How to Grow a Plant
Growing a plant from a seed is a magical experience. From a small seed, we can grow huge plants, trees, bushes, flowers and even delicious foods.
Just like we as humans need the basics of food and water to grow, a plant’s seed will need similar ingredients. Seeds need to receive water, nutrients from the soil and UV light from the sun – these are the main ingredients needed to grow a plant. Many different plants need different growing conditions but the basic needs of light and water will remain the same no matter what plant you are growing.
Materials
To grow a plant you will need only these basic materials:
Seeds
Soil
Small flowerpots
Water
Choose seeds that will grow quickly so that you can see the results a lot sooner. Some plants do not even begin to germinate for many months after they have been planted. A good seed to go with is a sunflower seed. Even marigolds and daisies will show signs of quick growth.
How they Grow
The roots of a plant grow tiny hairs that absorb the water from the soil. These hairs are sometimes called cells and they bring the water into the main root. Once the water is in the main root it is distributed to the rest of the plant. The root’s job is also to hold the plant steady in the ground.
Inside the root there are four main parts. The epidermis is the outside of the root, kind of like our skin and is used to protect the inside of the root itself. The plant takes water in through the root and it passes through the vascular rays until it gets to the centre of the root, which is known as the stele.
The tiny veins inside the root are called xylem and this is what carries the water and nutrients through the entire plant. In between the epidermis and the stele, there is a fleshy material that is known as the cortex.
When seeds begin to grow, we call this process germination. It is when the outside of the seed (cotyledons) stores food for the baby plant inside of the seed shell. The first part to come out of the seed is the main root. The main root gets bigger and roots start to grow out from its sides along with leaves. The seed needs certain conditions to grow that are present in early springtime. Seeds that are dry will stay dormant unless they are soaked in water, this is why a lot of the germination process is mimicked indoors if the weather conditions outside are not appropriate.
Humans and animals inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Did you know that green plants are the only plants that produce oxygen? This is called photosynthesis, which means ‘putting together with light’.
Green plants take the sunlight and combine carbon dioxide and water to make oxygen and sugar. The sugar is used to make proteins, starch and fats. On the plant, there are very tiny pores known as stomata, this is where the oxygen and carbon dioxide enter and leave.
Plants are extremely useful to us as humans, we use them for food and many other day-to-day products that you may take for granted. A few products that are made from plants are rubber, paper, shampoos and even camera film. Some countries also utilize the fermented sugarcane instead of gasoline to power vehicles.
Many animals use plants to survive by utilizing them as shelter and foods. The destruction of plants can lead to the extinction of certain animals that rely on them to survive. One such example is the orangutan, a breed of monkey, which is becoming extinct from lack of food that it would normally source from the rain forests. The destruction of these rain forests means that the orangutan cannot eat and will eventually die off.