
Good news for gardeners! Scientists have uncovered a simple way to boost plant growth - and all you need is a speaker
Gardeners will try almost anything to help their plants grow.
From fancy compost to strict watering times or a regular pruning schedule, there are plenty of ways to give flowers a boost.
Some even resort to talking to their plants, convinced they 'respond to vibrations'.
But scientists have uncovered a simple way to promote growth – and all you need is a speaker.
Experts have found that playing music to plants can make them grow heavier and leafier.
However, picking the right playlist is of the utmost importance.
A study has found that classical music, such as Bach concertos, boost growth while plants exposed to rock music grow more poorly.
'Playing music to plants is not as crazy as it may sound at first,' Charles Spence, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Oxford and co-author of the paper, told The Times.
The team suggest that a combination of sound frequencies, the tempo of the music and the instruments involved may have the power to stimulate or curb plant growth.
For the research, scientists analysed pak choi plants – a type of Chinese cabbage – that were played rock music, classical music or no music at all in bursts throughout the day.
The classical selection was Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, considered masterful examples of balance between assorted groups of soloists and a small orchestra.
Instrumental rock and metal was used for the other musical group.
Everything else that could affect plant growth, such as temperature, humidity and lighting, was strictly controlled and kept the same for all plants in the study.
After a six-week study period, the researchers found that the plants played classical music ended up significantly larger, with an average dry weight of 8.99g.
Meanwhile those played no music weighed 6.33g on average, while plants played rock music weighed only 3.12g on average.
The pak choi that had been exposed to classical music also produced the highest number of leaves, with an average of almost 17 each compared with only 10 leaves for the plants that were played rock.
Pak choi
Also known as Chinese cabbage, pak choi is a leafy green vegetable.
It can be used as baby leaves in salads or as larger rosettes in a stir fry.
It can be grown in as little as four weeks.
The plant is in season all year round but prefers cool, damp conditions.
Analysis of the roots also showed that plants exposed to classical music had the highest total root volume, measuring 90 cubic centimetres – three times more than those played instrumental rock, which reached only 30 cubic centimetres.
The plants grown in silence, however, recorded total root volume of 77 cubic centimetres.
The team was led by plant scientists and music experts at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur and University Putra Malaysia.
They said there was 'promise' around the use of classical music to help stimulate plant growth.
'Classical music may have an effect on plant growth because plants are attuned to vibrations, such as the vibrations of running water in soil, and they react to them biologically,' Professor Spence added.
'Meanwhile the different frequencies in rock music may fall outside the sonic range which boosts plant growth.'
He also said that classical music might 'make gardening a more pleasant experience'.
Previous studies have also found that plants tend to grow in the direction of soothing music and away from rock music.
The findings were published in the journal Evolutionary Studies in Imaginative Culture.
The scientists wrote: 'The results reveal that those plants exposed to classical music exhibited significant differences in shoot characteristics with the highest total fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, and mean leaf numbers.
'Meanwhile, those plants exposed to rock music demonstrated values that were the lowest across all plant parameters.
