How plants respond to positive vibes: 'Talking' mechanism is a mystery

[bananas]

http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/06/18090369-how-plants-respond-to-positive-vibes-talking-mechanism-is-a-mystery

How plants respond to positive vibes: 'Talking' mechanism is a mystery
By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News
May 6, 2013


The University of Western Australia's Monica Gagliano studies how plants communicate with each other

Studies show that basil gives a boost to chili peppers, while fennel is a real bummer. The effect has been seen even when the plants are sealed off from each other with sheets of black plastic. So does that mean that the plants are "talking" to each other through subtle vibrations? That's the kind of talk that sparks a debate — not between the plants, but between humans.

The latest study, reported in the open-access journal BMC Ecology, looked at potential communication between basil plants and chili pepper seeds. It's one of a series of experiments conducted by Monica Gagliano and Michael Renton of the University of Western Australia.

"Our results show that plants are able to positively influence growth of seeds by some as-yet unknown mechanism," Gagliano said in a news release from BioMed Central, the journal's publisher. "Bad neighbors, such as fennel, prevent chili seed germination in the same way."

<snip>

"We believe that the answer may involve acoustic signals generated using nanomechanical oscillations from inside the cell which allow rapid communication between nearby plants," Gagliano said in the news release.

<snip>

[bemildred]

1. They probably appreciate the extra heat and CO2. nt

[PADemD]

2. Recommend "Carrots Love Tomatoes" and "Roses Love Garlic"

Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening, by Louise Riotte
"This classic has now taught generations of gardeners how to use the natural benefits of plants to protect and support each other. Here is a reader's complete reference to which plants nourish the soil, which keep away bugs and pests, and which plants just don't get along. Here is a complete guide to using companion planting to grow a better garden. 555,000 copies in print."

http://www.amazon.com/Carrots-Love-Tomatoes-Companion-Successful/dp/1580170277

Roses Love Garlic: Companion Planting and Other Secrets of Flowers, by Louise Riotte
"This best-selling sequel to Carrots Love Tomatoes lists hundreds of herbs and flowers and explains how to combine them with other plants in the garden to maximize the health and yield of vegetables, berry bushes, and fruit and nut trees. "

http://www.amazon.com/Roses-Love-Garlic-Companion-Planting/dp/1580170285/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Lots of useful information in these books, like the herb that cats detest - keeps them from scratching the furniture or digging in your garden.

[RainDog]

3. I love those two books

they got me planting borage in my garden (which is a beautiful plant and has a tap root to help condition soil)

I have rue and tried to use it to keep cats off my upholstery, however, and didn't work - or maybe you have to destroy your upholstery to get enough on it to keep cats off? Rue is also supposed to be good for dog beds to help get rid of fleas. Never tried it, tho.

[PADemD]

5. Rue

I thought that dried Rue could be placed in a little cheesecloth bag and pinned to the furniture. I didn't try it though because my cats use the scratching post.

[RainDog]

4. I was reading about this the other day

I always assumed the plants had chemicals that would be released into soils from roots and into the air by leaves that were either compatible or not.

Then I read that corn responds to a certain pitch and turns its roots toward the source.

Interesting work.

[PADemD]

6. Plant Communication

Have you read Dr. Lyall Watson's book, "Beyond Supernature: A New Natural History of the Supernatural?" In his book, he describes how a tree under attack by insects will give off a chemical that is perceived by nearby trees. The nearby trees will also start to give off the same chemical before the insects get to them.

[RainDog]

7. Trees also exude terpenes when the sun heats up the air

and these terpenes seed clouds that provide a cover from the sun.