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I have come across some aspects of talking to plants has an effect on them, is this pseudoscience or is there factual proof that verbal interaction affects plants?

azzow2 9 Mar 20
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I try to not close my mind to things just because whatever established organization says so.

When I'm tempted to do so, I remember continental drift, flat earthers, the strange experiments of the quantum world, and laugh.

Beside the 'talking to' topic, I also read about the reverse... 'Speaking/thinking mean’ to the plants. I propose you do an experiment. Divide a group of plants, as identical as possible, post a sign where each passerby can participate by either speaking meanly or kindly according to the sign.

Just a suggestion, for fun, if you do this let us know, k?

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i watched an episode of a program I loved called myth busters. they got runner bean plants and gave them all the same conditions in their own little greenhouses. in one was the control. in others were gentle talking and nice pretty music. in others were swearing and being angry and another heavy metal music playing all on a loop none stop. the swearing and abuse and heavy metal music grew by far the best. you can probably find the episode on youtube or something similar.

I was just going to mention this. Apparently, heavy metal is nature's preferred form of music

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Talking to it increases the carbon dioxide in the plant's vicinity. This can make the plant seem to perk up.

I was gonna say that

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What will you do while talking with them? Take care of them. Check on their health. Water them and feed them. I think that the act of talking to them means you are paying more attention to them then you otherwise would, thus know more about their health and well being (notice more details) and address said details... further, by talking to them YOU develop emotions for them and thus are more inclined to care to address said problems. Oh, and yeah, they dig the CO2 you exhale too.

This does NOT say t hat plants are not sentient and can't hear or otherwise react to your voice/emotion. However, there is no real evidence (none that I'd hang MY hat on) that says they are.

Personally, I think the fact that you are paying attention and feeding them is why they flourish when you talk to them.

Very well thought out response, so paying too much attention would cause their demise as well?

I am not enough of a horticulturist to answer that question. 🙂

That said, depending on the plant, too much water is bad. Too much fertilizer can burn a plant out. So, yeah, just like with we humans, too much of one thing is, well, too much.

That said, if you are talking to them, and paying attention to them, odds on you will notice something ain't quite right and research and fix that. Thus, if you over water, you'll notice and figure out how to water the right amount... either by direct research: titrating how much you give the plant, or indirect research: going to friends or online and asking questions.

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Not enough data, apparently.

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No, there is no scientific evidence to support the idea that talking to plants directly affects them.

"This is quite a near-esoteric subject," says Wolfgang Stuppy, research leader of comparative seed biology at Kew Gardens in London, UK. "There is precious little scientific research into the subject and certainly no scientific proof that plants could benefit from anybody singing to them." - bbc earth.

Chrales Darwin also tried talking to plants, and had his son play music to them, with no effect.

You would think the government would at least look into it after the frizbee debacle.

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I love to take flower pics with my good digital camera. I get grumpy with people that pick the flowers.

Exactly! Why pick flowers when you can take flower pics?

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LMGTFY - [bbc.com]

I had read something a few months back that they now believe plants have a nervous system. Do not remember where I had read it, I do recall what I was looking up when I had run across it. My kids wanted to know if plants poop? Turns out plants do produce a type of fecal matter.

@azzow2 They just react very slowly. It's kind of cool knowing that. Also my Mom talked to her plants.

This is also interesting: [bbc.com]

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If you didn't have ears you wouldn't know sound. If you didn't have eyes you wouldn't know sight. Perhaps the plants are attempting to communicate with us but we do not have the sensory organs to recognize their communications. Perhaps the plants try to show us they are conscious by growing faster when we talk to them.

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There was a scientific study back in the 70's and a book was published. Plants ARE sentient. I once had a house full of plants and talked to them every time I passed by. They do love attention and love.

Mine don't

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Go for it....

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I used to have a lot of plants and always talked to them. I have one now and talk to it, nmbut not as much as I used to. I like to think it makes them feel better.

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The Secret Life of Plants

That's the book!!!

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I remember hearing in the 80s about tests that seemed to validate that hypothesis, but I cannot recall anything about them...sorry.

On the anecdotal side, my college zoology class did an experiment on this, and the plant that was exposed to music grew more than the plant that was not exposed.

marga Level 7 Mar 20, 2018
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CO2 plants love it, so talk sing breathe on them. Or use bottled CO2, but thats naughty, LOL

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It worked in "Little Shop of Horrors." LOL. Sorry on an entertainment kick.

Trying to remember name of plant-anyone?

Rick Moranis not acting these days-another one.

@sassygirl3869 They responded to music really well in "The Day of the Triffids".

@sassygirl3869 Venus Flytrap? Audrey Junior.

@jlynn37 Attack of the Killer Tomatoes....

It was Audrey - Thanks for refreshing my memory @RavenCT

Seymour was Rick Moranis character. Plant was named for crush Audrey-the blonde

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