In an earlier experiment barley seeds were growing in Liquemin bottles. Using minerals as fertilizers sometimes means oversalting the soil.
* Keep barley seeds on wet tissue paper until roots and shoots appear.
* Use aluminium foil to fix 3 seedlings in the mouthes of  5-vials containing a table salt solution (2 %).
* Use 3 seedlings in tap water for control.  * Keep the vials in the day light for growing.
Observations Right half of the photo: During the next days leaves grow out of their sheaths in tap water.
Left half of the photo The growth of the seedling is very much reduced in salty water.
Explanation: In salt water roots can only take in a very limited quantity of water by osmosis.