The use of electroculture, that is – the application of electricity to plants and/or soils, can have some major effects on the the growth of your garden or farm, significantly improving output in terms of yield, improving quality in terms of flavor and nutrient density, and reducing many forms of risk that come from maintaining a garden or operating a farm. Take a look at the concept map below for a visual representation of electroculture’s areas of benefit.
The Benefits of Electroculture
These benefits have been determined not only from experimenters from over a hundred years’ ago, but also from modern scientists studying the phenomena as well. While the earliest observations recognized a significant boost in yield and and a reduction in the time to maturity, later on in the history of electroculture (or electro-horticulture, as it was sometimes known to be called), scientists ran many studies that helped reveal additional benefits that can be gained from the use of growing methods that involve pure electricity.
Starting with the the green colored boxes which emphasize the effects on the growth of plants themselves, you can see first that it results in an overall increase in stem growth and stalk growth. This can be attributed to both an increase in the growth rate as well as a lengthening of the cell walls. The leaves are also affected, as they not only grow more abundantly, but they also end up with a larger surface area and a deeper green color, signifying increased amounts and activity of chloroplasts inside of the leaves. The net result of this is an improvement in photosynthesis, and a subsequent increase in the plant’s own production of food.
With leaves operating at optimal capacity, growing both large and lush, the plant now has the capability to improve it’s flowering and fruiting ability. There have been observations of flowers with brighter and more colorful blooms, and fruits and vegetables that not only grow faster, but in greater numbers and of larger size as well!
Moving on to the pink, blue & sand-colored boxes, other effects have been observed. The increased absorption of fertilizer contributes to the soil-nutrient utilization aspect that can be attributed to how electric fields applied to the roots of plants affects their ability to bring nutrients into themselves. Other mechanisms at work include a phenomena called electrokinetics that helps to loosen electrically-charged nutrients that are stuck to various particles of soil and other organic matter, helping them move more freely within the soil layer, making for their absorption by nearby plant roots to be much easier, increasing soil fertility.
If plants are more capable of creating the nutrients they need through photosynthesis while simultaneously getting more nutrients inside of them through these other methods of nutrient transport, then it’s probably safe to say that there would be a higher levels of nutrients present in the fruits, vegetables, and seeds produced by the plant, making not only the plants more healthy, but us also as consumers of plant products.
One of the potential benefits of electroculture is its ability to enhance the production of anti-insect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in plants. These VOCs are natural chemical compounds emitted by plants that repel insects and pests, acting as a natural defense mechanism. Since metabolic changes boost transpiration and synthesis of these compounds, plants can become more resistant to insect infestations and reduce the need for pesticides.
Lastly, many people claim that electrified produce tastes better as well! Diving into what’s going on behind the scenes supports that – as with the metabolic changes comes improvements in flavor profiles and sugar production. What do you think? Give electroculture a try and let us know your thoughts!
