This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: "How does the type of music affect plant growth?"—Thomas, 14, Auckland, New Zealand When I'm in the lab studying my plants, I love to listen to music. But do my plants like it, too, or do they just want some peace and quiet?
It turns out plant lovers have wondered the same thing for nearly 70 years. And there are many albums and playlists for people to play to their plants. One of the most famous (and my favorite) is Mother Earth's Plantasia.
It was released in 1976—"for plants and the people who love them." Some people may think it's nice to listen to music with their plants. But is there any truth to the idea that certain music boosts plant growth? One of the best-known works on music and plants is a 1973 book by author Dorothy Retallack called The Sound of Music and Plants.
Retallack conducted several experiments in which she played music to plants. She reported that rock music made the plants in her study die, while classical music made them flourish. However, she was a music student with very little training in the scientific method.
Her results were not peer-reviewed, and the work was strongly criticized by the scientific community. Nevertheless, the story was widely publicized. A related book, titled The Secret Life of Plants, was also published in 1973.
It covered multiple aspects of plant "intelligence." A documentary of the same name aired in 1979. It featured stories such as that of a cactus that could speak Japanese. Despite being scientifically dubious, these ideas flourished in the alternative movement of the 1970s.
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