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Discover how plants transport water by placing celery stalks in colored water. Watch the color travel through the stem and leaves, revealing the hidden tubes that carry water throughout the plant.
Materials
- Fresh celery stalks with leaves
- Clear cups or jars (2–3)
- Water
- Food coloring (red or blue works best)
- Knife for trimming ends (adult supervision required)
- Paper towels
Instructions
- Trim about 1–2 cm off the base of each celery stalk to open the water tubes (adult supervision required).
- Fill each cup with water. Add 10–15 drops of food coloring and stir well.
- Place one celery stalk in each cup. Make sure the cut end is fully submerged.
- Leave the setup at room temperature. The first color may appear in 30–60 minutes, but the best results show after several hours or overnight.
- Remove a stalk and pat it dry. Slice the base crosswise (adult supervision required). You’ll see colored rings—these are the xylem bundles that carry water.Peel a thin strip along the stalk to show colored veins running upward.
- Take photos or short video clips of the base and leaves showing the colored veins.
What's going on?
- Celery pulls water upward through tiny tubes called xylem.
- The colored water travels with the water stream, marking the xylem pathways.
- The movement happens through capillary action and transpiration. Water evaporating from the leaves pulls more upward from the base.
Level
- Beginner
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