As any gardener will tell you, even the smallest and what we think are the worst seeds can grow into tall and majestic plants with a little care and attention. Of course, it is important to adapt to the needs of a plant: watering on time, pruning and trimming carefully, repotting, etc. There are many tools in a gardener’s arsenal. For some, music is considered one of them, and it seems that playing music to a plant can really support its growth.

Music is known to have a profound effect on humans. But plants cannot understand or react to music because they lack a nervous system, some scientists believe. Plants don’t have eyes or ears, but they can still feel things. Researchers have shown that plants can learn and adapt to their environment. Current studies do not show that a tree or flower can feel pain, but plants can sense when you eat them. Although they lack nervous systems, they have an intelligence of their own. When we think of senses, we usually think of the five human senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. But plants have different ways of perceiving the world. Even without brains and nervous systems, they can react to their environment.

Researchers have uncovered intriguing findings regarding plants’ ability to perceive and respond to their surroundings. Despite lacking nerve cells or neural networks, plants seem capable of sensing when they’re being eaten by insects, possibly through electrical signals and neurotransmitters akin to those found in humans. While they can react to environmental stresses by changing shape, closing flowers, or bolstering defenses like releasing extra mustard oil when under attack, researchers don’t believe plants experience pain when consumed.

Moreover, plants exhibit a form of memory, as demonstrated by Monica Gagliano’s experiment with mimosa pudica plants. These plants seemed to learn from past experiences, ceasing their response to harmless drops after repeated exposure. While the notion of plant intelligence sparks controversy due to their lack of brains and animal-like cognition, plants display their own unique form of intelligence. They can learn from their environment, apply knowledge, and adapt to different situations, even though they can’t engage in philosophical discourse like humans. Appreciating their ability to survive and thrive adds a layer of admiration for these fascinating organisms.

The idea that plants might be smart is debated. They don’t have brains or think like animals do. They can’t make decisions or sense things like humans. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own kind of smarts.

A 2015 study by Anindita Roy Chowdhury and her team titled “The Effect of Music on Plants: A General Review,” published on ResearchGate, states that functionality and live streaming as a loop with methods respond to this. Research reveals that people’s personal voices are energized by certain types of sounds. In the experiments, plants were exposed to listening to classical or rock music and the results were compared. Although both types of music had positive aspects for the plant, classical music encouraged more vigorous growth. In contrast, those who listen to rock music grow slower and are healthier.

In the article, it is reported that an experiment was carried out on marigolds. Plants are divided into three groups. One group was made to listen to “Light Indian Music” for four hours every day for a month, while the other group was given no sound at all. A second pair of plants was listening to “Meditation Music” for the same period, while the other two groups were not listening to a compatible frequency as noise. Water and light levels were kept constant, and growth was documented weekly. The findings were quite enlightening. Flowers listening to “Light Indian Music” grew longer than those growing in freedom. Additionally, “Bud and flower numbers were always higher in plants grown with music. A higher increase was shown when a leaf experienced another exposure to music marked for growth monitoring purposes.” The same goes for “Meditation Music” flowers.

The study showed that the application grew more effectively when it was listened to on both music channels. The plant exposed to the noise began to spread in a similar manner, but its growth rate soon decreased. The appearance of the growth has changed dramatically: the length of the developments from which the sound comes is correct. These results indicate that a preference for persistently congruent music persists, but persistently incongruent sounds may have a negative effect.

This information can be very useful for those who want to grow plants and love to listen to some music. You should be careful what you let your plants listen to.

Ayşe Berfin Göçtü

Sources :

Effect of Music on Plants – An Overview – Anindita Roy Chowdhury and Anshu Gupta