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Does Music Affect Plant Growth? Unraveling the Science Behind the Myth
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News18•25-09-2026, 11:15
Does Music Affect Plant Growth? Unraveling the Science Behind the Myth
- •The idea that music affects plant growth has been explored for nearly 70 years, with popular albums like Mother Earth’s Plantasia released for plants.
- •Early studies, such as Dorothy Retallack's 1973 book "The Sound of Music and Plants," claimed rock music harmed plants while classical music helped them flourish, but these lacked scientific rigor and peer review.
- •Many subsequent studies on music and plants have questionable methodology, including statistical errors or biases, especially those focusing on religious music.
- •More robust studies suggest plants can sense sound through pressure waves interacting with structures like leaf hairs, rather than "hearing" music like humans.
- •Plants may respond to specific sound wave vibrations, such as growing towards running water or improving predator defense, but this is highly species-specific and not related to musical genres.
Key Questions Answered
No, Dorothy Retallack was a music student with little training in scientific methods, her results were not peer reviewed, and her work faced strong criticism from scientists.
Plants have not evolved to appreciate music. However, they can sense sound because sound waves are simply pressure waves that interact with physical structures like leaf hairs.
Research shows some plants grow toward the sound of running water or show improved predator defense responses after hearing insect sounds. Conversely, certain human-generated noises can negatively affect plant health, though the response varies widely across different species.
