What does a plant need to grow?
Plants are living things, so they need certain things to help them grow and to keep them alive. They need:
- water
- light
- the right temperature
- air
- time
Water
Plants need just the right amount of water to grow into a healthy plant. When it rains or a plant is watered, the water soaks into the soil and the plant takes up the water through their roots, it travels up through the stem to the leaves. If the plant doesn’t have enough water then its leaves and stem may start to wilt. Without enough water the plant also won’t be able to make enough food inside its leaves, which it needs to stay alive.
However, if a plant has too much water then the roots will begin to rot, which means they won’t be able to take up water any more.
Light
Plants need just the right amount of light to grow into a healthy plant. Plants get natural light from the Sun, or from artificial lights such as lamps.
They need light to make food inside their leaves.
If they don’t have enough then they aren’t able to make food, and they will die. If some plants have too much light then this can burn their leaves.
The right temperature
Plants need an environment of the right temperature to grow into a healthy plant.
The temperature affects how well the plant can make its food inside its leaves.
If it is too cold then the plant makes food too slowly and it won't survive.
Air
Plants need air to grow into a healthy plant. They need air to make food in their leaves, and if there is no air then the plant cannot make food and without food, the plant will die.
Room and time to grow
Plants need just the right amount of space to grow into a healthy plant.
They also need plenty of time.
Growing plants can take a lot of patience!
Watch: How do plants grow?
Find out what all plants need to grow and how you can grow your own sunflower.
What do plants need to grow?
Plants are a very important part of our environment because they provide us with oxygen to breathe and food to eat.
Plants can be of different sizes, shapes and colours and they can grow in soil like sunflowers or in water like water lilies.
But no matter what they look like or where they are, most plants grow from either a seed or a bulb.
In order for a seed to survive and grow into a strong plant it needs water, light, suitable temperature, air and time.
If you wanted to grow a sunflower, you will need to:
Plant sunflower seeds into a big pot with soil.
Place the pot somewhere where it can get sunlight.
Water the pot regularly until you can see the little stem starting to poke through the soil.
Keep watering the pot and checking the stem is growing strong.
If you follow all these steps carefully, the seed will slowly grow strong roots and a tall green stem with a big yellow flower at the top.
If the seed doesn't get enough water or sunlight, its roots will grow weak and the plants may die.
So take a look around, how many plants can you see?
Do they look like they are fully grown or do you think they need a little bit more time?
Fascinating facts
Deserts such as the Mojave Desert in California are some of the hottest places on earth. Despite this, many thousands of plant species can live there.
Some plants, like cacti, can store water in their stems to save in dry, hot desert climates.
Some plants that live in pond habitats, like the white water lily, have their roots in water rather than soil.
Some plant's roots are things we eat, like carrots, beetroot, parsnips and sweet potatoes.
A leaf usually has a large surface area, so that it can absorb a lot of light.
The largest tree in the world is the giant sequoia, some of which are over 90 metres tall. A giant sequoia needs between 2000-3500 litres of water a day in the summer.
Different plants have different needs
Even though all plants need these five important things to stay alive, each species of plants need a different amount of each one.
Some plants are adapted to live in very hot climates and others can survive in some of the coldest places on earth.
Some plants need very little water to stay alive, while some need much more.
If plants that are adapted to one climate are moved to another, they would quickly die.
Did you know?
The fastest growing plant in the world is bamboo, which is a species of giant grass.
If the conditions are just right, some types of bamboo can grow almost one metre every day.
Important words
Healthy – In good condition.
Leaves – Parts of a plant that grow off the stem in order to gather sunshine.
Light – Something that allows us to see.
Nutrients – Nutrients are substances that nourish a plant. Most plants obtain nutrients from the soil.
Roots – The part of a plant that lives underneath soil or water. Roots are used by plants to gather water.
Seeds – The part of a plant from which a new plant grows when it reproduces.
Shade – A dark, cool area left behind when light hits an object.
Stem – The stem carries water and nutrients to different parts of the plant.
Sun – Our closest star, it provides the Earth with warmth and light.
Activities
Activity 1 – Quiz
Activity 2 – What does a plant need to grow?
Easter Holidays Activity Pack activity
Check out some Easter inspired activities to complete in the Easter Holidays, for KS1.
More on Plants
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