Plants Recognize Siblings

[Richard]

By Andrea Thompson, LiveScience Staff Writer 

Plants can recognize when they are potted with their siblings or with strangers, new research shows. When strangers share a pot, they develop a competitive streak, but siblings are more considerate of each other.

“The ability to recognize and favor kin is common in animals, but this is the first time it has been shown in plants,” said Susan Dudley of McMaster University in Canada.

After plants are potted, roots branch out to suck up water and nutrients. But when several plants of the same species are potted together, things get a little nasty: Each plant flexes its muscles, so to speak, by extending its root growth to try and snatch up valuable resources.

Unless, that is, the plants are siblings—each having come from the same mother plant—in which case they become very accommodating, allowing each other ample root space.

Because the interactions between related and unrelated plants only happened when plants were in the same pot, where root space is limited, root interactions are likely what gives plants the cue that their neighbor is related.

Dudley observed this behavior in sea rocket (Cakile edentula), a member of the mustard family that is native to beaches through North America.

The findings, detailed in the June 12 issue of Biology Letters, may not come as a surprise to seasoned gardeners.

“Gardeners have known for a long time that some pairs of species get along better than others, and scientists are starting to catch up with why that happens,” Dudley said. “The more we know about plants, the more complex their interactions seem to be.”

http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/0...lings.html

[Trinity]

"Root interactions"...a nice term for a way of saying they have no clue how a plant with no intelligence (supposedly) can do this.

 

I also read of the experiment where you pot two identical plants in the same conditions next to each other. You write "I love you" on one and "I hate you" on the other pot (or stick it on). Then as they grow you talk to them accordingly each day.

Either "you are going to grow big and tall and prosper" or "you'll wither and die and never achieve anything" etc.

I want to try this!

[Richard]

I seen them do that experiment on TV show called the Myth Busters and they showed how it does make a difference how you talk to plants. Then another experiment I read about they showed how playing classical music to plants made them thrive and rock music made them die. It goes to show you that all living things have consciousness.

[Trinity]

I would really like to explore these different levels of consciousness and how they respond to our energy. I find it fascinating.

[Blue Oracle]

http://www.thank-water.net/english/index.html