Electroculture has huge potential to help farmers grow more food and even help houseplants thrive in pots.
But many people have labeled electroculture a pseudo-science.
Is it legit…or is it an “old wives tale?”
There's only one way to find out. Do your own research and test it for yourself.
In this article, I'll get you started on your research journey and provide proof that it has worked for others. You'll also discover the history of electroculture, see case studies, find out about the best books, and most importantly, learn how to test the concepts.
The best part is that the materials to make an electroculture device are cheap and you can make your first device in less than 10 minutes.
Since information on this method has only started to resurface recently, there isn't a lot of content about it online at the moment.
But that is going to change very soon.
So keep an open mind, and judge electroculture by the results.
Alright, let's dive in…
Table of Contents
What is Electroculture?
First, let's define electroculture. Some people think that it's just sticking metal into the ground.
That's part of it, but there's much more to it than that.
Before I get into the specific methods, it's important to understand the general concept.
Electroculture is the practice of channeling magnetic and electric energy from the atmosphere into the soil. This can help plants grow bigger and has shown to reduce the need for fertilizer.
Since magnetic energy and electricity are closely related, we have to be aware of both, and how they can contribute to improving plant growth.
You can learn more about how they are related here.
In addition, it's been proven that there's 100 volts of electrical potential for every meter that you go up from the ground.
So there are two scientific principles that will help you begin to understand how electroculture works.
A more accurate name for electroculture would probably be magneto-electroculture or electro-magnetoculture.
Now let's see if there's any evidence that electricity and/or magnetism can help plants grow.
For starters, many experienced gardeners report that their plants experience a growth spurt after a lightning storm.
Like this guy…
But what if you could channel some of that energy into the ground all the time, not just during a lightning storm?
That's basically what electroculture does.
The Benefits of Electroculture
The primary benefit of electroculture is that it helps plants grow bigger and produce more food.
People also report that their plants have less or no disease, and they see more beneficial insects (like bees) and animals (like earthworms).
But that's just a short summary of the benefits.
You'll see a lot more details in the case studies section below.
The History of Electroculture
So is this a new thing or has it been around for awhile?
Electroculture techniques have been around for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years.
The first books on more modern electroculture techniques seem to appear in the late 1700s.
One of the most famous practitioners of electroculture was Justin Christofleau. He was able to increase crop yields by 30% to 100%, in the 1920s and 1930s.
When he died, he held many electroculture patents and proved without a doubt that it works.
Since then, there have been many people who have experimented with electroculture and have had similar success.
If you want to get a more detailed history of electroculture, read this excellent article.
The Easiest Way to Get Started With Electroculture
If you want to try this out for yourself, getting started is really easy. Make a very simple antenna and see how it works.
You only need 2 things:
- A wooden stake: This could be some old scrap wood or even a tree branch. If you're working with small potted plants, bamboo skewers work well.
- Copper wire: Several metals can work, but copper will always give the best results because of its high conductivity.
Simply wrap the wire around the stake like this. You can do experiments to see if winding it one way or the other improves performance.
You don't have to put a loop at the end, I just like doing that. If you want to buy ready made stakes, go here.
When you're doing this for the first time, keep it simple.
Don't overthink it…just wrap.
Now stick the stake in a pot or in the ground next to your plant.
It also helps to take a picture of the plant before you put the stake in. Then you can see the progress later.
If you want to get really scientific about it, get 2 plants that are of a similar size and the same type (e.g. 2 tomato plants).
Keep them in the same conditions, but put the antenna in one plant and leave the other one as-is.
What did you discover?
I would love to hear about your results, contact me here.
Here's a video explaining how and why this works.
Electroculture Methods and Case Studies
There are many more ways to direct magnetic and electrical energy into the ground to grow bigger plants.
Here are some of the proven techniques that can be used.
The best part is that you don't need fancy equipment.
I've also included case studies, whenever possible, to show you instances when the method worked.
Magnetic Antennas
I showed you how to create a simple antenna in the tutorial above, but now let's get into a design that's a little more complex, but still very easy to make.
This video will show you how to add magnets to your antenna and potentially improve your results.
There are many examples of how this design improved the yield of food crops.
Lakhovsky Coils
Another type of antenna that you can make is a Lakhovsky Coil.
This is a simple coil that goes around the base of a plant.
The opening of the loop has to face North and the South side of the loop has to be higher by about 30 degrees.
You can also learn how to make other types of coils in this video.
Germinate Seeds Faster With Magnets
This woman conducted a simple study where she exposed seeds to a magnet.
She found that facing the South pole of the magnet towards the seeds yielded the best results. She also mentions some great resources for electroculture information.
Many people have duplicated and verified these results.
This is just one of many videos available on the topic.
