---
title: "What Plants Need to Grow"
description: "Understand how water, light, and a suitable temperature affect the growth and health of green plants such as beans"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/what-plants-need-to-grow-mt_3v0VNkwquK
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/what-plants-need-to-grow-mt_3v0VNkwquK.md
retrieved: 2026-11-12
---

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# What Plants Need to Grow

Understand how water, light, and a suitable temperature affect the growth and health of green plants such as beans

Subject: Science · Area: Organisms & Life Processes · Ages 6 to 8
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/what-plants-need-to-grow-mt_3v0VNkwquK

## Ready when they can

- Name three conditions to check when growing a bean plant: water, light, and suitable temperature
- Predict how a bean plant may change without light or water, or when exposed to freezing cold
- Describe the results of a simple test comparing plants grown in different conditions

## Lesson: What Plants Need to Grow

You know that living things have needs. Bean plants need water, light, air, nutrients, and a temperature that suits them. Nutrients help them grow; roots can take mineral nutrients from soil. Here we compare water, light, and temperature. Green plants use light, water, and a gas from the air to make food.

*(drawing: These are three conditions to check. Bean plants also need air and nutrients.)*

Water helps keep a plant firm. Without water for a long time, a bean plant can droop, wilt, and dry out. Too much water can also harm roots. Freezing cold can damage young bean plants. Different kinds of plants suit different temperatures.

For a fair test, change one condition at a time. Use similar plants in matching pots and soil. To test water, give one group water and leave one without it. Keep light and temperature the same. If water and light both change, you cannot tell which caused a difference. Ask an adult to help with a short test.

**Example.** Imagine Zara comparing two similar bean plants in matching pots and soil. Both start the same height, get equal water, and stay at the same suitable temperature. Only light differs. Here are made-up results after two weeks: both are 8 cm tall. The plant in light has green leaves. The plant in darkness has pale leaves.

*(drawing: Example heights after two weeks: both plants are 8 cm tall. Their leaf colours differ.)*

A longer bar shows a greater height. Equal bars show equal heights. Equal height does not mean equal health. Pale leaves can be a sign that a plant is not growing well. Record leaf colour and whether leaves stay firm, as well as height.

**Recap.** Compare water, light, and temperature. Bean plants also need air and nutrients. Change one condition in a test, and record more than height.

*This lesson, its made-up example data, questions, worked solutions, and flashcards were written for this dataset.*

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [What Living Things Need](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/what-living-things-need-mt_L1469gt34A)

## Opens up

- [What Plants Need to Thrive](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/what-plants-need-to-thrive-mt_lutxvMlkwS)