As some of you know, I post a research update every three months or so on Susan Harris’ blog www.sustainable-gardening.com as well as on GardenRant. This update reviews scientific articles which might be useful to gardeners. Anyway, I just finished up a new edition earlier this week — which will probably be posted soon — that included one of the more interesting articles that I’ve seen recently. For my post today I thought I’d spend just a couple of paragraphs telling you about it. Unfortunately it’s not one that is readily available online, so I’ll give you the reference at the end of this article, but few of you will be able to see it without going to some effort.
So, what is this article about that has me so excited? Well, OK, excited might not be the word — amused might be a better word. So what is this article about that has me so amused? It’s about rubbing African violets with gloved hands or non-gloved hands treated with body lotion (Simply Basic Melon Delight Body Lotion). A researcher went to the trouble of rubbing these plants with their hands for 30 or 90 seconds at a time, 3 times a week, and then measuring plant response. And the results? Plants without any rubbing did best, followed by rubbing with a gloved hand, followed by rubbing with hand-lotion treated hands. And yes, 90 seconds of rubbing was worse than 30 seconds.
So, what does this research mean to you? Actually it probably has important implications for the African Violet industry and those who work in it, but to me it just reinforces the idea that plants are not pets…..
The Article: Brotton, J. C., and J. C. Cole. 2009. Brushing using a hand coated with body lotion or in a latex glove decreases African violet plant quality and size. HortTechnology 19:613-616.
Great post, Jeff! (Maybe the African violets weren’t melon lotion lovers?) I had a grad student who looked at the effects of touching on broccoli plants – they were measurably shorter and thicker. The $30 word for this phenomenon (as Jeff knows) is thigmomorphogenesis. I’ve got a short column on the topic at http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda%20Chalker-Scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Thigmomorphogenesis.pdf
It is hard to believe that someone went to the trouble of actually researching that which seems so obvious but then that is what research is all about isn’t it? I do like that new word, thigmomorphogenesis and will add it to my vocabulary. Thanks as always for the info.
I visited a couple commercial green houses that said they help their annuals grow strong by walking down the isles with their arms out stretched brushing the tops of the plants. Supposedly it made the plants develope more fiber in their stems and thus transplant better. While it’s not petting it was supposedly a “good touch”. Any response?
@Foy, check out the link I posted on the topic above. (I know it’s obnoxiously long, but that’s the way WSU’s system works. Or you can just go to my web page, click on horticultural myths, and go down to August 2005.) But the short answer to your question is yes, brushing makes a stockier plant and enha
nces root growth – both good for transplanting.
My grandmother told me not to touch the leaves of African violets because they didn’t like it. She had hundreds of the darn things on every windowsill of her house. I never have – never will. They should have asked her… 😉
You know, our grandmas were pretty darn smart. Out of all the myths that I’ve busted, none of them were part of my grandmother’s gardening wisdom. (Hey fellow GPs – sounds like a book project – Grandma’s Gardening Tips!)
Doesn’t the brushing go along with the idea that using an indoor fan to stimulate wind strengthens stems of tomato seedlings?
Jeff, your pets comment brought me a vision of someone leashing thier African violet for a walk outside to get a spot of fresh air. Thanks for the laugh.
I’ve been looking for a way to earn a little extra income…where can I sign up to work on a project like this?:) I guess I’ll just stick to petting my dog.
I don’t know about you cynical folks but I found this article interesting and incitful. I’m glad to know that the scientific method has proven my grandma right!
Haha plants are not pets.
I think it’s kind of weird that a study about rubbing violets was done to see how it affects their growth, but it’s kind of cool too.
hm