Do Electrified Plants Grow Faster? Let's Find Out!

[Mr. Krip]

But the roots use O₂ when the lights are off, lol (and the solar cell is not producing any electricity).

I could be wrong, Brother, but I believe that is incorrect... Actually, it's correct, but not complete!

My understanding is that plants are using oxygen all the time during respiration. However, during the daylight, respiration is occurring at the same time as photosynthesis when the plants are taking in CO2 and releasing O2 into the atmosphere. Because of the surplus of O2 during the day, it only gives the appearance that the plants don't require the O2.

At night, when photosynthesis is NOT occurring, the plants will absorb O2 and relsase CO2 like any other breathing animal.

That being said, if you have info that shows otherwise, I would love to see it since it's very possible that my understanding is WRONG!

 

[Emilya Green]

But the roots use O₂ when the lights are off, lol (and the solar cell is not producing any electricity).



Path of least resistance...

BtW, is that AC or DC?

The current coming from a solar cell is of one polarity only, ie, one side is always negative and the other positive. Electrons are always flowing from the negative post, over to the positive one, when the light is on. This by definition is direct current.

 

[AngryBird]

Did you check that the electrodes haven corroded?

 

[Mr. Krip]

Did you check that the electrodes haven corroded?

I believe she has a voltage meter in the loop.

 

[Emilya Green]

Angrybird, thank you!
I started to wonder about your corrosion comment, so I looked it up. It turns out that in humid conditions an oxidation does indeed occur and the surface of the aluminum will be covered with aluminum oxide, a non conductor. I bet our current flow has been steadily decreasing.

I have made two important changes to the experiment. I have changed to copper electrodes, and I have put them in all the way down to the bottom. Now, if there is any moisture in the cup at all, even all the way to the bottom, current should flow. Let's see now if we can see any difference this causes in the experiment. Maybe now we we start to see electrogirl perk up like she did at the very beginning? Could the oxide have formed that fast? We will keep watching. This is a current picture of electrogirl, with the new copper electrodes.

Here are the results from earlier this morning... there has been a dramatic growth spurt all around the veg tent. Light green new growth is seen this morning at lights on on every plant in the tent. Our experiment has experienced dramatic growth in the last 24 hours. Here are two shots that illustrate the progress as it stood, prior to changing out the electrodes.

 

[AngryBird]

I only wish I could express my thoughts better in English
I am glad you understood

 

[Mr. Krip]

Em, it looked like you had a volt meter in the original pic. Did you try measuring the voltage you were getting before and/or after replacing the electrodes?

 

[Emilya Green]

Em, it looked like you had a volt meter in the original pic. Did you try measuring the voltage you were getting before and/or after replacing the electrodes?

The voltage at the electrodes will always be the amount being supplied by the solar cell, no matter what is happening in the soil, and the important measurement for us would be the amount of current flowing through the system. The amount of current would be determined by the resistance of the soil between the electrodes, and we would see a high current when the soil was saturated, which would steadily decrease as the conductivity of the soil decreased as the plant used the water.

Measuring this current flow would be easy when it was high, but because of the internal resistance of the meter, current flow could actually be interrupted when the current flow went to low levels, by inserting the meter in the circuit. To overcome the meter's resistance, it would take approximately 3 solar cells working together during the dry periods to even be able to measure this low current flow, and then divide it by 3 to figure out what our individual girl is doing, or it would take a much more expensive meter than my Fluke multimeter.

 

[Spitz]

Great experiment! I think you should place 1 cup on a big magnet . Thanks for doing this!

 

[Emilya Green]

Great experiment! I think you should place 1 cup on a big magnet . Thanks for doing this!

magnetized plants... plants grown under a pyramid... all experiments still needing to be done...

For now, I am starting to once again cheer on electrogirl... she is looking strong!

 

[AngryBird]

In catching the electrodes.

 

[Emilya Green]

Things are progressing, but I can't tell yet if the electricity is having any effect. Electrogirl looks good, but so does the runt, and the tall control plant had to be topped or she was going to get OUT of control. We will see how they develop as time goes on, and when I can see anything that looks like it is being caused by the voltage, I will jump all over it.

 

[Emilya Green]

Hey everyone... been crazy busy here fighting to get the Missouri medical cannabis bill on the ballot, but to no avail... the liberal attorney general and want to be governor has killed it. We now set our sights on 2018.

