Plant Copper: Will This Really Make Your Utah Garden Grow?

Electricity in your Gardening 

Should you plant copper in your garden along with seeds? It’s not because you want to grow a strand of wire, it is called electroculture gardening and is based on the idea that electrical currents spur plant growth. 

It isn’t a new idea. Over a hundred years ago they found electrical current made seed germinate faster. It has been ignored over the years until recently when Chinese scientists began experimenting with success in creating higher yields. 

Will it Really Work?

There isn’t a lot of research on electroculture gardening, and some doubt its validity. Others have noted how plants under high power lines do better. It would be unsustainable to run power off the grid through your garden, but you could take advantage of power in the atmosphere. 

There are charged particles coming from the atmosphere. Those who recommend it say you can wrap a copper wire like an antennae to direct charge into the soil. There are many experiments online that show their results. 

Electroculture Experiment in My Garden 

I tried this method in my own garden last year. The results were...meh. I didn’t do a side-by-side comparison where one plant had a copper rod and the other didn’t. I just put copper wire around a stick and put it in the dirt by my peas and cucumbers. 

The peas did really well, but they usually grow good for me. My cucumbers were lousy, but that is not unusual for my garden. I plan on trying it again this year. I will put copper by one plant and not the other and see if it makes a difference. 

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If you have tried this method and found it productive, I would like to know your strategy. Some say any metal like tomato cages will do it. All I know is my garden could use any help it can get.