Plants help people and animals to live.
Plants provide food for people and animals to eat.
They also make oxygen. All people and animals need oxygen to breathe.
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?
Find out why plants need water to grow.
All plants are different and they have different needs.
Where do plants grow best?
Plants can grow in many different places, but which do you think is best - a cold, dark fridge or a sunny window sill?
A sunny window sill 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.
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