Electroculture
With applications dating back to the ancient world, Electroculture is experiencing an exciting revival at the moment. Although using ambient electromagnetic currents to enhance plant growth is not new, contemporaries are finding creative ways to adapt and apply techniques to bring our gardens (and our food) into greater harmony. What an exciting time!
Learn from the best.
We’re following the work of Dr. Yannick Van Doorne, a Belgian agronomist located in France, who’s been applying and promoting passive electroculture techniques for fifteen years. We had the pleasure of discussing electroculture with him recently.
Our community of electroculture experimenters here in Ontario meet online biweekly to share projects and refine techniques. If you’re interested in joining our community, write to me. (I’m Angela! :)
ON OUR HOMESTEAD, 2023
ELECTROCULTURE EXPERIMENTS
OVERWINTERING LEEKS EXPERIMENT
Leeks, Feb 11, 2023
Lakhovsky coil around an overwintering clump of leeks (RIGHT). Other clumps in the bed are the control (LEFT). Similar size, condition and number.
Feb 25, 2023
Slight visible differences in vitality emerging. Treated group appears to be strengthening and perking up. Stems appear to be thickening and becoming harder compared to control which seems to be remaining in the dormant state.
Updates to follow.
OVERWINTERING SWISS CHARD EXPERIMENT
Feb 7, 2023
Installed a 9ft length of 4” copper pipe at the corner of an overwintering swiss chard bed. Added antenna crown following day. All copper. Bed was seemingly dormant, but healthy. Plants similar in size. (Wish I had taken photos from the same angle to better compare).
Chard in the high tunnel, Feb 11, 2023
Feb 11, 2023
We’ve had warm weather and plants are coming alive. 4 days since installation. (LEFT) Plants closest to the copper pipe atmospheric antenna. (RIGHT) Plants furthest away from the antenna.
Feb 25, 2023
(LEFT) Plants furthest from the antenna. (RIGHT) Plants closest to the antenna.
Swiss chard plants closest to the antenna appear to be flushing out more new growth.
Updates to follow.
PROPAGATIONS BY CUTTINGS EXPERIMENT
Feb 13, 2023
Started with two identical sets of softwood cuttings : 4x white sage and 4x culinary sage in each pot with same soil mix, same bottom-watering schedule, same location under fluorescent lighting. Roughly 20° C. No rooting hormone.
Lakhovsky coil placed around one set of cuttings (LEFT) and the other was left to root without a coil - the control (RIGHT). Cuttings began with indistinguishable differences.
Feb 25, 2023
After 12 days, the cuttings surrounded by a coil are showing more vigour, especially the white sage cuttings which are doing poorly in the control. The cuttings with coil are behaving as though they are either rooting already or have a greater amount of stored energy to flush out new growth. White sage cuttings in the control are withering, rotting at the stem. Culinary sage cuttings are still firm and seem to be keeping pace with the culinary sage in the the treated pot.
Future updates to follow.
SCHISANDRA VINE SEMI-HARDWOOD CUTTINGS ROOTING EXPERIMENT
Jan 13, 2023
6 cuttings of schisandra vine similar in size, placed in same soil, same watering schedule, same location under fluorescent lights. Temp approx 20° C. One pot with lakhovsky coil, the other without.
Nothing to report as of Feb 25, 2023.
Future updates will follow.
OVERWINTERING KALE DORMANCY EXPERIMENT
Feb 7, 2023
Lakhovsky coil placed around one overwintering kale plant in a bed of kale in the high tunnel. Chose a plant that was healthy but not the biggest or strongest.
FEB 25, 2023
No change noted in any plants in the bed as of Feb 25, except that the cats seem to be attracted to the coils and dig around them, moving them from their North orientation. Must keep on top of this. Wondering how it would affect the coil if I were to pin it down in the soil with a plastic pin.
Future updates to follow.
HASKAP HARDWOOD CUTTINGS ROOTING EXPERIMENT
Feb 10, 2023
2x haskap cuttings rooting in water in two glass containers. One with a lakhovsky coil and mini copper antenna. The other (RIGHT) is the control.