In the grow tents, things have been at a boring stage where nothing much happens... the first several weeks of veg in one tent and the last several weeks of veg in the big tent. Other than everyone getting predictably bigger during this time, nothing much has happened, even here in our electro-growth laboratory. Today, it was determined that it was time to move the plants to the next stage and out of the solo cups. The three girls were up-potted to 1 gallon smart pots, with the bottom third filled with my well used and amended SuperSoil, and backfilled with Roots Organics 101.

They should start leaping to action soon, and I have no choice but to start training them, or they will quickly become too tall to manage. We will still be able to see the comparative growth between our 3 experimenters, we are just going to have to adjust to not just going by vertical height to determine if the electricity is having an effect.

I am starting to think that there may be a positive effect from the electricity. There has been no dramatic shift in size however, the runt is still the runt, the control is still ahead and has been topped when I saw the perfect opportunity to do it, and our electrogirl is still working on her thing. We will keep on it, the electricity is free and is easy to move along with her, and I see no reason not to keep this going all the way into flower. So far however, the results are inconclusive, it is impossible to say that there is any effect at all, but as in so many things in the plant world, the difference might not be seen until the effect accumulates over time. Time is one thing we have in Emmie's garden, in abundance.

Here are the girls, showing off their new 1 gallon shoes:

Be well everyone,
Emmers

 

[SewStoned]

This thread is epic! Thanks for making my week!!!! ...


Sent from my iPhone using 420 Magazine Mobile App

 

[Baybreeder]

Very interesting!!!

As I was about to make another joke that I would be stretching for the sky and wetting myself, too, if you applied electrodes to me ( ) it occurred to me that what you're experiencing MAY play into some of Doc Buds' science, too.

In the original post of his HBB journal, he mentions:



Perhaps the two of you are achieving SOME of the same results using two entirely different methods to effect the ionic charge of the medium?

P.S. I need to spread some more +REPS around, I guess, before I dislodge more on you, but I'll be back!

If you use a small amount of glucose every watering the microbes won't have to depend on NH4, nitrogen xcetera.

 

[Emilya Green]

Hi everyone! Today I took some time to give you a good update, because I think we have a significant observation to make.

This week finds our electrogirl to be clearly the lead plant of the three. The runt is still the runt, but doing fine, and she looks like she will end up making a fine flowering plant.

The control plant has been adjusting to being topped and has not concentrated a whole lot yet on lower and side growth as a result.

Electrogirl on the other hand, has been leaping ahead with growth. Even without topping, her side and lower growth has been pronounced. Her trunk size is suddenly noticeably thicker than the other plants, not just at soil level, but all the way up. She is noticeably sturdier than her compadres. Her leaves are bigger, and she just appears to be more vigorous.

I am starting to believe that there is something to the electricity thing. It appears to be as I suspected, a subtle but cumulative effect. The two big plants have started the Emmie training plan now, with the control being spread out and bound at the top, and electrogirl showed a perfect opportunity to top her as well.

This I think is where we are going to start clearly seeing the superiority of the electrified rhizosphere, and I predict that over the next week or so, the side and bottom growth will accelerate to such a point that it will be obvious that she has overtaken our big control plant. If this is indeed what happens, I think we will have our early answer, that at least in veg, a bit of electricity is a good thing.

More as things develop....
Emmiekins

 

[907Organics]

Good stuff.
I had heard of using electricity too. However not in the 'make it grow faster' sense, but in the, 'make it grow cheaper' .... Without using lights.

Using electricity to grow plants in the dark.

 

[Emilya Green]

Good stuff.
I had heard of using electricity too. However not in the 'make it grow faster' sense, but in the, 'make it grow cheaper' .... Without using lights.

Using electricity to grow plants in the dark.

lol... if that works, I will have to re-evaluate life and all I know. And in my case... the solar cell doesn't work unless I run lights... dang catch 22 gets you every time.

 

[Baybreeder]

Old school Growers used to put copper Chunks in the soil. Not sure if this is along the lines of the same idea. Good job.

 

[Emilya Green]

Old school Growers used to put copper Chunks in the soil. Not sure if this is along the lines of the same idea. Good job.

Gramps used to say, always put a lucky penny under your plants, so that it will grow larger too! Truth be told, there is a penny in every one of my larger containers.