Maybe the daisies really are rocking

Here at The Atrium, we not only believe in sharing good vibes but we listen to them too! Now, we aren't (only) talking about Lionel Richie's Dancing on the Ceiling…lately, we've been listening to the sacred binaural beats of Beatfulness (take a listen).

What are "binaural beats"?

The word "binaural" quite literally means "having or relating to two ears".  It represents the process taking place while different sound frequencies simultaneously play into each ear through your headphones.

Upon hearing two tones of different frequencies – sent simultaneously to the left and right ears – the brain perceives a third tone based on the mathematical difference between the two frequencies, causing a physiological response. Why we love "Beatfulness" so much is because you can choose the desired physiological response such as 'positive perspective' or 'healing'.

The brain then follows along at the new frequency and produces brainwaves at the same rate of Hertz (Hz) bringing about the physiological response.

For example: if a 200 Hz sound frequency is sent to the left ear, and a 205 Hz to the right ear, the brain will process those two frequencies and perceive a new frequency at 417 Hz, which is the Theta frequency that the body resonates with for stress relief, calming the body down.

What does this have to do with plants? Interestingly enough…everything.

We all know that talking to our plants is good for them but maybe we need to amp it a notch and be singing to them. Or for some…save the plants the trauma and play them music instead.

Research shows that plants emit audio acoustic emissions ranging between 10-240 Hz (depending on the plant size and age).                                                                           We geeked out hard on this and dug further for more info on whether or not we should be playing binaural beats in our greenhouses. This is what we discovered: by using electrograph vibrational detection, evidence has been recorded showing roots growing in the direction of a 220 Hz vibrational source. During another study, corn plants were found to emit loud and frequent clicks from their root tips. More research shows that when plants are isolated from contact, chemicals and light signals, they are still able to sense their neighboring plants through sounds called ultrasonic acoustic emissions (UAE).

Studies on UAE have been done on a range of different plants in varying climates and have shown that different frequencies are emitted based on whether or not drought conditions are present. Woah.

Now that we know our plants are listening…

You guessed it - if plants can emit and receive sound waves, then playing certain frequencies can influence plant growth. Experiments have been conducted in nurseries and greenhouses and all results concluded that on a cellular level, growth excelled and disease was reduced in plants that had specific frequencies played to them.                                                                                            For example, at 1 kHz at 100 decibels for 1 hour, at a distance of 0,20 meters, cell wall fluidity was enhanced. Truly fascinating. In a study by Dr. T. C. Singh, head of the Botany Department at India's Annamalai University where he looked at how music affects plant growth (love this guy), he found that the common flowering plant had an accelerated growth of 20% in height and 72% in biomass when exposed to classical music.

Later he repeated his experiment on crop fields with raga (improvisations on a set of rhythms and notes) music and founds the crops increased in size between 25-60% above the regional average.

According to Singh, the sound of the violin has the biggest effect on plant growth in terms of the frequency that it produces.

Turns out the daisies really are rocking then. However, there are always skeptics. Some researchers still say that there's not enough scientific evidence to prove this. After more digging (what we do best), we found that this is only because the experiments of the researchers in question drew different conclusions. The plant growth rates varied in each experiment and so none can be grouped together to be called conclusive.

To us, this further proves what we truly believe in and know. Our plants are all living, breathing beings. If kind words can affect a human and if music can uplift your mood, be conscious of what you can do for your plants.

Maybe it's time to stop and hear the roses for a change? For those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who couldn't hear the music.

By Rochelle Blomeyer, mental health coach and plant paramour