Nothing to report as of Feb 25.
Future updates to follow.
ALOE WITH SCALE: PEST PRESSURE EXPERIMENT
Feb 17, 2023
Every now and then I have to treat this otherwise healthy aloe for scale using neam oil and soap. It’s painful to watch, but I’ve placed a Lakhovsky coil at the base and now we wait.
SCHISANDRA VINES BREAKING DORMANCY EXPERIMENT
February 25, 2023
Schisandra vine overwintering in high tunnel. LEFT is the control. RIGHT is the plant treated with a lakhovsky coil.
Updates to follow.
CURRANT HARDWOOD CUTTINGS ROOTING EXPERIMENT
Feb 10, 2023
2x cuttings of same size and health. One set rooting in copper vessel with a copper mini antenna and coil (RIGHT). The control on the LEFT.
Feb 25th, 2023
Nothing to report except that plants nearby the antenna seem to have put on new growth and are reaching to face the antenna.
Older leaves approx 4”
Newest leaves, stretching toward the canopy of the antenna, 5” +
Unusually large leaves for a pothos, which normally only increase leaf size as they climb higher into canopy or up a trellis.
Future updates to follow.
CAULIFLOWER OVERWINTERING FOR SEED EXPERIMENT
Feb 12, 2023
Small sized Lakhovsky coil placed around the base of one of two overwintering cauliflower (biennial). These are being grown out for seed for 2024.
Nothing to report as of Feb 25.
Future updates to follow.
OVERWINTERING TWIN CITRONELLAS EXPERIMENT
Feb 10, 2023
Identical large-sized citronellas overwintering in the same pot. Added a Lakhovsky coil to LEFT and RIGHT remains the control.
Nothing to report as of Feb 25, 2023.
Future updates to follow.
LOOFA GROWING EXPERIMENT
Feb 11, 2023
Two healthy loofa plants. Same seed, soil, bottom watering, and conditions. One inside a coil with other plants (ABOVE).
The control, outside the coil.
Feb 26th: Plants each have 3 leaves. Seemingly on par.
Future updates to follow.
PLANTS BREAKING DORMANCY
Very early observations of plants breaking dormancy within days of exposure to coils and mini antenna.
Feb 7, 2023
DORMANCY ALLEY, where frost-intolerant plants spend the winter. I added Lakhovsky coils to 2 lemon trees and a bay leaf plant (the bay leaf spent the entire summer in the high tunnel and put on ZERO new growth).
Feb 11: After 3 days the bay leaf pushed out three new shoots within the vicinity of the coil.
Feb 10: After 3 days Lemon 1 pushed out new buds.
Feb 10: Lemon 2 also pushed out new growth.
Feb 5: A dormant rosemary put on new growth within a week.
Feb 26: Waking fully. No control to compare.
Feb 6: a dormant lemongrass plant put out new growth after a week with this copper crown/burst. NB: the little plant that I hooked the antenna onto with a closed loop, died.
Added pole to elevate the mini antenna as nearby plants were flushing new growth. Almost 100% success on softwood cuttings placed directly in mother pots (clary sage and ditanny of crete nearby) with no hormone.
PLANNED PROJECTS: SPRING 2023
We have all our materials ready, but winter has to close in order for us to scale up our experiments beyond single pots to larger experiments involving entire garden rows. Here’s what we have planned…
When the snow melts this flag pole will be relocated to the orchard/ food forest and retrofit into an atmospheric antenna.
Building copper pyramids to energize seeds, soil, water and plants. (And humans too?)
Application of a magnets to the existing wires of seven 50ft beds already running north-south in half the greenhouse. Here we will be able to run experiments involving dozens of plants with equally large control groups.
Horizontal wires already connect to stainless steel corkscrews in the soil. The chickens think it’s a good idea to use what’s existing :)
Adding coils and magnets to 5+ beehives to support the colonies.
Adding basalt to the orchard/ food forest rows.