Leca balls versus soil

Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition

How plants thrive in different soil types was investigated by a group of students from Our Lady’s Secondary School in Castleblayney.

Jack Burns, Benas Volodska and Shane Malone presented ‘Plant Growth: LECA Balls vs Soil’.

Jack took us through the science bit: “We’re comparing plant growth for LECA (Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate) balls and soil. LECA balls are a soil substitute. We put seed in that and seeds in soil and compared plant growth between the two.”

Commenting on the effectiveness of LECA versus soil, Jack continued: “We found that the LECA balls were better for growth early on but, later on, they weren’t as efficient as the soil. The plants end up dying because the LECA balls can’t hold nutrients. There’s no nutrients in them, whereas the soil has nutrients to keep life going.”

Shane acknowledged their Science teacher, Ms Byrne, for giving them the wonderful opportunity to have a project in YSTE 2026.