regarding the relationship between sound and plants

Taken from the Biodynamics Now! discussion list

*********

You asked about Sonic Bloom.

The following is an old ATTRA technical
response — circa 2005 — that I had compiled
for farmers who inquired about such things.

Some of the topics I handled for ATTRA were
in the Quantum Physics category. When Don Elwood
called the ATTRA phone line and said he is “praying
to seeds”, I said I’ll take the call. That led to
many years of correspondence and data sharing.

My graduate research dealt with foliar fertilization
in pecans. Then later I had studied and used foliar
fertilization methods by Carey Reams, so I also
have a resource guide available on “An Eco-Farming
Approach to Foliar Fertilization” which goes into
much greater detail on principles and recipes.

A take home message is there is more to a question
than a simple pat answer if you expand it out
and link concepts and practices together.

The bottomline is that you can do your own version
of Sonic Bloom through a liquid tea program containing
soluble nutrients (i.e., sea minerals), seaweed,
fish, compost tea, and microbial concotions….
further enhanced by chanting and singing with your
heart cakra open and love flowing forth — and/or by
hooking up speakers and broadcasting special audio
recordings.

Steve Diver
Texas

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Farmer:

You talked to an ATTRA specialist about Sonic Bloom,
the practice of foliar feeding with audio sounds of birds
chirping in the background.

Most farmers and scientists are probably skeptical of playing
“music” to plants in association with foliar feeding.

Yet, there are two agricultural systems in place that employ
these practices.

This first method is known as Sonic Bloom. It is based
on the work of Dan Carlson in Minnesota.

Sonic Bloom is a plant growth system that plays recordings
of sounds or music in combination with foliar feeding. The
foliar mixture, developed by Carlson over a 15 year period,
contains sixty-four trace elements, chelated amino-acids,
and growth stimulants derived from seaweedand natural plant
products. The Sonic Bloom foliar spray is approved for
certified organic farming by OMRI (Organic Materials Review
Institute), which is a prominent organic labeling program.
The musical sounds, determined through research with an audio
engineer, have an oscillating frequency in the four-to-six
kilohertz range and are similar to the high-frequency range
of many bird calls, such as those made by sparrows, martins,
and warblers. Carlson found these sounds cause an increase
in leaf stomata density as well as leaf stomata activity,
which helps plants absorb the foliar-applied nutrients better.

The intention of Sonic Bloom is an increase in crop
growth and yield. Reports from farmers who’ve employed
Sonic Bloom look promising, yet I’m unaware of university
trials for comparison.

Foliar feeding with seaweed and liquid organic fertilizers is
a well established horticultural practice. Therefore, at least
half of the Sonic Bloom system is agronomically sound. The
other half, stimulating plants by playing sounds and music,
is certainly intriguing.

The Sonic Bloom website contains documentation, articles,
videos, research packets, and supplies. Contact:

Sonic Bloom / Dan Carlson Scientific Enterprises, Inc.
w7964-810th Ave.
River Falls, WI 54022
763-757-8274
inventor@…
http://www.sonicbloom.com

The second system is separate from Sonic Bloom, but is
based on similar technology. It is based on the work of
Don Elwood of Riner, Virginia. Elwood, an aerospace engineer
trained in Reiki, conducts plant experiments using Sonic
Bloom-like treatments.

Reiki, as an introduction, is an energetic healing science
based on subtle energies. In holistic health, Reiki is
often associated with therapeutic massage. It is sometimes
associated with “laying of hands,” because the practitioner
uses his/her hands to transmit or adjust subtle energy
patterns in the patient’s body.

Elwood first became interested in Reiki in agriculture after
he learned that a group of Christian healers — in the 1950s
— practiced their technique of “laying of hands” on plants.
He has since written several books that describe how Reiki-like
practices have been used in agriculture by such indigenous
cultures as the Mayan and Navajo Indians, as well as
Polynesian tribes.

According to Elwood, Pythagoras, the Father of Sacred
Geometry, first substantiated that music influences plants.
Elwood says that music in B-flat or sound frequencies
at 240 cycles per second are most effective. Elwood also
explained that stomates expand in size by 60% when
East Indian ragas are played. Apparently, all of these
sounds and/or pitches help vibrate the stomata in a certain
way.

Elwood thinks “Shubert’s 8th Symphony in B Minor…
Unfinished,” especially versions with lots of brass, has
the best effect. He plays this music to his sprouts and
plants for an hour each morning. Superimposed over
this he broadcasts sound frequencies at 4,000 cycles
per second. These are, in turn, combined with foliar
feedings of seaweed. Sprouts grown via this system
were thirty-seven times longer than those from untreated
seeds.

