My neighbor in Phoenix swore by talking to her plants, and I finally tried it for real.

I started chatting with my sad basil plant every morning while making coffee, and after about three weeks it actually got bushier and stopped wilting. I always thought it was just a silly thing people said, but now I'm wondering if the sound or the carbon dioxide from talking really does something. Has anyone else had a plant respond to something they were totally sure was nonsense?

3 comments

3 Comments

david5622d ago

Honestly, it's one of those things that makes you wonder how many other small habits we write off as magic. I've seen similar stuff with people playing music for their seedlings or even just being in the room more often. My guess is it's less about the CO2 and more about the routine it creates for you, you know? You're probably just paying closer attention and watering it right because you're there talking to it every day. It's funny how the simple act of noticing something can change how we care for it.

bennett.mason2d ago

Yeah the "simple act of noticing" thing @david562 said makes a lot of sense now.

the_linda12h ago

That point about noticing changing how we care for things really hits home. David562 is right that it builds a routine, but I wonder if the plant itself picks up on something else. Maybe our voice or just our calm presence near it changes the tiny air currents or even the humidity right around its leaves. We focus on what we do for the plant, but maybe the plant is also reacting to just having a quiet, steady energy nearby. It's not magic, but it might be a two way street we don't fully see.