A much better science project would not involve the plants on the windowsill since the light (especially in winter) will be different since the gloomy days of winter will yield much less light. You are introducing 2 variables you cannot control for, the length of daylight and room lights when the sun has set. I would do the experiment with two different types of light bulds, one for growing plants and another for "white-light typical of most living rooms. I would leave them on for 10 hours a day and make sure the plants were the same distance from the light source. Equally, two fluorescent lights, would workl as well, one with more blue spectrum, the other with more red, etc. I would also not use fussy plants like pointtsettas, any cacti, or ivy. Pothos, small palms, dieffenbachia, and polka-dot plant would be great. You could look at the number of leaves before and after the experiment started and the size of the plant as well. Since it is winter, I would also try to keep humidity up especially if you are using prayer plants or polk-dot plant..which recquire lots of humidity.

Okay--revising the experiment for use of plants (poinsettia or ivy): I think that even the poinsettia would show changes during the three week period, but I would be worried about leaf drop/loss with the poinsettia. You probably should do the following during the experiment: 1) count the number of leaves on each plant. If you are within a leaf or two, remove a leaf or two from the leafier plant near the bottom (the worst-looking leaves) to make the number even. Do this before you start the experiment. 2) Weigh the plants. The analysis might not show any differences between the two regimens in terms of net growth, but when divided by weight might show a difference. Try to make sure that the plants start with approximately equal soil moisture levels--you could use a soil moisture meter to make sure that this stays the same. Weigh the plants every time you measure them, and if you can measure soil moisture, do that every time as well. An inexpensive proxy for a soil moisture measurement would be to place a square or circle of paper towel or coffee filter on to the surface of the soil, and measure how long it takes for the paper to become damp. 3) The place where you should see significant change is not perhaps in overall length of the plants, but the length of the stems between leaves (length between leaf nodes). To measure this difference effectively, put a small piece of twist-tie around the bases of the leaves you want to measure between so that you can find those leaves and stems again. Don't make the twist-tie very tight. You could use yarn and tie it loosely, as well. Don't make the tie or yarn pieces any bigger than absolutely necessary. If you wanted to be really systematic, you could get those little jewelry price tags that attach with a thread loop and number the tags. For your introduction and conclusions, you will want to look up information on the types of light (just like I mentioned with the seed experiment) and information on "etiolation". Etiolation, or lengthening of the stem between leaf nodes is what you would expect to see with a lack of light or with the "wrong" kind of light. The suggestions I made about using a light meter still hold, because another question that should be asked is whether it's the distance to the light source that may cause lengthening. By weighing the plants at each point, you can also control for additional biomass (plant growth) production. My guess is that the plants in both groups would be about the same--but that the stems and leaves under one treatment would be thinner and longer. If you really want to have fun with the biomass portion, at the end of the experiment, compare the differences in the plants visually (and note those differences), then dump the plants out of their pots, rinse the plants clean of as much soil as humanly possible, and leave the plants to dry. THEN weigh the plants and compare the masses. Which treatment, if any, produced the most biomass? Was there any difference in the size of the root mass? I realize that with the exception of weighing, these observations are more subjective and qualitative, but it could lead to more sensible data analysis and better subsequent experimental proposals. Don't forget to compare the color and quality of the leaves in both plants: one group of plants will probably have leaves that tend more toward yellow, and one more toward green. You could use something like a process color chart or embroidery floss sample card to describe the differences in color more accurately. I hope that you aren't absolutely overwhelmed by all this--I get into science and things just take off...

I accidentally burnt my Pinguicula by leaving it outside and frogetting to bring it in. Do you think there is any chance of revivng it? If so how? By the way I feed my Capensis some fruit flies but the leaf hasn't curled arount the fruit fly and its been two days now, is that natural? And for the seed pod do I have to crush it to get the seeds? My final question is how long does it take to grow a full mature Capensis from seed? Thanks in advance. -A new CP owner

I agree with the previous posts, and I've found that perlite is less expensive that coir and helps with soil aeration more efficiently. Growing those two from seed is a big step, most people start with established plants. That being said, it's not impossible. I too live in the pacific northwest and I have two purpurea, purple pitcher plant, that do very well here. I have not tried my hand at the cobra lily, but I've heard it can be picky. I was told by a nursery owner that trickling water helps more than standing water and since in the wild they are often found near springs that makes sense. They are both native to N. America, so if you start your seeds now, you might see growth by the spring. They are both slow growers so don't be discouraged. Another good plant to try is nepenthes, or Asian pitcher plant which can be grown as a house plant all year round. There is a website, growcarnivorousplants.com that is located in this region that sells plants, has monthly care guide podcasts and care instructions on all the CPs. The book you got is also a great one. Good luck!