How Do Plants Grow? Curious Plant Growth Facts Answered For Kids!

Plant growth is one of the interesting subjects of study.

Plants, just like every living thing, need to grow. There is a definite process of how plants grow and you are about to learn all about it.

Plants grow from tiny little things to big and broad plants. A process called photosynthesis plays a very important role in the growth of plants.

Not all plants grow to be very tall or bear the most fruits. It actually depends on the species of the plants what they will grow up to be. For instance, pepper plants bear different colored peppers.

They usually grow to have a height in the range of 3-6 ft (1-2 m). Healthy plant growth requires ample nitrogen, chlorophyll, sugars, energy from the sun, oxygen, energy, temperature, air, sunlight, soil, water, and nutrients.

After reading about the answer to the question regarding the growth of plants and living organisms, do read about how does rice grow and how do trees grow.

How do plants grow from seed?

We see huge trees rooted in the ground and we often wonder how they grow so huge. Scientists wondered the same thing.

And they carried out experiments to determine the process of plant growth. Earlier, it was a basic understanding that plants grow only from seeds. But now it has been discovered that plants can grow with or without seeds.

Firstly, let's understand how plants grow from seeds. You can even implement what you learn in your garden. Seeds have special cells which take different forms throughout their lives to help the seed grow into a tree. Some of the most contributing factors in the growth of a plant are oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nutrients.

All seeds have an embryo. This embryo consists of cells that divide and take the form to help in the growth of plants. The development of a plant from a seed happens through a process called germination.

During germination, the seeds absorb water. The shell of the seeds is very tough and hard to break. Over time, with appropriate environmental conditions, the shell of the seed gives in and breaks.

After the shell breaks, roots start coming out of it. These roots hold their place in the soil to ensure there is minimum mobility of the plant.

After the roots come to the leaves. These leaves are thicker than any other leaves that will grow on that plant. The small sapling then absorbs water and nutrients from the soil.

As it grows, it prepares its own food through photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process in which plants use sunlight, oxygen, and carbon dioxide from the air to create energy. During the nighttime, plants take in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide.

How long does it take for a plant to grow into a tree?

The growth of plants is a continuous process. The time required for a seed to grow into a full tree can be anything between a few months to years.

The rate of growth varies according to different species of plants. All species have their own growth rate. Thus, every species takes different amounts of time to grow from a plant to a tree.

Hence, we can say all plants do not and cannot grow at the same rate. Factors such as soil quality, nutrients, temperature, light, humidity, and more all affect the growth rate of plants.

All plants grow at different rates. There is no specific time period for a plant to grow into a different plant.

Different factors contribute their bit to the growth process. Some plants in colder regions lay dormant during the winters. Dormancy is the stage of a plant's life when it stops its growth to reserve energy for the winter.

Plants are broadly classified into categories of plants requiring maximum sunlight and minimum sunlight. Sunlight is essential to carry out photosynthesis.

Chlorophyll present in plant cells plays an important part in that process. You can use artificial light to manage plant growth.

By giving plants light of different colors such as red, blue, white their growth can be manipulated to match the gardener's needs such as growth rate, the bearing of flowers and fruits, etc. Plants absorb water from the soil and nutrients as well. The quality of soils plays a major role in the plant's growth.

Soils containing essential elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sulfur enhance plant growth. The humidity of air is also a contributing factor.

Do all plants grow from seeds?

It was once a belief that every plant grows from seeds. Humans conducted extensive research to find out that is not true. All plants do not grow from seeds. There are different methods that lead to the development of plants that further become trees.

There are three main methods through which plants can grow without seeds. One has to remember that every plant life requires specific environmental conditions. Cactuses can grow in deserts but roses can't because they require higher water content. Environmental factors play a very important role in the growth of plants, with seeds or without seeds.

The three main methods for the growth of plants without seeds are asexual reproduction, spores, and grafting. Of these three processes, the first two occur naturally without any human interference. But the last process is an artificial process developed by humans.

In asexual reproduction, some plants grow stems on the lower areas of their shoot. These stems further develop as separate plants.

While some plants send out stems through the soil. These stems grow as separate plants a little distance from the original plant. Spores, on the other hand, are developed on the leaves of plants.

There are sporangia that contain small spores. These spores come out when the sporangia bursts. They are carried away by air and land of neighboring plants and soil.

On proper receipt of sunlight, water, and nutrients these spores grow into plants. Grafting is a technique that requires the saps of two separate plants.

One plant grows well in the area of the plantation and the other is the one that the gardener wants to plant. Small incisions are made on the stems of both plants and bonded together. On planting, these stems grow into plants.

How do bacteria help plants grow?

Plants need essential nutrients to keep healthy. These nutrients are sometimes readily available in the soil whereas sometimes addition is required. Some plants find it difficult to absorb these nutrients from the soil. To help grow plants that face such difficulties microorganisms are introduced in the soil or on the plant.

Some soil contains a large number of microorganisms. These are most commonly the bacteria that will aid your garden to grow. Different types of bacteria play different roles in the growth of plants. Let's find out what bacteria do for our plants.

Along with sunlight, air, nutrients, plants need organisms that will provide them with sugars and other essential components. Good bacteria help in the photosynthesis of plants.

Bacteria themselves are full of nutrients. They eject the nutrients the plants lack into the soil so that they can absorb and use them. Research showed that bacteria stimulate the production of hormones in plants.

Hormones such as growth hormones aid in the rapid growth of plants. Most plants have pathogens on them and most commonly acquire them through the soil.

Pathogens are not good for plant growth. That is why the growth of pathogens on plants should be inhibited. Bacteria assist the plants in doing that.

In addition to directly helping the plants tackle difficulties on their growth track, bacteria also help them indirectly. They improve the texture of the soil so as it will facilitate better health of plants growing on them.

There are certain nutrients that plants need to grow healthy and strong. These nutrients are not always present in appropriate amounts in the soil. That is why to grow plants that are healthy, gardeners add fertilizers to the soil.

These fertilizers make up for the lack of nutrients in the soil. Choosing the exact fertilizer for your plants can be a tricky choice. Remember that using the wrong fertilizers will not only not help your plants grow but might also destroy them.

There are several types of fertilizers available in the market. Fertilizers are commonly distinguished into two categories - organic fertilizers and artificial fertilizers.

Some of the organic fertilizers are peat, manure, poultry litter, green manure, sapropel, compost, vermicompost, bone meal, wood ash, and dolomitic lime. Whereas artificial fertilizers are nitrates, phosphates, potash, and various types of NPK mixes. These fertilizers are added to enhance water and nutrients from the soil.

Most of the fertilizers are added directly to the soil. They improve the nutrients and enhance the process of photosynthesis which is done with the help of sunlight and air. When your soil is infertile, fertilizers prove to be a great way of producing good plants.

Make sure you do not overuse any fertilizers. Continuous use of fertilizers will destroy the natural texture of soil and can also kill essential bacteria.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how do plants grow, then why not take a look at bobcat vs mountain lion, or barn swallow eggs.