Discover How Plants Grow! The 6 Interesting Stages of Plants Life Cycle

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Updated on: Educator Review By: Michelle Connolly

What is a Life Cycle?

The life cycle of a living thing is like the story of its life. It describes how it grows and changes from a tiny thing to an adult over the course of its life. It is called a cycle because when the life of a living thing ends, a new one’s life starts from the beginning all over again. 

Plants are living things, just like animals and humans, so they have a life cycle. Plants’ life cycle describes the stages of life of the plant, from a tiny seed to a mature plant. Different types of plants have slightly different cycles, and the time that every stage takes differs from a plant to another according to its type.

The Stages of Plants Life Cycle

Plants Life Cycle

1. Seeds

The seeds are like the baby of the plant. Seeds of different plants can have different sizes and shapes, but they all have something called the Coat. The coat is a tough layer that covers the seed and protects it from damage. When a seed is planted, it begins its life cycle. Inside the seed there is a baby plant. It needs nutrients, water and sunlight to grow and become an adult plant. 

2. Germination

The second process is called germination. It begins when the seed has the right amount of its needs, such as oxygen, water and sunlight. Some plants like lots of light, while others want just a little. Some plants need lots of water, while others like it drier. So, the conditions must be right for what the seed needs before it can germinate.

The seed has small roots. In the germination process, the roots push their way through the seed coating and begin growing into the soil. There are few hairs on the roots that absorb water and nutrients from the soil to feed the baby plant. Then, the leaves push their way out of the soil, and a tiny little plant emerges. 

3. Seedling

The young plant that comes out of the soil after the germination is called a seedling. It starts growing towards the sunlight. As long as the seedling gets the right amount of sunshine, water and food, it will continue to grow larger and stronger. 

The seedling gets food from the soil and the Sun. The roots get nutrients from the soil, and the leaves get nutrients from the sunlight. A plant’s leaves contain a green pigment. In a process called photosynthesis, the green pigment uses sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to produce energy for the plant.

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Shallow Focus of Sprout

4. Adult Plant

The plant continues to grow until it becomes a mature or an adult plant. Its roots get deeper in the ground, and it makes flowers. A mature plant has leaves, roots, stem and flowers. The roots get water and nutrients from the soil, and the stem carries these nutrients and water to the plant. The leaves continue to create energy through the process of photosynthesis.

The flower is the part of the plant that helps reproduce new plants. Flowers have many different parts. There is a part called the stamen that produces pollen, which is a powder that contains material needed to create a new plant. The part that receives the pollen is called the stigma. There are also the petals of the flower, which are usually bright and colorful. The beautiful petals attract insects, which help with the pollination process.

5. Pollination

The process of getting the pollen from the stamen of one plant to the stigma of another is called pollination. Flowers make new seeds through the process of pollination.

Bees, butterflies and other insects get attracted to flowers by the colorful petals. The insects drink the nectar from the flower. When they land on the flower to drink, some pollen sticks to their legs and body. When the insects fly to another plant to drink more nectar, they transfer the pollen to the ovules in the stigma of the other plant. When the ovules are pollinated, they become seeds. 

6. Seed Dispersal

Finally, the new seeds get dispersed and spread away to new places, and the plant life cycle starts all over again. Seeds can get spread in many different ways. The wind helps the seeds to travel further and increases the area in which the plant can be found. Some animals eat the seeds and spread them by moving around and defecating in different areas. Humans can also help to spread seeds by planting them in gardens, for example.

When mature plants die, their life cycle ends, but they have given new life to so many other plants of its kind. The old plant continues to give life to other plants and organisms after it dies. The roots, leaves, stems and other tissues provide nutrients to the soil. In this way, other plants find the nutrients they need in order to grow from seedlings to mature plants.

How do Seeds Spread?

We hope you liked today’s lesson as much as we enjoyed writing it for you. If you want to learn more about STEM and many other interesting things like: How Plants Grow, 6 Interesting Stages a Plant Goes Through, Palm Trees and Exciting Information about Vegetables.

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