4 replies to this topic

[Shamanistic]

First of all I'm sorry if this is a little technical but I thought I would see how many of you are interested. It sounds strange but I feel there could be something that we could all benefit from as gardeners. I have for a while been very interested in a field called electroculture which is basically using electromagnetic phenomenon to aid in growing plants. It was quite a well documented field in the early/mid 1900s (here is a history: http://www.electrocu...om/history.html and here are a nice list of methods: http://www.rexresear...e/elculture.htm) I have began to test some of these methods focusing on the Ciba-Geigy effect for now which occurs when a seed is placed in a constant electrostatic field. The effect apparently increases germination rates, grows healthier/resilient plants and perhaps most controversial of all apparently can 'turn back the clock' in an evolutionary sense and allow one to grow plants that no one has seen on Earth in hundreds of years if at all.

Ciba Geigy Effect:
http://www.urzeit-co...index.php?id=23
http://blog.hasslber..._TECHNOLOGY.pdf
http://blog.hasslber...N_EVOLUTION.pdf

An electrostatic field can be generated or utilised by connecting a source of voltage (a battery for example) across two metal plates. I am starting off with exposing radish seeds to the electric field of a 12V battery and comparing the germination, yeilds, growth rate with a control (untreated seeds). This may not be enough to see an effect yet as 12V is hardly exposing the seeds to high voltage but until I can buy a couple of components to make a high voltage power supply it's all I have to work with. Here's a few pictures of my crude capacitor for studying the effect.
http://i49.tinypic.com/2lm9p3b.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/2hnqmw5.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/35l81ac.jpg

I'll be leaving 10 seeds between the plates for 2 days and I will plant and report back as the experiment unfolds.

[SallyD]

I've been intrigued by this field of research for years, it will be interesting to see what you come up with.
I'd heard of the concept of applying to electrostatic fields to seeds before, but I never knew the name of the effect and that is so well researched.

Electro culture has enormous potential that for the most part seems to be forgotten research these days, it will be good to see it revamped with a fresh approach, who knows what you'll come up with.
Most of the stuff I've read was in relation to grain and food crops, but I've never seen it applied in the context of Ethnobotany. You may be able to create some new/old plants with regressed genes and growth habits that could be used as standalone replacements for readily identifiable plants we discuss here all the time. Maybe you could even create hybrids that are back crossed to the modern day parents which display favourable traits from both and can't readily identified by botanists or DNA analysis.
They'd have to rewrite the botany textbooks to account for the new/old taxonomy.

This field holds enormous potential.

[Shamanistic]

I've been intrigued by this field of research for years, it will be interesting to see what you come up with.
I'd heard of the concept of applying to electrostatic fields to seeds before, but I never knew the name of the effect and that is so well researched.

Electro culture has enormous potential that for the most part seems to be forgotten research these days, it will be good to see it revamped with a fresh approach, who knows what you'll come up with.
Most of the stuff I've read was in relation to grain and food crops, but I've never seen it applied in the context of Ethnobotany. You may be able to create some new/old plants with regressed genes and growth habits that could be used as standalone replacements for readily identifiable plants we discuss here all the time. Maybe you could even create hybrids that are back crossed to the modern day parents which display favourable traits from both and can't readily identified by botanists or DNA analysis.
They'd have to rewrite the botany textbooks to account for the new/old taxonomy.

This field holds enormous potential.

If I didn't know any better I'd say you read my mind I think this effect could be BIG news for all things Salvia, considering the mysteries surrounding Salvia Divinorum's history. It may also make the seeds more viable. When I can reliably get results I will try sprout the remaining Calea that I have as I know from personal experience they can be a pain to germinate. Out of the 25 I've planted 2 have germinated, it'll be good to see if electroculture can improve this number. I am also imagining that you could use an electrostatic analog to a permanent magnet called an electret for the field. This would make it cheaper and more accessible. Thing is that you can't just go down the street and buy an electret at the moment because conventional wisdom says they have no value, we'll see if anything I find indicates otherwise.

[reshroomED]

I'd suspect ultra-low EMF's (as in your case) to be ineffectual and high levels to be variable in effects. But kudos for experimenting, and hope that you turn up something interesting.
If you're gonna start messing with higher voltage sources be *very* careful, that stuff is *lethal* (it's invisible and it BITES).
Electric stoves, heaters, even wall-mounted light-switches generate significant EMF fields (do a google) so you can do this experiment quite easily and *safely*



ed

[Shamanistic]

Thanks for your input Ed, I too am sure that this battery experiment will not produce the desired results but I am still interested in seeing how low a voltage produces an effect. From my research the problem isn't so much in the reliability of effects but of the experiments themselves. A refute I have seen which claims that plants aren't effected by electromagnetism is that they don't seem to be too affected by power lines but the majority of sources I have seen claim that unless the frequency is within a certain band AC doesn't work, DC is required. What are the reasons you believe I will find variable effects? Also have you any experience in this field, if so I'd love to hear what you've found.

Thanks for your concern regarding HV sources. I have been playing around with electricity since about 14 so I am very aware of the bite you refer to. Luckily these days I'm a lot more careful than I was back in the day. I have heard from a friend that seeds left ontop of a microwave oven for an extended period of time grew into deformed plants. Interestingly enough the field they would have been exposed to was AC which goes hand in hand with the above.