How Plants Grow

Plants need four things to grow well: water, light, warmth, and nutrients from the soil. Miss any one of these and growth suffers.

Parts of a plant

Roots anchor the plant and absorb water and nutrients. The stem supports the plant and carries water upward. Leaves make food using sunlight. Flowers produce seeds for new plants.

The life cycle

A seed germinates (starts to grow) when it gets water and warmth, grows into a seedling, then a mature plant that flowers and produces new seeds.

Practice

Which part of a plant absorbs water from the soil?