Four important things
Plants come in lots of shapes and sizes and grow in lots of different places. But they all need some of the same things:
- water
- light
- the right temperature
- air
Without enough of these four things, plants may When a part of a plant is exposed to lots of heat or loses water so it droops and withers. and die.
Watch: What do plants need to 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?
Different plants have different needs
Not all plants need the same amount of these four things.
Image caption, Cacti grow in the desert where it is very hot during the day and there isn't much water.
1 of 2
If bluebells and cacti swapped positions, they would both quickly die.
Plants can grow in many different places, but which do you think is best - a cold, dark fridge or by a sunny window?
By a sunny window would be best. On a sunny window sill, the plant will get the warmth and light it needs. In time, it will grow big and strong!
The plant won’t get the warmth and light it needs in a cold, dark fridge. It won’t grow big and strong.
Activities
Test your knowledge of what plants need to grow with the activities below.
Activity 1: Quiz
Activity 2: Quiz
Play Bitesize Primary games. game
Fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art and design, computing and modern languages.
More on Plants
Find out more by working through a topic
- count1 of 4
- count2 of 4
- count3 of 4
