain more water too.

 

Just search: biochar, or the international biochar initiative, for lots of info... especially if you're interested in sustainability issues.