Electroculture (growing with electricity) in action

Hi everyone, I'm new here but figured I would share some of the exciting experiments I'm working on - improving plant growth using electricity.

Here is a picture from a high school student in Barcelona that I helped:



I'll be sure to add more soon, after I see how this post looks.


Improving growth of radishes using low levels of electricity ( photo / image / picture from ElectroGrow's Garden )

 

I went through the flow chart, there did not appear to be any downsides indicated in the process. I wonder about that. 3 volts or so? DC? AC? Does polarity make a difference? How much current? I presume we are talking microamps? Are there any guidelines before I electrocute my petunias or carrots? Plants respond to temperature, fire, insects, and chemicals. Has anyone determined how the plants feel about being electro-stimulated? Whenever I have been electro-stimulated it was not fun.


Jerry

 

Other than possibly warming the soil a bit,, what are you trying to accomplish by electro-gardening ? It would certainly eliminate the beneficial microbes in soil. Have you tested it with common garden pests ? Would not be good if it also stimulated growth in them. A common household lightbulb generates a low level of electricity but turn one on outside in summer and you can see what that does.

 

In order to have even distribution of the current to the plants, I would think a grid would have to be established in the container of soil. Only the roots would be in the circuit. I wonder if the rhizosphere increases and aids in nutrient transfer. Hmmmm...I need to grow a guinea pigs then apply current to one to see what changes. This winter might have some interesting projects. David are you there?? I need to bounce some ideas off you.

Jerry

 

It's good to hear these questions... I'll answer mart first:

First of all, with very low levels of electricity, 1-5 volts at low current, the amount of warming would be negligible.

As far as the effects bacteria go, a number of studies have found that low levels of electric current can improve the metabolic activity and reproductive rate of some microbes, I see this as a possible additive reason as to why plants grow faster and seem to be greener after a thunderstorm - that the heightened electricity in the soil help the natural nitrogen fixing bacteria work more efficiently...

Regarding garden pests, a few fellow experimenters have told me that it has been effective at keeping aphids, possibly thrips, and mosquitoes away from their tomato and marijuana plants. There are a number of reasons for this ranging from increasing the insect-repelling VOCs emitted by the plant to attracting predatory insects as well. I haven't yet observed this myself.

Now Jerry,

That's right - here don't seem to be any downsides, except for overstimulation which is still not quite fully understood. There has been some research on this topic done by a famous Indian physicist, J. C. Bose, but I have yet to find the time to digest his writings (which are a little difficult to understand, IMHO). I have my own theories as well... I get into it to some degree in my book, but it's a bit too much for here. In brief, I think there is an optimal balance between the amount of electricity and the stimulation time, on a plant by plant or perhaps a family basis.

The amount of current that has been found to be effective is on the order of 0.1 microamps to 10s of milliAmps. I would stick wih DC since it has less negative side effects. There are very few examples of AC being effective. I would also consider doing 1-5 volts, perhaps on a 12-hour basis if you want to be safest. Or break it up into smaller intervals if your timer allows it. As far as polarity goes, if you just apply current to the soil, it doesn't really matter.

Regarding how plants feel, I think it depends on the plant. Some love it, some hate it - and it depends on the power levels and the electric field strength too, e.g. The amount of spacing between electrodes, sometimes. It's rather experimental despite being around for more than 200 years.

As to how we feel with electricity... While large charges certainly do hurt, e.g. Electric shocks, there's tons of evidence of electricity being helpful also. Aside from modern medicines use of electricity, e.g ECG, EMG, etc. there are bone healing therapies, iontophoresis that helps people with sweaty feet, electronic drug delivery systems! electronic pain relief, TENS, and even people who are having amazing healing experiences from "grounding" themselves... Search google for the documentary, "The Grounded".

Are you planning of giving it a try?

 

This is so tempting I can't resist. I just have to plan what I want to do, how I am going to do it and what I expect for results. The approach will take time. Like I said, this winter will have some interesting projects. As I don't have a blank lab notebook I will get one. Documentation is important. The planning stage has already begun.

Oh, to answer your question, yes.

Jerry

 

Awesome.. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it. Let me know if you have any questions while you're getting into it.

 

Since we are going into the winter season perhaps you will repeat this in the spring/summer and we can compare the harvest. I will grow mine in the traditional manner, you do the electro gardening method. Whatever plant you chose. Would like to see how they differ.

 

First of all, let me just say that this is EXACTLY the kind of thread I'd like to see here! I myself also have a lot of ideas about this! And yes, I too have heard of electrodes being used to heal stress fractures in bones. And also in dental surgery (in place of anesthesia). All this is extremely interesting to me - Specially when it comes to growing your own food in space (an idea I've been toying with since as far I could remember).