Direct Electricity Injection
This method is probably not sustainable in the long run, but it does prove the concept.
A group of researchers exposed plants to 0.5 to 1 milliamp of electricity per acre, over a period of 6 years.
The study showed an overall success rate of 77.7%.
You can read about the study on the Cambridge University website.
Energy Towers
This is a super interesting one. You may have seen round towers before, especially in Europe.
But you probably haven't thought of them as energy collection devices.
His research showed that round towers in Ireland and Belgium actually collect energy.
So he figured out how to build them to improve plant growth in a garden, and the results are phenomenal.
The lighting effect above the towers is also pretty cool.
These towers are great alternatives to antennas because they are a little more durable.
Learn about the science behind them in this video…
How to Use Basalt in Electroculture
This video shows that basalt can also be used to improve the growth of plants. The reason it works is surprisingly similar to how the antennas work.
Basalt has magnetic properties that can be a great addition any garden.
Get a ton of tips and see real results of studies in this video…
The most interesting technique that I discovered in this video was the use of basalt to keep disease away from trees.
He simply spread a ring of basalt around the base of a tree that had seasonal disease for years, and it didn't have that disease anymore.
Very interesting stuff.
Check out Yannick's excellent YouTube channel for more videos. Many of them are in French, but you can use the auto translate feature on YouTube to get a good idea of what he's talking about.
He also has many devices for sale.
Water Plants With Magnetized Water
Another variation on these themes is to magnetize water before watering your plants.
Again, this might sound like it can't possibly work.
But let's take a look to see if there is any evidence that supports this claim.
In a study done by researchers at Western Sydney University, they showed that magnetized water helped improve the yield and water efficiency in celery and snow peas.
However, the magnetized water did not have a statistically significant effect on regular pea plants.
This is an important point because these methods probably do not affect all plants in the same way.
So you have to test out every electroculture method on a small scale, before implementing it on a large scale.
If the video above doesn't show, you can watch the video here.
You can read the complete WSU study here.
Music
I think most people of heard of people using music to help plants grow. In a way, this is also a form of electroculture.
See the results of using music in this video…
Growing Plants in Pyramids
It's been shown that pyramids can also improve plant growth.
This may seem a little far fetched, but if you think of a pyramid as another type of antenna, then I think you'll start to see the potential.
Watch this fascinating video to learn more.
Books on Electroculture
Old books on this topic are starting to gain popularity.
Many of the good ones are in French, but there are also some in English.
There is a ton of data from actual experiments in these books, so if you really want to nerd out on electroculture, I would suggest getting a few.
See the my list of the best electroculture books here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which metals work best for electroculture devices?
It seems to depend on which type of device you build. In my research, copper, brass and galvanized steel can all work.
However, because of its conductive properties, copper is the best overall.
When in doubt, use copper.
How tall should my antenna be?
It depends on the area you want to cover. A tall antenna (6 feet+) can cover a small field. A small antenna (6 inches+) is great for small potted plants.
Do some research on what people are using, but antennas are scalable.
Are there any electroculture documentaries that I can watch?
I don't know of any at the moment. But a team is currently working on one.
You can find out more about it here.
Can I use electroculture antennas with potted plants?
Yes.
Just use a smaller antenna.
An antenna as small as 6 inches will work.
What are some common mistakes when doing electroculture for the first time?
A common mistake is try it once and write it off if it doesn't work.
There could be many reasons why your experiment didn't work, that have nothing to do with electroculture.
So if your experiment didn't work, go back and try to find potential reasons why it didn't work.
Maybe your seeds were old, there was too much electric interference from a TV or other electronic device, or there was too much sun. Your soil may also have been too wet/dry for the type of plant you're trying to grown.
On top of that, some plants seem to respond much better than others. If you have a plant that has a low response, try combining the different methods that you've learned above.
Try different seeds, experiment with different types of plants and move them to different locations if your first experiments don't seem to work.
Is thicker wire better?
Thicker wires are able to conduct more current and therefore are generally more beneficial.
But something is usually better than nothing. So start with what you have and experiment from there.
Final Thoughts on Electroculture
So that's all of the best information that I have found or created on electroculture.
Again, don't take my word for it…or anyone else's word, for that matter.
Go out and try it for yourself. That is the only way to find out if this works or not.
The supplies are cheap and you can make a device in the time that it takes to watch a short YouTube video.
Get all of our recommended supplies here.
If it doesn't work for you, then figure out if you did something wrong or if you can improve in any way.
It could be that the method you used is not particularly effective on that plant. Also consider other factors that may have contributed to the negative results.
Once you get it working, you've developed a new skill that you can use to grow healthy plants for the rest of your life.
My goal is to make this the best guide on electroculture available anywhere.
If you have anything to add that you've discovered in your research, let me know here.
Happy growing!
