Say What?

Everyone from Prince Charles to South Korean scientists agree that talking to your plants is beneficial for both you and them. While the specifics of how and why are still being debated, here's what some top American horticulturists think

By Jeff Schnaufer
CTW Features

Give ‘Em Something To Talk About: Theories abound as to why talking to houseplants provides benefits for both sides of the conversation, but the benefits aren’t disputed. Image courtesy iStockphoto

Does it help to talk to plants?

Don't hold your breath looking for an answer.

Communicating with your plants to help them grow has been the stuff of folklore for centuries. Even England's Prince Charles, an accomplished gardener, has gone on the record with his belief that plants respond to his words. Yet recent research has yet to yield conclusive results that plants – which already respond to light – may also react to sound.

South Korean researchers last year discovered that rice plants may be able to "hear" sound waves. The scientists at the National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology initially exposed their rice to 14 examples of classical music, including Beethoven's “Moonlight Sonata,” with no response. But when they played sounds at frequencies of 125 Hz and 250 Hz, the genes rbcS and Ald, became more active. The activity in these two genes decreased when sounds were played at 50 Hz. This caused researchers to speculate that sound could be used to activate specific genes that prompt plants to flower or to battle pests.

The research was greeted with skepticism among many horticultural scientists, who said the study was limited to too few samples and the techniques were dated.

With the jury still out on the science, we asked several plant experts across the U.S. about the benefits from talking to plants. Their answers included sighs, snickers and some intriguing speculation.

"I have a theory," says Bob Matthews, originator of the online gardening community, The Gardener's Network. "Because you're there talking to the plant, you're thinking about it and noticing it. Whether it's healthy, needs more water, fertilizer, etc. Because you notice these things, you help the plant."

Master gardener Maureen "Mo" Gilmer, author of 15 books on gardening and the environment, agrees.

"We live at a faster and faster pace and catch fewer details," she says. "I always tell people to go out and have a cup of coffee or a morning cocktail in the garden. If you are talking to your plants, your eyes can spot things like whiteflies or scales. You can catch it earlier before it becomes a bigger problem."

Then again, maybe plants do benefit directly from a few well-placed words.

"Plants need carbon dioxide," says Thomas Hecker, Director of Horticulture at Naples Botanical Garden in Naples, Florida. "When you're talking to it, you're giving off carbon dioxide and they're taking it in, making plant food for themselves."

Overall, most experts agree that such verbal exchanges may do more for the fauna than the flora. Talking to plants may reduce loneliness, decrease stress and help one commune with nature.

"It helps the people who have the plants," says Frank McDonough, a botanical information consultant for the Los Angeles County Arboretum. "It's when they start talking to you [that] the problems ensue."

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