Elwood combines these Sonic Bloom-like treatments
of seed sprouts and plants with a series of other
alternative treatments. Reiki blessings are used to
energize seeds and water, crystals are used in association
with seed sprouts, and planting arrangements in the
garden include circle gardening and pyramid gardening.

Some of the ideas presented here about Reiki blessings,
crystals, and pyramid gardening beg further explanation,
but suffice it to say Elwood has shown through
experimentation that Sonic Bloom-like treatments do
indeed have an effect on seed sprouts and plant growth.

The results of these experiments are detailed in his books:
Spiritual Gardening at Its Best, A Quest for the Navoti Spirit
(1993), Holistic Gardening: A Scientific Approach for
Gardening with Love (1995), and Knocking at the
Gate: The White Gold Adventure (1996).

In addition to books and gardening bulletins, Elwood
sells Reiki-enhanced seeds of open-pollinated varieties
through The Hands of Light (HOL) Seed Company.
HOL also carries three different audio tapes for Sonic
Bloom-type treatments: (1) Schubert’s 8th Grow Tape,
(2) Sonic Germination Tape, and (3) Chirp Frequency
Tape. Contact:

Hands of Light Seeds
6482 Piney Woods Road
Riner, VA 24149
http://www.liteweb.org/hol/

[Please note: My notes on Don Elwood are based on
conversations and correspondence from the mid- to late-1990s.
The Web page for Hands of Light Seeds is still on-line, but
parts are inactive. Likewise, I have not heard from Don Elwood
in several years. I am passing along this information because
it is unique, it offers an historical glimpse of Elwood’s
backyard research into vibrational agricultural practices.
Amazon.com still carries several books written by
Don Elwood.]

A related item on sound and music that readers may find
interesting is the field known as cymatics. Cymatics: A
Study of Wave Phenomena is the title of a book written by
the Swiss physicist Hans Jenny, published by Basilius
Presse AG, Basel, in 1967. The following review provides
a quick introduction to this subject.

“The field of cymatics is the study of the structure and
dynamics of waves and vibrations, the fundamental materials
of music and of life forms. The study of cymatics should
be included in the fundamental theoretical studies of
anyone interested in sonic or visual music. Without waves,
vibrations, and periodicity there is no movement, no sound,
no music.”

“Han Jenny’s book is filled with photographs of beautiful
organic imagery (Chaldni figures) he created with sound
waves (including some music of Bach and Mozart)
driving metal plates and various diaphragms covered
with lycopodium powder, liquids, metal filings, and
viscous material. He used vibrating crystals so he could
precisely control the frequencies and amplitudes of the
signals creating the dynamic imagery for his studies.”

“The text of the book makes the case for the principle
of periodicity being the fundamentally dominant force
in both the organic and inorganic world. “What insights
into vibration and periodicity have been gained in the
vast range extending from the cosmic systems (rotations,
pulsations, turbulences, circulations, plasma oscillations,
periodicity of many kinds in both details and the whole)
down to the world of atomic or even nuclear physics
(shell model of nucleus; nucleon structure; organization
of meson clouds)! Here again, the idea of periodicity
is all-embracing.”

Source:

Ron Pellegrino’s Recommended Thought Food for Composers
of Sonic Music and Visual Music
Ron Pellegrino and Electronic Arts Productions.
Accessed May 2002 at:
http://www.microweb.com/ronpell/Cymatics.html

Articles and resources on cymatics, Hans Jenny’s book, and
related topics are featured on the following MACROmedia
Web page. His books, Cymatics: A Study of Wave Phenomena,
Vols I and II, are available for sale at this Web site.
See:

MACROmedia
219 Grant Road
Newmarket, NH 03857-2145
603-659-2929
253-322-7996 FAX
jeffvolk@…
http://www.cymaticsource.com

In summary, allow me to put these novel practices into
perspective.

In sustainable soil management and crop production, we emphasis
humus management (e.g., cover crops, green manures, composts,
crop rotations) and adequate mineral nutrition (e.g., mineral
fertilizers and rock dusts). Foliar fertilization is a
supplemental practice that some growers employ.

Thus, the Sonic Bloom-type practices are interesting, and
reports from practitioner have been positive. However,
a grower looking into the adoption of Sonic Bloom should
examine the cost of this system in comparison to other
inputs needed to raise a crop. Sonic Bloom does not
replace compost, mineral fertilizers, and foliar
fertilizers.

As foliar fertilization is a fundamental practice in
association with Sonic Bloom, it will be helpful to learn
about foliar fertilization and modern ecofarming methods
used to evaluate its efficacy. Request the resource guide
“An Eco-Farming Approach to Foliar Fertilization” for
further information..

I hope these comments and resources are helpful.

Sincerely,

Steve Diver
[Formerly NCAT-ATTRA Agricultural Specialist]
[http://www.attra.ncat.org]

Further links:

Sonic Bloom

Don Elwood