'Despite the promise around the use of classical music to help stimulate plant growth, further studies are undoubtedly still needed before any firm conclusions regarding the potential benefits of exposing plants to an acoustic stimulus can be drawn.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Groundbreaking cancer treatment which ‘destroys tumours with sound' to be rolled out on NHS
NHS patients will be the first in Europe to benefit from a pioneering new cancer treatment which uses ultrasound to destroy tumours. The technology, known as histotripsy, offers a non-invasive treatment capable of breaking down liver cancer tissue without surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, with minimal damage to the surrounding organs, according to the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC). First approved by US regulators in October 2023, histotripsy uses pulsed sound waves to create 'bubble clouds' from gases present in the targeted tissue and tumour. When these bubbles pop, within microseconds, a shockwave is released which is capable of breaking up a mass and killing cancerous cells, while avoiding the harms of radiation and reducing the risks of bleeding, infection, and damage to surrounding non-targeted tissue. Treatment is delivered via a single session – potentially taking just 30 minutes – with limited or no pain, a quick recovery, and can be performed as a day case, according to the DHSC. The first NHS patients are set to be treated this summer at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where the technology – which uses a device called an Edison System, created by US firm HistoSonics – is being debuted after a donation from the Li Ka Shing Foundation. Cancer Research UK describes liver cancer as the 17th most common cancer in the UK and the 8th most frequent cause of cancer death. More than 8,000 people received a new diagnoses in 2022, with liver cancer incidence across the UK having surged by 42 per cent over the past decade, according to the British Liver Trust. So far, more than 1,500 patients worldwide have received treatment using histotripsy, mainly in the United States – following approval by the US Food and Drug Administration in late 2023. According to 12-month follow-up data from HistoSonics' previous clinical trials, which involved patients for whom other treatments had been either unsuccessful or unavailable, overall survival rates after one year were 73.3 per cent for primary liver cancer, and 48.6 per cent for those with secondary tumours. The paper, published in the Annals of Surgery journal in April, noted that both tumour control and survival rates were similar to those among other current treatments. The UK's new device is expected to be fully installed in Cambridge later this year, where it will be used initially to treat patients with primary and secondary liver tumours. Wider research on how this could potentially treat tumours in other organs – such as the pancreas and kidneys – is underway. The technology has been approved in the UK via the innovative devices access pathway, which aims to enable faster approvals of medical devices and treatments which evidence shows are safe, efficient and can fill unmet need. 'This is a strong example of smart, agile regulation in action,' said James Pound, of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). 'It's a major step forward for patients with liver cancer and shows how the UK can be a frontrunner in supporting responsible innovation that meets real clinical need.' While 'regulation is vital to protect patients', the government is 'slashing red tape, so game-changing new treatments reach the NHS front line quicker – transforming healthcare', said health secretary Wes Streeting. Hailing histotripsy as 'an exciting new technology that will make a huge difference to patients', Roland Sinker, chief executive of Cambridge University Hospitals, said: 'By offering this non-invasive, more targeted treatment we can care for more people as outpatients and free up time for surgeons to treat more complex cases. 'The faster recovery times mean patients will be able to return to their normal lives more quickly, which will also reduce pressure on hospital beds, helping us ensure that patients are able to receive the right treatment at the right time.' Fiona Carey, a kidney cancer patient who co-chairs Cambridge's patient advisory group, added: 'This is seriously good news. A new, non-invasive option to treat these cancers is very welcome indeed. 'For patients for whom ordinary surgery is no longer an option, this could make all the difference.'


The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
AI can ‘level up' opportunities for dyslexic children, says UK tech secretary
Artificial intelligence should be deployed to 'level up' opportunities for dyslexic children, according to the UK science and technology secretary, Peter Kyle, who warned there is currently insufficient human capacity to help people with the learning difficulty. Kyle, who is dyslexic and uses AI to support his work, said the government should carefully look at 'how AI can transform education and help us assess and understand a young person's abilities into the future'. He spoke as the TV chef Jamie Oliver, who is also dyslexic, launched a campaign calling for improved teacher training on dyslexia and earlier screening of children to detect the condition sooner. About 6 million people in the UK are estimated to live with dyslexia, which primarily affects reading and writing skills. Kyle told the Guardian he has felt 'quite emotional' when seeing AI technology used to help young people learn with 'incredible empathy, encouragement and knowledge'. 