plant nutrient deficiency experiment

[DR_GROSS]

          I can't answer your question about the molybdenum chemical,
          but I have done a similar lab using a kit of prepared
          chemicals made by LaMotte Chemical Co. (but the kit was sold
          through Ward's I believe).  The chemicals were not very
          expensive, considering the time it would have taken a
          student or staff member to prepare the solutions in-house.
          The possibility of having an improperly prepared solution
          is also greatly decreased.  I grew the tomato seedlings in
          pint-size glass milk bottles (antiques no doubt--they used
          to be used by our geneticist to culture Drosophila), with
          the outside of the bottles covered with aluminum foil to
          reduce algal growth.  I have done the nutrient deficiency
          lab twice this way and have not had any plants die.  The
          advantage of growing the plants in the glass bottles instead
          of perlite is that it is easy to observe differences in root
          growth among treatments.  Often these differences are
          dramatic.