Introduction: Ground Any Plants for Optimal Results in Growth Rates
Grounding is a little known yet a very powerful subject.
This principle works on plants and especially potted plants.
The idea is that when you pot a plant or remove it from the soil you have disconnected it from the earth and all the negative electrons the plant needs.
When you pot a plant especially in plastic pots, it becomes insulated ad starts picking up the AC electricity in the air causing growth stunting.
To stop the stunting you need to reconnect the plant with its natural environment - the earth.
If you have located the plant near a power point this task is extremely, due to lightning all power points need to be grounded.
If you follow the instructions in the next step you will be able to ground your own plants and start enjoying the benefits!
Step 1: Making the Grounding Lead.
This is so simple and yet it is so effective.
All you need to do is get yourself a normal power lead with three prongs, one is positive - one is neutral - one is earth/ground.
Snap off the positive and neutral prongs and file them flat to the surface of the plug like shown.
On the other end you need to find the earth cord and strip it, wrap it around a metal keyring and then finish it off with some heat shrink.
When you have finished your lead you can now connect it to the plant.
Firstly get yourself a strip of metal about 2mm thick and 1" wide.
Poke it into the pot being cautious not to break too much of the root system.
Connect the keyring to the strip of metal and plug the last end into the power point.
You do not need to turn on the power point, it makes no difference - earth is earth and it is connected 100% of the time.
Now to see the proof, check out the next step!
Step 2: The Proof of the Puddng.
After preparing the plants we documented the first week of the process.
The results were astounding.
When we started we grounded the runt of the two, it was substantially smaller than the other one and it took a week for it not only to catch up but overtake the larger plant!
This works with any plant that is insulated, if it is directly touching concrete it should be grounded, concrete is conducted.
Asphalt, rubber, plastics and dry ground are NOT grounded.
Please share this as you wish and feel free to vote for me in the indoor gardening contest (:-D)
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20 Comments
Tip 5 months ago on Introduction
Yep,this DEFINITELY WORKS, I use a higher mains connection which gives very good results
3 years ago
Check out Earth & Grow.. they sell kits to ground 6 plants and expansion kits that add on to the starter kit but its extremely over priced.. I found this website while looking for a diy system...
I have seen the evidence 1st hand with the Earth & Grow system but the connectors break so easy and replacing them costly... I think they make them so flimsy on purpose knowing they are the only alternative known in the indoor garden world..
Excellent post. Thank you Instructables...
4 years ago
I can appreciate everyone's comments and misconception about this method of growing, however, just to be factual this process is called Electroculture and it naturally happens when lightning hits the ground. The method was a theory in the 1800's, but by 1930, the Germans and French were using it on hundreds of acres at a time. When the war came France and Germany discontinued the method and all records and data were destroyed. Many years later people started experimenting with it and to some extent successful. Today, our company produces the only electroculture seed germinator anywhere which helps plants grow twice as fast. This is not a theory, we've already proven it!
8 years ago on Introduction
The instructable is well documented, so props for that, but the concept is utter and total B.S.
"Grounding is a little known yet a very powerful subject.
This principle works on plants and especially potted plants.
The idea is that when you pot a plant or remove it from the soil you have disconnected it from the earth and all the negative electrons the plant needs.
When you pot a plant especially in plastic pots, it becomes insulated ad starts picking up the AC electricity in the air causing growth stunting.
To stop the stunting you need to reconnect the plant with its natural environment - the earth.
If you have located the plant near a power point this task is extremely, due to lightning all power points need to be grounded.
If you follow the instructions in the next step you will be able to ground your own plants and start enjoying the benefits! "
There is so much wrong with these paragraphs, it's not even funny. You talk about "negative electrons" - of course they're negative! They're electrons! If electrons had a positive charge, that would put a big kink in modern physics and chemistry.
Next, the plant isn't just going to "pick up AC electricity in the air". None of that makes sense, that's not how electricity works. It's such a confusing statement I'm not sure where to start. AC electricity isn't just "picked up". Opposites attract, Electricity and plants generally don't. AC current isn't just floating around in the air.
Then the "experiment".
"The results were astounding. When we started we grounded the runt of the two, it was substantially smaller than the other one and it took a week for it not only to catch up but overtake the larger plant!"
This is a trial... really? This is weak. Two plants? That's it? Did you control for water, sunlight, random variations, temperature, humidity, etc? Do you have concrete data? No one can take this seriously. I admit, I haven't stuck metal wire into a live outlet, to then put it in soil to test it's usefulness for growing plants, but you need data to prove it, not this "experiment".
As for this gem
"This works with any plant that is insulated, if it is directly touching concrete it should be grounded, concrete is conducted.
Asphalt, rubber, plastics and dry ground are NOT grounded."