Anyway, 3 things I'd like to mention here. First is the fact that plants and tree sometimes grow faster under high tension power lines. This I know because I once heard someone complain how he had to periodically clear shrubs under high tension power lines, and not much clearing required on the left or right of it...

While the other thing I'd like to mention is that plants and trees grow even faster near high power military radar installations!

But the 3rd thing I'd like to mention here is actually my own question of a sort... We all know that electricity only flows from negative to positive. And usually, negative is though of as healthy, while positive is considered as sickly. For example, negative ions (produced by ionizers) are said to have a beneficial effect on our health. The same process is used by ozone generators (which purifies water) - Again, negative ions being the key here.

Even in electroplating, or if you are doing electrolysis (to split water into Hydrogen and Oxygen), the positive electrode always gets eroded, while the negative one remains shiny.

So my concern is what type of electrode would you recommend we use for the positive electrode in the soil? If we use ordinary copper, then due to electrolysis (as well as all the salts in the soil), I suspect that copper will eventually turn into copper sulfate. Lead too will turn into other toxic salts of lead, while iron or steel will simply turn into rust (iron-oxide). Chromium too (if we use chromium rich steel, commonly known as stainless steel) will also eventually turn into chromium sulphate. So all these chemicals (produced as a byproduct of electrolysis, due to the moisture and salts in the soil), as extremely undesirable to have in the soil in which we would like to grow our own food. Besides, many salts of chromium are today known to have carcinogenic properties.

I guess titanium is a good metal for this, but it too will eventually erode away... As first it will turn golden (from silver), after which it will get darker and turn blue. Beyond which a time will come when it may stop function as a good electrode.

So the only answer I can come up with, it to use the MMO anode (mixed metal oxide anode). These are used in the industry where electrolysis is used on a gigantic scale. To produce potassium chlorate for example (a very powerful oxidation compound used in welding).

However, the cost of an MMO anode is equal to an arm and a leg! But well worth it for some, as it never erodes away (as it's got a coating of conductive oxides, like platinum oxide, mixed with a few other rare Earth elements) - Hence it's astronomically high cost!

See these pages for example:

http://www.farwestcorrosion.com/anodes- ... mo-anodes/
http://www.kaida.co.uk/dsa.html?gclid=C ... tAod0SsA7w

I guess using zinc would be a cheap alternative, as it is used in cathodic rust prevention - But the down side is that pure zinc anodes get consumed very quickly. Good side is that their byproduct (zinc oxide) is not toxic, as it's used by dentists too, as temporary fillings in teeth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAlC75xG4qU

While the other cheap and non-toxic alternative I can think of is to use carbon rods as positive electrodes... Still, what do you recommend we use? I guess at this early experimental stage using copper wires (just to establish proof of concept) is OK. But what about later when some of us decide to go full scale with this?

Also, what affect has this over seed cracking? Is here any data on it somewhere?


Editing this post to add this afterthought:

Using DU (depleted uranium) I guess is an option [provided we can get our hands on it]. When Uranium metal is oxidized, it becomes uranium dioxide, which looks like a very dark shade of purple. And because it is Alpha active only (with a strong positive charge), I guess it will still conduct without deteriorating (exactly like an MMO anode). And since Alpha particles are very large (that even a thin sheet of paper can stop) - I see no reason to be concerned by stray radioactivity, as it will all be absorbed by the soil... Besides uranium is a naturally occurring element, (unlike plutonium, which needs to be produced in a reactor, which is far more radioactive as well as chemically toxic). So nothing to fear with uranium, as the radiation with this will be negligible.

Actually, I was thinking of Betavoltaics, which is how I came to this idea of using DU.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betavoltaics
http://www.gizmag.com/water-nuclear-bat ... sis/33844/

So I wonder what will happen if we made the whole soil container into a functioning nuclear power battery!

Anyway, using gold or silver would also be very costly, and they too will not last long in the soil. And using amalgams of mercury (like pulled out old tooth fillings) would be an extremely bad idea too...

 

Hey Mart,

That's a good idea... When I figure out what I'm going to try, I'll let you know. In the meantime, if anyone else wants to join in on the fun, that would be great.

Hey S-H,

It's very good to hear your technical opinion on the subject as I have spent a lot of time thinking about these issues also.

Starting off, yes, I have heard the same thing regarding how plants tend to grow faster under hi-tension power lines. Based on the research I've seen, I bet they grow better under high-voltage DC lines vs normal high-voltage(HV) AC lines. In this sub-topic, there is a ton of research that has been performed- on using HV electric fields for this purpose. I believe the mechanisms for it working are the same.

