Simple Plant Transport Experiment to Understand How Water Moves in Plants
- AGrader Learning Centre
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
If your child is in Primary 5 and still scratching their head over how plants transport water, you’re not alone. Many students—and even their parents—find the transport system in plants difficult to visualise and understand. The idea that a plant can absorb water from the soil and send it all the way to the tips of its leaves without a heart or blood vessels seems almost magical. But it’s not magic—it’s science. And the best way to help your child grasp this concept is through a simple plant transport system experiment that shows it in action, right before their eyes.
In this article, we’ll explain everything parents and students need to know about the plant transport system taught in the P5 Science syllabus. From key terms like xylem and phloem, to a step-by-step experiment using just celery and food colouring, we’ll break down the science behind how water moves in plants—and how you can make it finally click for your child.
Table of contents:
Understanding the Transport System in Plants
Before diving into the experiment, it’s important to understand what the transport system in plants is and why it matters.
Just like humans have a circulatory system to move oxygen, nutrients, and water around the body, plants also have a transport system. This system consists of two main types of tubes:
Xylem, which transports water and minerals from the roots upwards to all parts of the plant.
Phloem, which transports sugars and nutrients (produced during the process of photosynthesis) to the rest of the plant.
This two-part transport system ensures that every part of the plant—from the root tips to the tallest leaves—gets the water and nutrients it needs to survive and grow.
The Importance of the Transport System in Plants
Understanding the importance of the transport system in plants helps students appreciate how plants stay healthy and function. The system is responsible for:
Transporting water absorbed by the root to the leaves, where photosynthesis occurs.
Carrying dissolved minerals from the soil to all parts of the plant.
Distributing food (glucose) made in the leaves to growing parts like flowers, stems, and roots.
Supporting plant structure by filling cells with water (turgor pressure).
Without this internal system, plants wouldn’t survive. That’s why students must be able to answer plant transport system questions confidently in exams—and visualising it through an experiment is a great way to start.
A Simple Plant Transport System Experiment Using Celery
Let’s move from theory to practice. This p5 Science plant transport system experiment is easy to do at home and requires only a few items.
Aim:
To observe and understand how water is transported from the roots to other parts of a celery plant.
Required Apparatus:
1 tall clear cup
1–2 stalks of celery
Red food colouring (or any colour of your choice)
Scissors
Procedure:
Fill the tall clear cup halfway with water.
Add red food colouring to the water and stir until evenly mixed. Ensure the water is a deep red by adding more drops of food colouring if needed.
Cut about 3 cm off the bottom of the celery stalks.
Place the celery stalks in the cup with the leaves sticking upwards.
Leave the set-up overnight.
Hypothesis
What will you observe the next day after leaving the celery stalks in the coloured water overnight?
Pick one of the following hypotheses below!
The leaves of the celery stalk will remain completely green.
OR
The leaves of the celery stalk will be stained red.
Observations and Results
Let a day pass. Observe the colour of the celery leaves the next day. Record your observations in the table below.
Next, take the celery stalk out of the cup. Observe the cross-section at the bottom of the stalk. Similarly, record your observations in the table below.
You may also cut the celery across additional sections to check if the colouration is uniform throughout.
Part of celery | Observation |
Leaf | |
Cross-section |
Explanation and Conclusion
If the experiment is carried out correctly, you should observe the following:
The leaves will be stained red.
The circular dots across the cross-section of the celery stalk will also be stained red.
But why are the leaves and the circular dots on the cross-section stained red? Let’s find out!
The tiny red-stained circles are actually the plant’s water-carrying tubes—these are the xylem vessels. The red-coloured water is transported by the xylem to all parts of the celery, turning the tubes red.
Because the red water travels all the way to the leaves, the xylem transports water upwards through the stalk, resulting in red-stained leaves too!
Challenge: Advanced Version of the Experiment
If you’d like to take it a step further, try this fun and colourful advanced variation of the plant transport system experiment.
Required Apparatus
2 tall clear cups
1 stalk of celery
Red and blue food colouring (or colours of your choice)
Scissors
Procedure
Fill both cups halfway with water.
Add red food colouring to one cup and blue food colouring to the other. Stir both until evenly mixed.
Cut about 3 cm off the bottom of the celery stalk.
Slice the celery stalk halfway up, lengthwise.
Place one half of the bottom of the celery stalk into the red cup and the other half into the blue cup. Ensure the leaves are sticking upwards.
Leave the set-up overnight.
Observations, Explanation, and Conclusion
After a day, if the experiment has been successful, you should observe:
The leaves and xylem on the side of the celery placed in the red-coloured water will be stained red.
The leaves and xylem on the side placed in the blue-coloured water will be stained blue.
This proves that xylem vessels transport coloured water up the plant to the leaves. The split celery stalk demonstrates how water moves through the xylem vessels independently on each side.
Common Misconceptions to Clear Up
Many students find this topic confusing due to a few common misconceptions:
They think water moves up by itself. ➤ In reality, water moves due to transpiration and capillary action inside the xylem vessels.
They confuse xylem and phloem. ➤ Remind them: Xylem transports water, while phloem transports food (glucose).
They believe only the roots are involved. ➤ The root hair absorbs the water, but it’s the xylem vessels that move it upwards.
They don’t understand the link to photosynthesis. ➤ Without water, the process of photosynthesis cannot occur, as water is a key reactant.
Reinforcing these concepts after the experiment makes textbook knowledge much easier to retain.
Science should be seen, not just memorised. By watching coloured water travel up through celery, students get a front-row seat to how xylem vessels, transpiration, and the transportation in plant systems really work. It’s a simple experiment—but one that can turn confusion into clarity.
Ready to Boost Your Child’s Science Confidence?
At AGrader, your child doesn’t just attend weekly Science lessons—they gain access to a comprehensive after-class support system known as the EverLoop Improvement System, a key feature that truly sets us apart from other tuition centres.
The EverLoop System is made up of five specialised modules, each thoughtfully designed to tackle different learning gaps and reinforce understanding through revision, practice, and targeted improvement. Whether your child needs help consolidating concepts, catching up on weak areas, or stretching ahead, EverLoop ensures no student is left behind.
In our Primary 5 Science programme, we bring tricky topics like plant transport to life with hands-on experiments, visual aids, and crystal-clear explanations. Lessons are broken down into bite-sized segments, aligned with the latest MOE syllabus, so your child builds a strong foundation with confidence and curiosity.
Give your child the advantage of structured learning plus ongoing support—enrol in AGrader’s Primary Science programme today. Let’s make science click, one experiment at a time!
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