Explained: Different Ways of Growing Plants

Hello young learners, 

It’s me, Kiki, and I welcome you to another edition of my Knowledge corner, where we will explore the science behind things around us. Today, while I was coming back home from school, I passed by a nursery and noticed some people potting plants and tending to the saplings. I began to wonder how plants grow and wanted to share my knowledge with you young learners as well. 

You must have learnt in school that plants need air, water and sunlight to grow. However, there are various ways in which plants grow. Some use their seeds to grow, while the rest use other parts (branches, leaves, flowers) to grow and multiply. Most plants need soil to grow, while some plants don’t. 

Does that sound interesting? Let’s take a deeper look at the different ways in which plants grow.

Seeds that grow into plants

The seeds of beans, peas and pumpkins grow into plants. 

Let us consider a bean’s seed. There is an embryo inside it, which is the baby plant. 

This embryo has a stem, leaves, and roots inside it. When the seed gets planted into the soil and gets sufficient air, water and sunlight, it will go through a process called germination. The embryo will start to grow in a period of eight to 10 days. Once the seed has germinated, the embryo will sprout right out of the seed. The roots will start absorbing water and nutrients from the soil by growing down. The stem and the leaves will slowly grow upwards and start making their own food.

Wikipedia: creative commons

Growing plants without seeds

While most plants grow from seeds, some plants grow from other parts as well. Here are some ways:

Stem cutting

Plants like hibiscus grow by stem cutting. In this process, a non-flowering shoot of a mother plant is cut off and planted in a root-like setup. Once the roots are implanted, the cut stem becomes a separate plant and begins to grow. 

Leaf-cutting

Some plants, like the African Violet and Snake Plant, are grown by leaf cutting. In this process, you snip off a healthy leaf with a short piece of stem. The end of the cut leaf is then planted in a root-like setup. The leaf begins to form a new plant when adequate humidity and heat levels are maintained.

Planted after leaf cutting Source: Wikipedia creative commons

Grafting

In grafting, you cut portions, like the bud, stem or leaf of two different plants and tie them together. The upper portion (shoot of one plant) is tied to the root of the other plant. The tissues of both plants then regenerate, and they grow independently as separate plants.

Growing plants without soil?

In all the above-mentioned methods, the plants grow in soil, through seeds and other parts of the plant like the stem, leaf or bud. However, there are ways to grow plants without soil as well.

Hydroponics

Normally, when we plant a seed in the soil, we add the required amount of water, fertilisers and manure. The soil serves as the medium to transport nutrients to all parts of the plant and also stores the minerals and other nutrients under normal conditions. However, you can also use water as a medium to transport the nutrients. It is called hydroponics.

In this method, plants get their nutrients from nutrient-rich solutions of water that travel to the roots of the plants. Hydroponics conserves water and nutrients but requires real good expertise for a successful outcome. So, before you want to try it at home, you need to develop the right skills for it.

Onions planted using hydroponics Source: Wikipedia creative commons

Now that you know how plants can be grown in different ways, try some of these at home with the help of an adult and let us know your experience in the comments.