Plants Can Socialize

[GrassMonkey]

Very interesting! How could we use this to grow healthier plants?

 

http://blog.therainforestsite.com/PlantsSecretLives/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=trsfan&utm_campaign=PlantsSecretLives&utm_term=20140729

[Chauncy Gardner]

Take the plants outside to harvest them so that their sisters can't smell the scent of the slaughter?

[trichcycler]

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/17/science/plants-found-to-send-nerve-like-messages.html

 

I "ground" some of my indoor plants to the earth, just so I can observe the differences, albeit not understood completely yet. If it wasn't such a pain in the azs I would ground all of them full time. I once saw plants reacting to trimming, pests, voices and even the movement of other plants, all electrically detected. I wish I knew of the device used to test these frequencies.

be careful around here with those voodoo infos. the old folks round here don't believe anything they cant roll and smoke themselves.

[GrassMonkey]

Wonder if isolating stressed plants away from the others can help keep the healthy plants from getting stressed or diseased?

 

I've always heard its good to talk positive to your plants as well and watch your mood too when you're around them. Maybe this is true after all, lol?!

[knucklehead bob]

It is only GWC(Great White Christian) arrogance and ignorance to believe that there is a species on this planet that depends on air , the sun and water to survive , can't or does not communicate . 

Edited July 31, 2014 by knucklehead bob

[Indigro]

Can't recall where I saw it, assume it to be on pbs, but there was study on putting multiple samr species seedlings in a single container. What they found was that plants & their roots compete w the other seedlings where some get starved out & others dominate. The odd thing is that they planted based on the origin of seeds & those that came from the same mom apparently were less competetive & aggressive, almost as if to allow all siblings the chance to survive. So, they can even recognize each other's genetic background & adapt their behavior accordingly. Interesting stuff.

[Restorium2]

Can't recall where I saw it, assume it to be on pbs, but there was study on putting multiple samr species seedlings in a single container. What they found was that plants & their roots compete w the other seedlings where some get starved out & others dominate. The odd thing is that they planted based on the origin of seeds & those that came from the same mom apparently were less competetive & aggressive, almost as if to allow all siblings the chance to survive. So, they can even recognize each other's genetic background & adapt their behavior accordingly. Interesting stuff.

Have seen this myself. No problem with clones living together. To go a little further, my girls even hate their step sisters(crosses). I have an aeroponic set up that grows 6 plants in one reservoir. Gotta keep em separated...

[+Malamute]

I tend to call vegetarians mass murderers!  Heh.

 

Millions of animals die every year so ya can eat that soy burger...

 

;-)

 

And yes to the above posts.

[trichcycler]

What is Insect Frass?

 

Insect Frass is insect poop (like guano or castings) But unlike bats or birds, Insect Frass actually comes from plants. In all natural ecosystems (where there are no man-made chemical pesticides), insects feed on and digest vegetation, and give it right back to plants in the form of nature's perfect plant food. Plants benefit insects - Insects benefit plants!

 

 

Frass Pellets

 

Insect Frass is 100% Organic plant food, and so much more...

Insect Frass naturally contains the nutrition plants require, beneficial micro-organisms, and the only immediately plant-available source of chitin (pronounced “Kite-in”). Chitin fortifies a plant from the inside out, causing an "auto-immune" response that signals a plant to produce natural toxins which fend off its natural enemies like pests and fungal pathogens. The EPA says that chitin and chitosan defend against botrytis (grey mold), powdery mildew, early and late blight, fungal pathogens in the root zone (root rot) and root-feeding nematodes. Insect Frass does NOT cause a plant to kill beneficial insects or beneficial nematodes.

 

it all makes sense now, this may be one factor in a pest free indoor experience. I've been using frass for a few years with good results. I really didn't look at it as a food, but more like an additive to boost beneficial organisms. After seeing it used uder a 1600x digi microscope I could tell it was the right thing to be doing, and now I know. http://www.onfrass.com/faq.html

[I wood]

Can't recall where I saw it, assume it to be on pbs, but there was study on putting multiple samr species seedlings in a single container. What they found was that plants & their roots compete w the other seedlings where some get starved out & others dominate. The odd thing is that they planted based on the origin of seeds & those that came from the same mom apparently were less competetive & aggressive, almost as if to allow all siblings the chance to survive. So, they can even recognize each other's genetic background & adapt their behavior accordingly. Interesting stuff.

The Canadian show "Nature" had an episode called "smarty plants", where they did an experiment showing altruism in plants.

Chemical signals in the root zone are how the plants could recognize similar genetics, and it was shown that they grow less aggressively in the presence of similar genetics.

Great show.

[Restorium2]

Roots are active in the feeding process by adjusting the PH in the root zone to help uptake what is needed by the plant. They release a hydrogen atom to lower the ph. If one plant wants one thing to eat, and another wants something else, then you can get conflicting interests, ph wars, which hinders both plants at war in the root zone. Amazing ....

[cheapshades]

Unfortunately, the "smarty plants" episode is not available in the archive.  

 

http://www.cbc.ca/player/Shows/Shows/The+Nature+of+Things/2011-12/ID/2214084211/

[knucklehead bob]

Roots are active in the feeding process by adjusting the PH in the root zone to help uptake what is needed by the plant. They release a hydrogen atom to lower the ph. If one plant wants one thing to eat, and another wants something else, then you can get conflicting interests, ph wars, which hinders both plants at war in the root zone. Amazing ....

 

So there ya have it 

 

Edited July 31, 2014 by knucklehead bob

[trichcycler]

Not scientific, but I can tell that plants grown in the same try of dirt, as opposed to individual pots, regardless of species, are way more aggressive, sturdy, thicker, better maybe. I don't often do that because of the PITA factor of perpetual harvesting. Thanks to this thread I'll try twofers immediately in the same container. Ha! thanks guys!