Mendel chose to use pea plants for his experiments because the structure of the flower of the pea plant allowed him to control the fertilization of the plant. Pea plants also reproduce rapidly. The whole cycle from fertilization to the growth of an adult plant is about ninety days. This allowed Mendel to repeat his experiments many times in a relatively short space of time. In summary, the characteristics of the pea plant allowed Mendel to isolate and control the variables he required to produce observable results that could be duplicated.