Germination and Growing

What do seeds and plants need?

Our class investigation January / February 2012

Germination
Thinking back over what we had learnt in the past we listed the things we thought a seed would need to germinate. They are:
DO NEED Warmth Moisture Oxygen DONT NEED Soil Carbon dioxide Light

Germination
To test our ideas we planted some cress seeds and broad beans.
Cress seed on wet cotton wool. They were in a box in the cupboard where it would be warm and dark.

Germination
We put the broad beans in jam jars, held in place with a wet paper towel. They also went into a box in the cupboard.

Germination
We put one dish of cress and one bean outside. They got little warmth as it was January; light and dark and lots of water as it rained on them and filled their containers.

Germination
We also planted some cress and a bean in one of our planting beds. They got little warmth as it was January; no light but plenty of moisture.

Germination results
After 3 days the cress seeds in the box in the cupboard had germinated. They had small yellowy shoots. The ones outside showed no signs of germination.

Germination results
To germinate, the seeds did NOT need light or soil. Our test could not demonstrate it but we dont think they need CO2 either. Plants not seeds use light and CO2 for photosynthesis. Seeds do not photosynthesise, they just respire, so they need oxygen. They DO need warmth and moisture.

Growing
We talked about where we could put our seedlings to test what they need for healthy growth. We had 5 ramekin jars and the table shows what we did with them.

Growth
1 On a window sill, kept moist Has warmth, light, water,
with water. oxygen and CO2 . Has warmth, light, water, oxygen and CO2 . Has warmth, light, water, oxygen and CO2 Has warmth, light, water, oxygen and CO2 Has warmth, light, water, oxygen and CO2 .

2 On a window sill, but no

more water given.

3 In the box in a cupboard

with water supplied.

4 In the dark, outside (in the

sandpit).

5 Outside

Growth results

(4 days after germination) Seedlings had grown vigorously. Leaves are a rich green colour. Plants about 3.5cm tall.

On a window sill, kept moist with water.

Has warmth, light, water, oxygen and CO2 .

Growth results

(4 days after germination)

Seedlings had grown quite vigorously but not as tall as those with extra water. Plants only about 2.5cm tall. Leaves are a darker green colour.

On a window sill, but no more Has warmth, light, water, water given. oxygen and CO2 .

Growth results

(4 days after germination) Seedlings were really tall, spindly and yellow, about 5cm tall. They have grown like this because they are hunting for light. They are etiolated.

In the box in a cupboard with water supplied.

Has warmth, light, water, oxygen and CO2

Growth results

(4 days after germination) Seedlings had not changed since they germinated. They had not grown because it was too cold. They did not turn green as there was no light.

In the dark, outside (in the sandpit).

Has warmth, light, water, oxygen and CO2

Growth results

(4 days after germination) Seedlings had not changed since they germinated. They had not grown because it was too cold. They did not turn green even though there was light.

Outside

Has warmth, light, water, oxygen and CO2 .

Conclusions
1. Our results show that to germinate a seed requires warmth, and moisture. (It also requires oxygen but we could not show that.) 2. After germination, to grow vigorously, a seedling needs warmth, moisture and light, (Plus oxygen and CO2)

Conclusions
3. A seedling that does not have light will grow tall and spindly, looking for light. It will be unable to produce chlorophyll so the leaves are yellow, not green. 4. If warmth is removed there is no growth at all. But the seedling remains alive.

Conclusions
5. A cress seedling that has not had light or warmth can respond very quickly when they are provided. It begins to grow and turns green. 6. A seedling that has light and warmth but no moisture will grow for a time but then wilt and die. It does not recover when water is provided.