Plants are all around us. They help us by providing food, cleaning the air and protecting the environment. There are a lot of interesting things you can learn about plants. One of these is the plant life cycle. A life cycle looks at the plant at all of the different stages of its life. Different types of plants will have slightly different life cycles, and the amount of time spent in each stage may differ depending on the type of plant. Understanding the plant life cycle can help you understand other organisms’ life cycles.
Basic Plant Cycle
The plant’s life cycle begins as a seed. There are many different types of seeds. Some are very large, and some are very small and difficult to see. When a seed is planted, it begins to put down roots and grow up towards the sun. Some plants seem to grow very quickly like corn or tomato plants while other plants like trees seem to grow much more slowly. Once the plant has grown, it flowers. The flower will turn into a fruit with a seed inside it. The fruit will fall off the tree, and then the seeds will be exposed and the cycle will start all over again. Some plants that keep growing every year will only flower during one part of the year. Animals can help move the seeds around to help them find a new place to grow. Squirrels love to bury and move nuts and acorns around, and this helps the new trees to grow. If an animal eats the fruit, it helps to move the seeds, as well. The seeds will come out in the animal scat and grow in a new area.
Things Plants Need to Grow
When a plant begins to grow, it needs a few things to grow successfully. First it needs nutrients and water. Many seeds begin growing underground where the soil is moist. After the seed has sprouted, it will continue to need water and sunlight to be able to grow. Plants can turn sunlight into food through the process of photosynthesis. Plants also get nutrients from the soil, which is why some people add fertilizer to the plants in their gardens.
How Plants Help Us
Plants are an important part of the earth. They help by cleaning the air. They provide food for people and animals. Plants also protect the earth from erosion by keeping the soil from running off during a rainstorm. When people cut down a large number of trees it is called deforestation, and this has a negative effect on the environment. It can cause the pollution levels to increase, because not as many trees are available to help clean up the air. Erosion, which is the removal of soil and rock from the Earth’s surface due to water and wind, is often really bad, as well. There are people working to prevent deforestation and erosion. Some responsible companies are planting trees to replace the ones they cut down.
Plant Activities
Sprouting a bean plant is a fun activity to learn about the life cycle of a plant. Many people will simply plant the bean in a little bit of potting soil in a cup. Another option is to put a wet cotton ball and a seed in a clear zipper bag. Tape the bag to the window and check the progress of the plant every day. You can try this with different types of seeds to see which ones sprout the fastest. You can also see how similar the different types of plants look at this stage.
Another activity you may want to consider is planting grass seeds in a cup or small flowerpot. Once the grass begins to grow, you can water it regularly and then trim it. Many children enjoy taking care of a plant this way.
Container gardening is another activity you can try in a classroom or at home. You can plant a wide variety of vegetables in large pots with good potting soil. Then you can observe the different stages of the plant life, and watch as fruits or vegetables develop. This activity works well when you have a class over the growing season.
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- The Life Cycle of Plants
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This article was posted by Chad Kremp