Regarding radar, there is a paper from a PhD student from S. Africa that shows how low-frequency RF can REALLY boost growth:


( photo / image / picture from ElectroGrow's Garden )

Radio frequency energy for bioelectric stimulation of plants by PJJ van Zyl - ?2012
https://ujdigispace.uj.ac.za/bitstream/ ... sequence=1


And on the issue of electrode materials, I have tried a number of them ranging from carbon welding rods to titanium rods.
- Steel nails corrode to a point where the resistance goes too high
- I'm open to stainless for certain applications, but like you said, there are Cr and other potential toxicity issues (that can be eventually healed using Phytoremediation).
- carbon welding rods fall apart as the binder gets dissociated
- iron is fine, but a lot of it is needed as it corrodes and has the high resistance problem
- titanium is the bast from what I've used so far - it still degrades, but oxidizes into TiO2 which is food safe and is in everything.

MMOs are on my list as well as something like carbon fiber.

I do have some concern with zinc with regards to zinc poisoning if too much gets into the soil, but I guess the same could be said of anything, even titanium.


I think the idea of using beta voltaic or nuclear batteries is a cool idea if it were not for the risks. On the other hand, I think earth batteries can still be used, or even microbial fuel cells.

As for seed cracking, I'm not sure what that is yet, so I plan on replying to that topic later on.

 

Regarding seed cracking, I found this interesting piece hat summarized some research done by the Indian Institute of Agriculture: http://www.icar.org.in/nfbsfara/Completed_projects.pdf

- microwave energy can be used to help seed cracking
- magnetic fields can be used to improve germination rates (another area I'm beginning to explore)

Furthermore, in my own research, I've found that low-levels of DC electroculture greatly helps with germination. Take a look at this older photo I took where the bottom right cell is electrified with approx 1.1 volts intermittently via a refashioned yard light solar cell:


( photo / image / picture from ElectroGrow's Garden )

 

I think you and I should start working together on this!

However, using data from Indian sources isn't always reliable. As first there is too much plagiarization in their text (due to a lack of some centralized scientific authority in India) - And secondly I have (in my own experience) always found an element of scientific exaggeration in their papers... So unless the results are 100% reproducible in your own place, don't trust any of it...

See this page:
http://neurotheory.columbia.edu/~ken/cargo_cult.html
Or run this video instead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvfAtIJbatg

Anyway, on a slightly different subject - Have you heard of Kelvin's Thunderstorm? I think that's a wonderful idea, that we can easily incorporate in any garden structure also (or better yet, a hydroponic system)! I mean, use the flow of charged water to energies the plants. Thus eliminating the need to get a costly MMO anode!

Just see this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv4MjaF_wow
Or see this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfue_iCu0gE

 

Regarding the Indian source I mentioned earlier... He seems to be a very famous scientist... And from what I read, per your reference to Feynman's talk on scientific integrity, he seems to be spot on, as far as what I remember.

Otherwise, your next topic is very interesting - HV power generation from falling water. There is an old researcher, Justin Christofleau (look him up) who made a device that passively improved yields using charges collected from raindrops combined with atmospheric energy collectors. Interesting stuff that I would like to incorporate into my own research someday.

 

Well, the way I see it - It takes a lifetime to build a solid reputation in the scientific community. However make just one tiny error in judgement, even of a minute amount - And all that years of painstaking hard work instantly starts to circle the drain... And so once our reputation is destroyed, it will never ever recover and be back the same again.

Which is why, not wanting to even take the slightest bit of chance - I as a rule always disregard all data which originates from doubtful sources. Or if I must use it, then I have to reproduce it exactly (over 5 times) to make sure that the data is correct.

But to be serious, who today has got the free time to re-do all that work for the sake of verification... That's why (specially when it originates from doubtful sources) - And so from countries which lead the way in copyright violations and shameless plagiarism, where India being in the top 3 - Is the reason why I chuck all papers written by Indians straight into the dustbin, (I honestly won't even give it a second look). This may to some now come across as discrimination to many, but I really have to safeguard my own scientific integrity and competence...

Also in my own personal experience, whenever I tried to reproduce anything mentioned by an Indian scientist - My own findings always gave it a thumbs down! And so after getting disappointed like that a few times, I finally decided to not waste anymore time reading papers by dodgy scientists. Heck, I don't even fully trust my own Pakistani scientists, (unless I happen to know them personally)...

See these pages:
http://www.nature.com/news/indian-scien ... erral=true

http://ktwop.com/2012/02/25/more-plagia ... -revealed/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific ... m_in_India

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/no ... 974543.ece

 

IMHO, there are bad apples everywhere, even in America too... E.g.

http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v310/n3/full/scientificamerican0314-64.html

I try to not let the few ruin it for everyone. Most people who have been trained properly maintain their integrity, for without it, how can people prosper... Especially today where information is shared and readily available with little effort, ie with modern search tools! New life in a world where social proof and integrity is becoming more important than ever before.