8 HOW MUCH WATER

CHAPTER 8 HOW MUCH WATER? The plants were getting crowded with four per pot, so I very, very carefully separated them out and gave each plant its own pot filled halfway with sand and moss mixed together. Pip had helped gather more peat moss from the forest before going home for the day. I hummed along to the radio and sat down with my science journal. I started with the new question:

I thought for a minute. Oh right. Ugh. I scratched out "best." If Mom were here, she'd say: What does best mean? Tallest? Widest? Most leaves? Be specific, Zoey! I fixed my journal entry: And then I got to make a guess. Aw, man! I should've asked Pip for his guess before he left. Oh well. "All right, Sassafras. We've learned that, um…" I flipped back in my science journal. "… the best amount of water is probably between one teaspoon and half a pot of water." Sassafras blinked lazily at me, and then laid his head down and started to snore. Well then. I guess I'd need to write in my

journal quietly. I checked to make sure all my materials were on the table— water, teaspoons, twelve pots with plants. Check, check, check! OK, on to the procedure. How much water should I try in each? I did NOT want to wake up to more purple ashes tomorrow. I quietly labeled my pots and then drew out my plan while Sassafras snored.

I started singing again (quietly) as I added the

water. It couldn't hurt. One for you, And two now too. Three will do. And four— who knew? Doo doo doo doo doo doo doooooo Almost through, Now twelve— woohoo! Sassafras yawned and stretched. Then he looked at my closed journal and the labeled pots and gave a little jump.

"I finished it all while you slept. Our little plants should be fine now. I hope. Let's go tell Mom and make sure my experiment sounds OK. " I crossed my fingers and my toes as I closed the barn door. "Pleeeeease be OK, Iittle plants!" " I whispered.