'I have already seen how GPTs and other [AI] services have helped me,' said Kyle, who was last month mooted in press reports as a potential future education secretary. 'AI gets to know you. AI gets to know how you ask questions and how you think. It fits in around your own individual learning characteristics. AI is an incredible tutor, so there is no question that AI deployed wisely and safely, not just in education but in a young person's life, can have an incredible levelling-up opportunity.' He said the current problem was that 'we don't have enough human capacity to give dyslexics all of the skilled and specialist support that is unique to the individual characteristics of dyslexics'. He stopped short of arguing AI technology should be allowed to support dyslexic children in exams, where they perform significantly worse in key GCSEs. About 52% of children without any special education needs achieved a grade 5 or above in English and maths last year, compared with 22% among children with a specific learning difficulty, which includes dyslexia. 'We are currently reviewing the curriculum and we have to very carefully look at how AI can transform education and help us assess and understand a young person's abilities into the future,' he said. 'But right now I think we have a really robust exam system. It's very good at judging a young person's potential.' Kay Carter, the chief executive of the Dyslexia Association, said AI is already levelling the playing field for dyslexic students. If AI can manage tasks such as memorising facts and rapid recall of information, 'the focus [of education] may shift to problem-solving [and] critical thinking, talents which some of those with dyslexia naturally excel at,' she said. But she cautioned that AI is not to be a replacement for good teaching but 'allows dyslexic students better access to their own learning'. Kyle was speaking at London Tech Week, where he also addressed the row between the government and parts of the creative industries over the use of copyrighted content for training AI models. Elton John last month called Kyle 'a bit of a moron' after ministers pushed back against a campaign for the new data bill to provide greater protections for creatives. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'I am always available to meet with Elton John and anyone else,' Kyle said. 'I have met with Björn [Ulvaeus] from Abba and publishers, I have spoken to small creatives.' Kyle said the data bill, which is currently rallying back and forth between MPs and peers, was 'totally not suitable' to legislate on AI using copyrighted material. The Guardian reported last week that the government has decided to introduce a 'comprehensive' AI bill in the next parliamentary session to address concerns about issues including safety and copyright. 'I will set up working groups the very second the data bill is through parliament so I can begin the rapid process towards legislation,' he said.


The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
The signs of killer cancer you've NEVER heard of that's rising in young people, from waist size clue to bloating
CANCER is typically thought of as a disease of old age. But doctors are increasingly finding that certain types, particularly bowel cancer, are hitting younger people far more than they used to. 2 In a new report, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, scientists have found that appendiceal cancer - a very rare form of the disease - is also on the rise. An analysis of over 4000 people in the US, found that compared with older generations, rates of the condition, also called appendix cancer, have tripled among Gen X and quadrupled among millennials. 'There is a disproportionate burden of appendix cancer among young individuals,' said the study's lead author, Andreana Holowatyj, from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in the US, told NBC News. The researchers suggest that environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors that intensified after the second-world war may explain the concerning increase in appendix cancer rates. They point to dietary habits, gut bacteria changes, greater prevalence of conditions inflaming the gastrointestinal tract in particular. 'Similar trends have been reported for other gastrointestinal cancers, suggestive of potential shared cause contributing to this increasing cancer burden across generations,' the study noted. Although the new study, published yesterday, did not include individuals from the UK, a study published in 2022 did, revealing a similar trend. The research, published in BJS Open, showed that cases of the disease in the UK have more than quadrupled in the UK. There were a total of 949 cases between 1995 and 2001, which jumped to 4132 total cases between 2010 and 2016. Still, appendix cancers are extremely rare. The 4 signs of bowel cancer that mean it's 'too late' - as doctor reveals cause of surge in young people being diagnosed According to the National Cancer Institute, they occur at a rate of 1 to 2 cases per million people annually in the US. Meanwhile, in the UK, where the population is smaller, around 640 people are diagnosed with the disease each year. The appendix is a small pouch of tissue that hangs off the abdomen. It is part of the intestines and bowel, which absorb nutrients and remove waste from the body. Experts do not know what the appendix does, but it may help the immune system. There are two main types of appendiceal cancer: epithelial appendiceal cancer and neuroendocrine appendiceal cancer. The symptoms of appendiceal cancer can vary but may include abdominal pain, bloating, the presence of a lump in the tummy, nausea, and feeling full quickly after eating.