Seed Germination Simulator
Set temperature, moisture, oxygen, light and planting depth, then watch a seed move through imbibition, radicle, root, shoot and first leaves.
About the Seed Germination Simulator
Free seed germination simulator. Set temperature, moisture, oxygen, light and planting depth, then watch a seed move through imbibition, radicle, root, shoot and first leaves. Drag, change the sliders and see the result live. No sign-up, works on phone and computer. Built for botany, the seed germination simulator runs instantly in your browser: change a setting or drag an object and the result updates at once, so you learn by trying things out rather than only reading about them.
Set temperature, moisture, oxygen, light and planting depth, then watch a seed move through imbibition, radicle, root, shoot and first leaves. Use it to explore botany ideas at your own pace, then check what you found against the key ideas further down this page.
How to use the Seed Germination Simulator
- Use the controls to change Soil temperature, Soil moisture, Soil oxygen, Light at surface, Planting depth, and more. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Press "Plant new seed", "Reset to defaults", "📄 Lab Report" to start, reset or change what is happening.
- Where you see a glowing handle, object, weight or atom, drag it with your mouse or finger. Everything responds in real time.
- Watch the readouts and graphs update as you experiment, and compare what you see with the key ideas below.
Things to try
- Run 50 trials at a cold temperature and see how few germinate.
- Sweep germination percent versus temperature and find the peak.
- Bury the seed at 8 cm and watch the shoot struggle to reach the surface.
- Turn on 'needs light' and plant it in the dark.
Key ideas you can learn
- Germination temperature follows a cardinal temperature model: too cold or too hot and nothing germinates, with a peak at the optimum temperature.
- Seeds need enough moisture to imbibe water and swell, but waterlogged soil cuts off the oxygen they need to respire.
- Some species need light to germinate, others are inhibited by it, and most cannot push a shoot up from too deep in the soil.
- A single seed either germinates or does not - only a large batch of seeds shows a smooth germination percentage.
Where this is used in the real world
Farmers choose planting dates and depths, and seed companies print germination-rate guarantees on packets, based on exactly this kind of temperature and moisture testing.
Who is this simulation for?
Students, teachers and curious learners of all ages.
For teachers: project it on the board, let students predict what will happen, then run it together. For students: change one thing at a time and write down what changes.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there an optimum temperature for germination rather than 'hotter is always better'?
Germination depends on enzyme activity, which rises with temperature only up to a point before high heat starts to damage the seed's proteins, so the rate falls again past the optimum.
Why does running only a few trials give a different percentage than the theoretical prediction?
Each seed's fate is a random event, so a small sample is affected by chance (sampling noise); running hundreds or thousands of trials brings the result much closer to the true theoretical percentage.
Is the Seed Germination Simulator free to use?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup, no download and no ads inside the simulation. It runs in your web browser.
Does the Seed Germination Simulator work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It uses touch as well as the mouse, so you can drag objects with your finger. A larger screen makes the controls easier to see.