Plants’ Preference in Music

In 1957, Arthur Locker conducted an experiment on the effects of music on plants. Surprisingly, the ones entertained by music grew straighter and more abundantly, while the others did not. It was in 1960 that the first authentic experiment was run. George Smith, who was a botanist, carefully organized two identical greenhouses for the experiment. The results were amazing. Smith played George Gershwin’s music 24 hours per day in one greenhouse. As the music played, the plants grew to a weight 40% heavier than the plants without music. In the 1970s, Dorothy Retallack guided an experiment that concluded plants preferred classical to rock music. Plants would stretch towards the speakers playing classical and away from the ones playing Zeppelin, Fudge, and Hendrix. Even after rotating the pots, the plants reacted in a similar manner. With Jazz music, the results were complex. While the size of the plants increased, the roots became weak and required more water. Plants show obvious preference in music.

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