While plants do not possess ears or auditory organs like animals, studies have suggested that they can perceive and respond to certain sound vibrations.

One of the pioneers in this area of research was Dr. Dorothy Retallack, who conducted experiments in the 1970s. She exposed plants to different genres of music, including classical, rock, and jazz.

Her findings suggested that plants responded positively to classical music, showing healthier growth and more vibrant appearances, while they tended to wither and exhibit signs of distress when exposed to rock music.

Although the exact mechanisms by which plants “hear” sound remains a subject of debate, there’s reason to suggest that vibrations from sound waves could influence plant cell membranes, water movement, and even hormone production.

Considering they’re active listeners, what if we embraced nature and prioritized it as our main audience?

A green serenade

What happens when art becomes the bridge between species?

Imagine a fusion of sound exploration and artistic expression where boundaries between caretaker and caregiver blur.

In 2019, music composers Jose Venditti and Gabriel Alonso collaborated with the Institute for Postnatural Studies to create a captivating symphony for a plant audience. They wanted to dissolve the conventional barriers between nature and culture and show a multispecies coexistence through sound.

They used low (50Hz) and high frequencies (6000Hz) to create a sound environment that they exposed a variety of plants to. The music includes oscillators, that allow you to create pure frequencies, recordings from nature, and sounds from a saxophone.

Jose Venditti said he wanted to mix these elements so that there was no clear way to distinguish one element from the other, whether the sound comes from a machine (the oscillators) or nature.

Here’s what this symphony feels like.

Even though Jose didn’t provide specific comments on the impact of his concert on the plant audience, he mentioned in a later radio interview that due to the diverse range of plants, the soundscape couldn’t target a single group of plants, making it challenging to observe a visible impact on them.

However, he said that if we looked at specific species we could see specific outcomes depending on the sound frequencies used to stimulate them. For instance:

• Corn: grows towards the speaker when exposed to frequencies between 200Hz and 300Hz.

• Tomatoes and peppers: listening to 3 hours of sound frequencies between 100Hz and 1000Hz increased their yield in a study conducted in China.

This artful exploration sheds light on the possibility of plants truly ‘hearing’ and hints at the way they react to specific sound frequencies.

If we can learn how each plant species reacts to particular sounds, we could create a more tailored composition and observe the effects on them more clearly. Understanding their unique responses could lead to a more profound knowledge of the potential influence of sound on plant growth and behavior.

What other songs have been inspired by nature?

Throughout history, both modern and classical composers have found endless inspiration in nature’s beauty and complexity.

Nature has served as a muse for countless musical compositions. Here’s a list of 4 songs from modern and classical music you’d want to listen to:

• The Garden: this song by the Canadian rock band Rush, delves into the passage of time and the cyclical nature of life, using a garden as a metaphor for existence.

• Jardincito: the Chilean composer Alexis Venegas wrote a heartwarming ode to her mother painting a beautiful portrait of the timeless bond between a mother and her cherished child (represented as the garden), flourishing under her tender guidance.

• The Hebrides Overture: Inspired by his visit to the Scottish island of Staffa, Mendelssohn’s overture brilliantly captures the wild and majestic beauty of the sea caves and rugged landscape of the Hebrides.

• Morning Mood: This piece is part of Grieg’s incidental music for the play “Peer Gynt.” “Morning Mood” conjures a serene morning scene, painting a picturesque image of nature awakening.

These songs use plants as metaphors to convey various emotions and ideas, celebrating the beauty and significance of the natural world in their unique ways.

The knowledge that can revolutionize agriculture

Plant Acoustic Frequency Technology (PAFT) is taking center stage, aiming to revolutionize crop productivity and quality through exposure to sound waves.

Imagine tuning into the right frequencies that resonate with plants’ internal meridian system, just like us humans and other animals. This could mean increased crop production and decreased fertilizer use, a win-win for farmers and the environment!

The studies are mind-blowing.

For instance, green beans exposed to specific sound frequencies and intensity experienced faster germination and significant growth boosts. Different acoustic patterns also favored various parts of the beans, such as stem length and leaf production.

Tomatoes got in on the act too, with sound waves at specific frequencies enhancing their phenol content, lycopene, and ascorbic acid levels. The right sounds made tomatoes the rock stars of the vegetable world.

Even yeast cells and bacteria are jamming to their own beats. Sonic vibrations impacted their growth and metabolic pathways, proving that different sound frequencies wield unique effects.

It’s clear that plant acoustics is the new frontier of research. The question is shifting from “if” plants can sense sound to “how” they do it.

Harmonizing with our green companions

If we uncover the secrets of what makes them tick, we may hold the key to enhancing their well-being, productivity, and growth.

Just as we nurture the soil to yield bountiful crops, attending to the soundscape surrounding plants could be equally vital. A communication system between plants and humans opens up a realm of possibilities.

By understanding how they “hear” and respond to sound, we can create an environment that fosters their health and vitality. Unlocking the secrets of each plant species’ unique responses to sound can pave the way for tailored compositions, offering insights into optimizing their growth and behavior.

Just as we cherish the melodies of life, let’s cherish the symphony of the natural world and thrive together in its embrace.