I am sure you have seen that something called Electroculture Gardening is a trending idea right now. In fact, I know you have because why else would you be here? Looking on Google at descriptions that pop up when you search Electroculture Gardening you see things like
“What is electroculture, you might ask? Well, Jaccard (1939) described it as “the stimulation of growth in plants by means of electricity”
and
“Electro-culture gardening is a historic approach to growing fruit and vegetables. This centuries-old method is both exciting and innovative”
So, what we are going to talk about today is what is it really and does it actually work.
A New Idea or Not-So-New Idea?
https://gty.im/2161669268
There are a lot of articles and information out there about Electroculture Gardening. One thing I did find is that it’s not a new idea after all but dates back to at least 1749 when, according to BobVilla.com, scientist Abbe Nollet noticed the effects of electricity on vegetation.
Nollet claimed that charges of electricity could contribute to seed germination as well as faster absorption of water and minerals from the roots of the plant to the rest of the plant. He invented the first electro-vegetometer which was used to stimulate plants using electricity from the atmosphere.
How Does Electroculture Gardening Work?
Some believe that electroculture gardening works because the plants are able to absorb and use energy from the atmosphere to both boost growth as well as create a better resistance to garden pests and plant diseases. So being able to harness energy vibrations from the weather we would enable enhanced growth.
To harness these energies you would need an antenna built using a wooden stake and copper, zinc, and brass wire. In theory the taller the antenna, the better the plants would grow because it would be able to draw more energy.
You would wrap the stake in the wire starting at the bottom and continuing to the top creating a Fibonacci spiral at the top. When you drive the stake into the ground, make sure that the spiral is facing towards magnetic north. If necessary, you could use a copper rod in place of the wooden stake.
Does it work?
There are mixed feelings across the board on this. When you think logically, it seems that electricity in the soil and around the plants should help with pest control. You can, after all, buy sonic devices to help keep mice and bugs out of your house and if you can stand the energy/sound they emit, they do work. I’ve used them but can no longer tolerate the high-pitched sound they release that we are not supposed to be able to hear.
In a study published in the Journal of Biological Physics, Yamaguchi states that the tomato plants they used in the study ” responded vigorously to air ion stimulation, which equated to shortening of the seeding-to-harvest time period by two weeks as measured by vine growth, main stem height, time to blossoming, fruit set, and fruit yield.” While the study also notes that there was no insect damage, there was some damage done by a viral infection in both, the treated and untreated plants. This did not do enough damage to stop the experiment but was noted in the study. If you would like to read more about this study, the link/citation is at the end of the article.
Ending Remarks
As a Modern Homesteader and avid but not master gardener, I do plan to try this out on my tomato plants. In researching the article, I learned that many have used this idea by modifying their tomato cages and as I have both tomato plants and tomato cages, I’m going to start there. I would advise, if you would like to know if this works, to do your own experiment.
It could be a fun project, especially if you have kids at home to help you out. Yes, a moment of the retired teacher in me making an appearance. Try it out, and enjoy your gardening. Enjoy your summer. I hope to see you again visiting my other gardening articles, my Modern Homesteading Series (published on Wednesdays) as well as my Creative Gardening By the Moon (published on Sundays)
References
Yamaguchi, F.M., Krueger, A.P. Electroculture of tomato plants in a commercial hydroponics greenhouse. J Biol Phys 11, 5–10 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01857966
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