Hello Friends! In Today’s episode, we will investigate the effect of electricity on Plant
growth. Let’s conduct a simple experiment on electroculture and see what happens to
plant growth when they are electrocuted with a low DC voltage? Coming up!
This experiment can be a very good school project for kids to develop their interest
in gardening. This experiment is based on two observations:
1. Plants appearing healthier after a thunderstorm possibly due to the effect of lightning and
electricity. 2. Plants growing near an electric power cable
generally look greener and healthier. Now, Let’s conduct this experiment starting
with our: Hypothesis: Seeds germinate faster and Plants
grow faster and healthier when electrocuted with a low voltage DC current.
I came across a lot of research articles online on electroculture studies. According to electrocuture
technique, Plants are sensitive to electricity and magnetism. Improved plant growth and increased
yields are some of the positive effects of electroculture. This technology can even be
used to protect plants from pests and diseases. The mechanism of action? I could not fine
convincing answers. May be due to the copper electrodes causing electrolysis or electrophoresis
and releasing copper and other salt ions within the soil, or the electromagnetic field from
the electric current causing movement of different ions into the roots.
Now let’s jump into the experiment: Let’s start with the
Materials and Methods: The materials required for this gardening
project are: - 3 plastic Containers
- Identical Plant seeds for All 3 containers - Identical Potting Mix for All 3 Containers
- A DC 9V Battery, A DC 3V Battery - Copper rods or Copper Wires as Electrodes
- A Ruler or a Measuring Tape. Let’s Begin:
Step1: Label the 3 Containers: Pot A and B are for experiment and Pot C will be the Control
for the experiment with no current applied on it.
Step 2: Identical Factors or Constants for the experiment: Fill All the 3 containers
with the same potting mix or soil. Plant the same seeds into all three containers. Keep
all the 3 containers in exactly the same location to receive the same amount of light and Water
them with exactly the same amount and at the same time.
Step 3: Prepare The Circuit: For Pot A we will electrocute with 3 Volt battery and For
Pot B, we will use 9V Battery. We will use this copper wire to make our electrodes which
will be inserted into the soil. Step 4: Sowing the identical seeds into all
3 containers at the same time. You can use any plant seed for the experiment. Sow exactly
the same amount of seeds into each container and water them with exactly the same amount
of water daily. Keep all 3 pots on the same location like on a window sill.
Step 5: Applying Electric Current to Pots A and B: Two copper rods are inserted into
the soil at opposite sides of the pot and should not touch each other. The 3V battery
will be connected to Pot A and 9V Battery to Pot B. The circuit is switched on for these
pots for 15 minutes daily and the plant growth in all 3 containers will be measured on Day
4 for Seed Germination, Day 7 and then Day 12, 15 and so on.
Now! Let’s look into the Results: On Day 4, As you can see, both seeds are about
to germinate in Pot C first which infact received no voltage. In Pot A one seed has germinated
and in Pot B there is still no definitive signs of germination. You can see in Pot B,
perhaps due to high voltage the earthworm is struggling to survive and this indicates
high currents are harmful for beneficial soil organisms.
On Day 7, You can notice that the height of the plants in pot A is still lesser when compared
with the Control Pot C. And Pot B which received 9V is just starting to germinate now. So till
Day 7 this theory on electroculture is getting disproved. I am not sure what went wrong with
this experiment and this needs further investigation. Will later post an update on this on Day 15.
We can even Try to repeat this experiment using different DC voltages like 1.5V, 6V
or even DC12V. The experiment can also be done by changing length of exposure time to
the DC current and comparing plant growth.
In our next episode, we will conduct a similar experiment to study the effect of magnetism
on plant growth and seed germination. Please let me know in the comment section
below if you have more thoughts on this. Please hit a Thumb up if you found this helpful.
Also comment below if you would like to watch more experiments on gardening. Share this
with your friends. Consider subscribing if you are new to this channel. Happy Gardening!