Plants and Music: The effects of sound

It would seem that only those with ears can hear. However, a number of studies carried out in the twentieth century prove that plants also react to the sounds of music.

What kind of music is good for the growth and development of plants?

Plant growth depends primarily on sound frequencies. So, at waves with a frequency of 6 kHz, plants, listening to music, develop faster, at 7-9 kHz – slower, and above 10 kHz they completely die. It has been established that low-frequency sounds have a beneficial effect on plants: the roar of sea waves and thunder, the murmur of rivers, the hum of a bumblebee.

In this regard, the most beneficial effect on the growth and development of plants is classical music, the wave frequency of which is usually 3-5 kHz. But rock is absolutely pernicious – 8 kHz. Although it’s funny to note that in a number of studies, many tropical plants have been recognized as “fans” of modern rap.

How music affects plants

According to the researchers, the sound effect on plants is based on a resonance mechanism that promotes the accumulation of energy and accelerates metabolism in the plant organism.

Resonance is a physical phenomenon in which the amplitude of oscillations in any system increases sharply if the oscillation frequency of an external source of influence approaches the frequency of natural oscillations in the system.

Experiments and research

An interesting experiment carried out in the 70s by the American researcher Dorothy Retellek. For the purity of the experiment, she used special chambers with rigidly set light, humidity and temperature conditions, where she placed 10-day-old plant shoots. Three experimental groups of plants were kept in the same conditions, while the first group was not “sounded” by music, the second listened to music for 3 hours daily, the third – for 8 hours daily.

As a result, the plants from the second group grew significantly more than the plants from the first, control group, but those plants that were forced to listen to music for eight hours a day died within two weeks from the beginning of the experiment. So it’s not just the quality of the music that matters, but also the duration of its impact.

At the same time, the study showed that plants responded positively to Bach’s music and Indian melodies, the stems were drawn to the source of the sound. But they responded to rock music and continuous drum rhythms by reducing the size of leaves and roots and all plants deviated from the source of the sound.

It is possible with varying degrees of seriousness to treat such studies and the conclusions derived from them. But the fact remains – the movement of protoplasm of cells of plant organisms under the influence of music is accelerated. See for yourself.