Many of us talk to our pets and some talk to their plants in the belief that this will encourage growth. While it has been established that playing music to farm animals such as cows and chickens does have a beneficial effect, can the same be said about the effect of music on plants? While your immediate reaction may be that this is all rubbish there have been a number of scientific studies into this topic as Mazlan explains in this article which I found on the Dengarden website.
Do Plants Like Music?
Do plants have feelings? Can they hear sounds? Do they like music?
To the skeptic, the idea that plants have feelings or feel pain is ridiculous. Over the years, several studies have indicated that plants may respond to sound. However, the subject is still hotly debated in scientific circles.
Below, I describe several of these studies and their findings in detail, along with the critics’ views, so that you can weigh the evidence and draw your own conclusions. First, we’ll discuss the studies that support the idea that music helps plants grow, and then we’ll look at the opposition.
Studies Find Positive Effects of Music on Plants
If plants respond to the ways they are nurtured and have several sensory perceptions, then how do they respond to sound waves and the vibrations created by musical sounds?
Several studies have looked at this question, specifically how music effects plant growth. In 1962, Dr. T. C. Singh, head of the Botany Department at India’s Annamalia University, experimented with the effect of musical sounds on the growth rate of plants. He found that balsam plants grew at a rate that accelerated by 20% in height and 72% in biomass when exposed to music. He initially experimented with classical music. Later, he experimented with raga music (improvisations on a set of rhythms and notes) played on flute, violin, harmonium, and reena, an Indian instrument. He found similar effects.
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