When you get dry seeds at a gardening store, the seeds are dormant, which means they're inactive. As the plant grows and needs more water, roots will grow longer and stretch farther to find the necessary water in the soil. Once a seed sends out roots, these roots will deliver water from the soil to the plant. Like all living things, plants need water. Photosynthesis is the process the plant uses to convert light energy into food. Light, whether from the Sun or an artificial light source (like a light bulb), gives the small plant the energy it needs to begin photosynthesis. The three things plants need to grow are light, food and water. It contains the food the seed needs while it is growing roots and forming into a small plant. The seed itself is like a survival package. The scientific name for this process is germination.Īs the plant grows and begins to make its own food from nutrients it takes from the soil, it will grow into a larger plant. When this happens, we say that the seed has sprouted. Once these roots take hold, a small plant will begin to emerge and eventually break through the soil. When seeds are planted, they first grow roots. Despite their small size, though, seeds contain food and all the instructions necessary to sprout to life as a plant. Without seeds, there would be no plants and Earth would be a barren place that would not support the many forms of life that surround us every day. Let's head over to the Wonderopolis garden and take a closer look at what's going on underground!Īll the plants around you start life as a seed. Have you ever planted a seed and watched it grow? Maybe you've just noticed plants and beautiful flowers magically spring from the ground now and then.