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Published 27 July 2023

How do plants grow in space?

If plants need light and oxygen to grow how do you grow them in space? Watch this video where Dr Anna-Lisa Paul and Dr Robert Ferl will tell you how plants grow in space, the types of plants you can grow and a bit more about why we need them.

Did you know that astronauts can grow plants way up in space? 

It's like having a tiny garden among the stars! In the International Space Station, there's a special room called the "space garden" where they grow plants. 

But it's not like a regular garden on Earth. In space, there's no soil or big sunshine, so they use special lights that give the plants the right colors they need to grow big and strong. 

These lights are like magic sunbeams! The astronauts water the plants very carefully, so the water doesn't float away in the weightless space. 

Growing plants in space is like a fun science experiment, and it's also super important because the plants give the astronauts fresh oxygen to breathe. 

It's like having a piece of Earth in space, and it's amazing to see how plants can grow and thrive even in the most far-out places!