Nature’s Call

Touching Vegetables & Flower Plants

I’ve written before about the intelligence of plants. They don’t have eyes, but see; don’t have mouths, but can talk; don’t have ears but hear; don’t have fingers, but can touch; and so on. Call me weird, but I apologize whenever I accidently break off a vegetable plant’s leaf!

There’s another aspect regarding plant intelligence, and that is responding to touch. Plants highly respond to touch, and it is a response to which you don’t want to overindulge. The response (thigmomorphogenesis) is almost unpronounceable until you practice quite a few times!

On some plants, you can actually see the response when you touch or hold a leaf. For most vegetables though, there is no visible response, at least not immediately visible. Make no mistake about it, though; there is a strong response. In fact, the response is so strong, that if applied often enough, it can actually slow up to 30% of a plant’s growth and fruit production.

The change that occurs in response to the light- est touching or feeling is in the hormones and genes of the plant. The result of touching is both good and bad for the plant and the gardener. On the good side, touch activates the plant’s defense or immune system enabling or helping ward off a pathogen.

On the negative side, however, the result of repeat- ed touching can mean a reduction in the plant’s growth rate of up to 30%. Even a gentle touch can affect thousands of genes inside the plant. While we don’t see any complaints when we brush up against a vegetable plant and pick a flower or vegetable fruit, the plants definitely knows and reacts to it.

Remember, plants react favorably to gardeners talking or singing to them. Perhaps you can use that to offset the negative aspects of touching!