Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Sir H. Davy's results
where the seeds placed in his earth battery germinated faster at the
positive pole compared to the negative pole. In electroculture, multiple effects may affect
the growth ofplants, where in this case it was either (orboth) the metabolic acceleration or
the super-oxygenation that caused the superior growth.
Experiment
This can be shown in a simple experiment you can do at home where two pieces of metal are inserted
into a glass of water while connected to a battery. Over time you will see small bubbles adhering to
the positive terminal in the water. This is very similar to the experiment mentioned earlier. Using lower
voltages has the same effect, but generates the gases at a much slower rate compared to the use of a
car-battery or other higher-voltage source.
The end result of the additional pore space and the active generation of oxygen has been
found to greatly accelerate and improve the growth of plants. Methods focusing on the
super-oxygenation of roots are the primary focus of growing methods like
aeroculture
,
which have been found to have shorter grow times as well as larger and healthier forms
of growth. Additionally, the oxygenation of soils helps with keeping beneficial aerobic
bacterial populations in check over anaerobic bacteria which can cause harm to plants and
beneficial forms of soil biota.
Nutrient Availability
In the soil, nutrients in the form of complex molecules or ionic-form chemicals (e.g.
fertilizer components like NH4, K
+
, Ca
2+
and Mg
2+
) adhere to soil particles. Clays and
humus hold these compounds exceptionally well because they hold a negative charge.
Under normal conditions roots and root hairs reach-out to come in contact with soil
particles or soil solution. To increase the amount of nutrient particles that they can
consume, they continually grow more roots and root hairs that extend farther and farther
into the soil.
When external electric fields are added to the mix, additional channels are turned on that
enable greater amounts of nutrient to be available to a plant's root system.
So, electroculture takes the concept of improving nutrient availability to the next level…
While later on you'll learn how plants gain an improved ability to uptake soil nutrients, the
concept implied here is that plants grown under electroculture absorb nutrients from more
than just the soil particles or pore-water that's local to the plant itself. In fact, under an
electricfield,manymoreavailablenutrientsinalldirections(dependinguponthenutrient's
