Secondary growth

Secondary growth is a fancy way of saying that plants grow bigger and thicker over time. Just like how you might get taller as you grow older, plants also get bigger as they get older.

But unlike humans, plants have a special way of growing that allows them to grow wider and thicker as well. This is because plants have special cells called cambium cells that help them grow wider. The cambium cells are like a factory that produces new plant cells.

Inside the cambium cells, there are two different types of cells: xylem cells and phloem cells. Xylem cells are like tiny straws that help transport water and nutrients from the roots of the plant up to the leaves. Phloem cells, on the other hand, are like tiny pipes that transport sugars and other nutrients from the leaves down to the rest of the plant.

As the plant grows older and bigger, the cambium cells keep producing more and more xylem and phloem cells. This causes the plant to get wider and thicker over time. As the plant gets bigger, it can also produce more seeds or flowers, which is how it reproduces and makes more plants.

So, in short, secondary growth is when plants get bigger and thicker over time thanks to special cells called cambium cells that produce more xylem and phloem cells.