Ground in a house outlet is wired to a bar sunk several feet into the ground. That's it. Ground is a thing because no one wants play russian roulette by touching the metal case of an ungrounded metal case. Your confusing statement that "concrete is conducted"... argh, it doesn't make any sense either. Concrete, in general, is an insulator, not a conductor. Most metal objects and a handful of metalloids conduct electricity. Insulators, such as rubber and plastic, and concrete, by definition, are generally poor conductors.
Finally, this is really dumb from a safety standpoint. Filing off the prongs on one side, and an extension cord soil... You might as well win a Darwin Award. Mains voltage is no joke, but grounding your plants certainly is.
Reply 5 years ago
Electro-culture - https://scholar.google.ca/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=1%2C5&as_vis=1&q=Electroculture&btnG=
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
here is a very detailed study published by brown university. the yield seems to rise upto %50
https://browntia.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/theor...
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
That "study" is flawed at best. Did you actually read it? There are multiple advertisements for a grounding device, and a terrible "lab" report. They use Brown's name ( not actually on brown's website, mind you), and have both a dubious methodology and biases that you should be very suspicious of. I don't mean to sound cynical, but at best, this is a seriously flawed bit of work.
"On one bench, ten identical seedlings were grounded and plugged in with Earth & Grow devices that were inserted into the plants’ growing medium at an angle towards the center of the pot. On an adjacent bench, ten identical pepper plants were not grounded and used as controls."
Also, this "study" was under the supervision of the guy selling the product! Anytime a brand name product is mentioned multiple times, you should be very, very cautious of the conclusion. Serious conflict of interest. There's no way anyone could possibly take this seriously. To be honest, I thought it was a joke. Turns out it's just a crummy endorsement of a sham product/concept.
"This experimentation on grounded pepper plants was conducted during the summer of 2012 at the Brown University Greenhouse Environmental Facilities under the supervision of Fred Jackson, Director of the Plant Environmental Center and Stephen Doyle, Cofounder of Earth & Grow grounding systems. "
I'll be honest, anyone who still believes this works is entitled to their own beliefs, but the science behind this is non-existent.
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
i dont know if it is a hoax my friend.. there are a lot of user comments and reviews saying that it does work... maybe we should set up a more detailed side by side study.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiSQEKDfdY4
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
I'm not sure what that's supposed to show, but this will be my last comment on this - a fool and his money are easily parted. Want to test grounding? Go for it! Be safe, don't plug that into an electrical receptacle, and understand what's happening. Do a test, test your hypothesis, control for variables, etc. But please, please don't buy this overpriced junk. There's a reason you're hearing about this on afternoon tv, and not the news.
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
If you follow the 'ible this will turn out to be free, all you have to do is find a dump and scavenge the power cord and a bit of metal off an old fridge and put it together for free!
I agree not to buy the overpriced equipment, doing it yourself it waaaay cheaper :)
8 years ago on Introduction
Well, to all the doubters -- there's only one true scientific way to test this.
Paging the Mythbusters. Paging the Mythbusters :)
8 years ago on Introduction
so all we have to do is eliminate the + and - on the outlet and connect it to ground, right? question. why do we have to use a metal strip. can the wire not go directly in to the soil buried within the soil? i have many smart plant pots and plant care instruments that can easily be adapted for this grounding purpose.. !! this is way too cool.
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
No you don't have to use a metal strip, inserting the wires into the soil will do the same thing.
I did it for the photos.
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
I don't know what that 2 prong is
plugged into but removing the live and neutral pins on a 3 pin plug is
how I'd do it. That way all you have left is the earth pin, much less
chance for accidents to happen, besides the fact that your AC
distribution board should have an earth leakage trip switch, which would
trip the house power if you messed up with your connections.
In a
hydroponic system it would be sufficient to ground the water with a
copper strap hanging inside the water reservoir, assuming that the plant
roots are submerged, that would allow the plants to dissipate any built
up charge.
I also thought about stripping the insulation from the
copper wire and sticking it into the soil, but its a lot easier for a
wire to work loose and pull free in the soil than it would be for a
metal strap. (ideally something non-corrosive like copper brass or
stainless steel)
8 years ago on Introduction
Wait, whaaat? Grounding plants? I'm having trouble believing! What is the scientific basis behind this?
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
After a little research, this was the only scientific work I could find on the topic.
https://browntia.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/theories-in-action-poster-william-gasner.pdf
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
this is the wildest, yet most sense making thing i've seen in a long time !! i have to give this a try asap.. thank you both very much.!!
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
At the moment grounding/earthing is very very new.
It works on the principle that there are currently particles of electricity floating around everywhere, these collect in plants and cannot be drained because they are insulated from the ground in a pot.
They need to be grounded in order to release these particles of electricity.
There are only like 5 sites that talk about it so you will have to do extensive research to find the full science behind it.
8 years ago on Introduction
I have to say this is really impressive. It is an interesting idea that plants may benefit from having this natural condition re-introduced.
Reply 8 years ago on Introduction
Thanks, if you see the photos, it definitely makes a difference!
It is a very interesting idea and I'm glad it worked :)