Action in Columns A and B!!!

April 20 - At long last, there's some action in Columns A (Potting Soil + Tap Water) and B (Potting Soil + Thames Water). Actually, I shouldn't really be excited about the action in Column A as it is supposed to be my control, however new growth/activity is exciting and I won't be suppressed!!!

Ok. Compared with Columns C (Thames Mud + Tap Water) and D (Thames Mud + Thames Water) the changes in Columns A and B aren't incredibly exciting, but it is something! The potting soil sediment that had been resting at the surface has finally started to sink, leaving the surface of the water open to observation (fig. 1).

Fig. 1 The material from the surface has started to sink! Soon I'll be able to see if there's anything growing on the surface, that is, if the bubbles in Column B clear away (maybe the bubbles are a sign of growth!) Column A doesn't have any bubbles at the surface.

In Column B, there is also a thick layer of bubbles on the surface (fig. 2). When I removed the cling film in order to take a better photo, I found that the smell was rather earthy, fairly similar to what I smelled in Column C.

Fig. 2 The bubbles on the surface of Column B. Even though the materials are mostly gone from the surface, it is still hard to see if there is anything growing on top of the water.

More to come!