Essential Things Plants Need To Grow (Step By Step Guide)

Most of the important things that plants need to grow are similar to those of animals, such as moisture, proper temperature, nutrients, air, space, and sunlight. These are the most important factors, which all living organisms depend on for healthy growth and reproduction.

The relative importance of each of these needs is not the same among plants. The ability of plants to live and reproduce successfully in a given geographical region is an indication of the plants’ adaptation to these important factors. In other words, the plants are getting proper nutrients, space, moisture, sunlight, and air that can support their healthy growth.

However, these plants need to act on them simultaneously and therefore should be taken into account together. The absence of one need such as air can determine the health of a plant. And this factor can affect the normal growth of a plant in a given geographical location when it is absent is known as a limiting factor.

The idea of limiting factor applies to all plant’s interaction with their habitat (a place where plants are living). Any need can act as a limiting factor for the survival of a plant. For instance, moisture is required by many species of plants, most plant species cannot thrive in desert areas due to insufficient water. And this insufficient water or moisture is a limiting factor to those plants that love plenty of water.

On the other hand, most plants cannot survive in marshes due to dampness or waterlogging. The extreme temperature of the desert and absence of warmth in the extreme cold of winter are also limiting factors, which can inhibit many plants growing in the deserts or tropics.

Let us try to look at these plants’ needs one after the other and see how they affect plants’ growth.

What are the things plants need to grow?

Plants’ needs can be divided into two categories: primary needs and secondary needs. The primary needs of plants include moisture, air, space, nutrients, and sunlight. While the secondary needs of plants include optimal pH, proper temperature, and good soil.

The secondary needs are called secondary because they are not unique to all plants. You can find some plants that thrive well in hot or cold temperatures but you cannot find plants that survive in a region where there is no light or air.

Below are the 5 things plant need to grow:

1. Sunlight

This is the most factor that plants need to survive in any given habitat. The plants require light to carry out a vital biological process known as photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process, which plants used to produce food by converting sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and minerals.

The food that is produced during photosynthesis is the food plants utilize to carry out transpiration, reproduction, translocation, and to grow.

Read also: 21 Best Vegetables That Can Be Grown In Full Shade

2. Space

All living organisms need space to survive. Plants need space to grow a d reproduce optimally. The stems, roots, and leaves of plants can only grow if there is space. Plants’ roots in the soil can become crowded if space is not available and their growth could also be stunted, which also affects the general growth of the plants. Lack of space increase competition for nutrients, water, and light among plants.

Read also: 14 Vegetables That Can Be Grown Well In Arizona Full Sun

3. Nutrients

Plan ants need nutrients to grow happily and healthy. They need about 13 different kinds of nutrients from the soil in order to grow and reproduce optimally.

Some of these nutrients are required in large quantities while others are needed in small quantities. Those nutrients that are required by plants in large quantities called essential plants while those that are required in small quantities are called minor or nonessential plants’ nutrients.

The most vital nutrients required by plants are nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, and calcium. All these nutrients have their own uses at different stages of plant growth. For example, nitrogen helps increase chlorophyll formation and leaves development. While phosphorus helps in the development of plants’ roots and flowers. And potassium promotes easy plant growth. Potassium also helps retain water and strengthen plant cells.

Read also: How to choose the best soil for container gardening

4. Water

Water made up about 90% of the plant body. Water is an essential part of plants as they need water to make food through photosynthesis. And plants Aldo use water to transport the synthesized food from the place of synthesis to different parts of the plant body. Plants’ roots can only absorb nutrients from soil when they are dissolved in water. Water also regulates temperature in plant systems.

 Read also: How To Grow Cabbage From Scraps (9+ Questions And Answers)

5. Air

Plants need air to cool down body during the hot summer in the deserts. And they need air for two main reasons: photosynthesis and respiration. Plants need to breathe in carbon dioxide and use it to produce a rudimentary form of sugar, which is eventually used to produce glucose in the photosynthetic process. Glucose is the energy plants need to carry out vital physiological activities such as growth and reproduction.

These five factors are the vital things that plants cannot survive without them. However, there are other factors that control plants’ growth and reproduction but sometimes or some plants can thrive even when they are low or extreme.

These factors include:

• Proper temperature
• Good soil
• Optimal pH

1. Proper Temperature

Temperature is also another factor that determines the distribution of plant species. However, plants’ temperature requirements differ from one plant to another. Some plants prefer a cold environment while other plants thrive well in a hot environment.

2. Good Soil

All plants prefer good soil that is an average soil that is neither sandy nor clay soil. Good soil is that soil that has good water drainage and good aeration. However, some plants can adapt sandy or clay soil but the ideal soil for plant growth is loamy soil.

You can learn more about these plants that can grow in clay or sandy soil from here and here.

3. Optimum pH

Plants need optimum pH that is near neutral. However, some plants have specific preferences. Some plants prefer a slightly acidic environment or a slightly alkaline environment.

Read also: Learn How To Grow Plants From Seeds Step By Step

Related Questions

What are the 5 stages of plant growth?

Plants have 5 different stages of growth. These are the germination stage, seedling stage, vegetative stage, budding stage, flowering stage, and ripening stage.

What makes plants grow faster?

Plants will grow faster if they are given adequate care and grown in an area that receives correct sunlight, water, nutrients, and air. These are the basic things plants need to grow faster.

Related: How To Grow Bell Peppers From Scraps And Seeds

What time of day do plants grow the most?

Plants grow during the night. During the day plants are busy capturing energy from the sun and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. While in the evening and at night, plants start to synthesize new tissues.

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Conclusion

Plants are just like animals. They have needs just like animals. In this article, I looked at the five different things that plants need to grow. I hope you will find the article helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.

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References

1. “What Makes Plants

Grow?”  Retrieved from here

2. “Plants: An International Scientific Open Access Journal to Publish All Facets of Plants, Their Functions and Interactions with the Environment and Other Living Organisms” retrieved from here

3. “Students Ideas: About Plants and Plants Growth” retrieved from here

4. “Growing Plants Indoors” retrieved from here