I wish I could remember who was responsible for that most life changing
gift I have ever received: The book "The secret life of plants" on my
15th Birthday. I started to read about Cleve Backster and others whom
where experimenting with plants, their bio-signals and communication and
became so intrigued, that I could not refrain from further
investigation. Are green plants really able to feel our presence? Do
they react to life threatening circumstances? Are plants connected in a
certain way with each other? And: Wouldn't it be incredible to have a
device, which could visualize plants actions and reactions? Are plants
natural bio-sensors detecting environmental changes, which conventional
sensors can't? The potential applications are endless. A project
publication in an electronic magazine about a medical instrumentation
amplifier triggered the start to build my first green plant bio-signal
measuring device. After finishing soldering all components together, I
discovered that an old dishwasher perfectly fulfilled the purpose of a
shielded measuring chamber. My family Doctor provided me with conductive
EKG/EEG gel, and I was ready to measure. Carefully, I smeared a drop of
that conductive paste onto my self made electrodes, and stuck it to the
leaves of my Philodendron plant. To be able to display the plants
bio-signals, I had borrowed an old mechanical x-t plotter from the
Electronic lab at University Stuttgart, where I was working at that
time. The exciting journey had begun... All things in nature have a very
basic phenomenon: They all need to survive and be successful. No matter
what the organism on this planet, the ability to enhance of its own
protection capabilities and advance over others, to gain superiority is
THE only priority. Threat makes every living organism to react. If we
experience a threatening moment, our adrenalin levels increase and we
react with fight or flight defenses. Animal sensors are way more complex
and can sense danger long before humans do. Therefore they can react
hours before a human could ever hear, feel or see anything. Dogs bark
long before a visitor even rings at the doorbell. And Green plants?
Scientists have discovered, that even plants are reacting in a very
similar way. One of the most interesting discoveries are, that certain
plants in Africa increase their production of distasteful, phenolic
compounds when Giraffes are approaching. Even when still miles away. How
do plants know? Every living cell, no matter if human, animal or plant,
is a part of that highly sophisticated alarm system, which not only
triggers, but also instantly makes decisions and reactions, trying to
correct or protect. Many plant species can be immunized by an
inoculation by a necrotizing pathogen – a systemic required resistance.
As soon a potential threat is detected, cells will communicate to
others. The messengers are Molecules, Hormones and Ions, released by the
cells and set free through neurotransmitters and ion channels. Almost
like electrical currents, Ionic charges propagate and are being detected
by other cells, who then again release certain chemicals. Some cells
react to a very particular messengers where others don't. Almost like
the IP addressing system in our digital world, only a certain type of
cell is being addressed by a certain type messenger– doing whatever it
is supposed to be doing. The more intense the message is, the more ions
are being released. If the increase of signaling activity can be
directly measured, we would be able to directly look into the messaging
language of nature. Some people might remember the physics class lesson,
where the basics of Galvanic Elements and Batteries were explained.
Luigi Galvani discovered, that frog legs snapped when a wire, charged
with static electricity was touching them. This also happens, when two
different metals are connected in series with the frog's leg and to one
another. Alessandro Volta realized later, that the frog's leg serves as
both, as a detector of electricity, but also as a conductor of
electricity (we would now call it an electrolyte). Volta discovered,
that the frog's moist tissues could be replaced by cardboard soaked in
salt water. However, he did not appreciate what the voltage was due to.
It was Michael Faraday who discovered, that those charges are actually
caused by a chemical reaction between the metal of the electrodes and
the ions in the electrolyte of the system. These discoveries led not
only to the invention of the alkaline battery, but also provided the
basis for a lot of medical instrumentation such as ECG
(Electrocardiogram), EMG (Electromyogram), EEG (Electroencephalogram),
ENG (Electroneurogram), EOG (Electro-oculogram), ERG
(Electroretinogram), etc. Ions are molecules where the total number of
electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net
positive or negative electrical charge. In living cells, when
appropriately stimulated, Ions generate an action potential (flow of
ions across the cell membrane and generation of a propagating wave of
depolarization along the membrane). Attaching an electrode to a green
plant, the same chemical reaction will take place as it would happen in
an alkaline battery – however – the green plant is a living organism.
The increase of ion release due to a certain situation will cause an
increasing electron flow between the electrodes. And that is what we can
measure. A green plant is not able to bark like a dog if something
abnormal happens. But if plants are under stress, ionic wave propagation
takes place, signaling molecules are being released, dielectric changes
happen. This also causes a change in the skin impedance of the plant.
The sum of all those activities can be measured and visualized. This is
exactly what the FLORANIUM does. The Floranium Lamp, when attached to
the plants soil and leaf, will transition from one color to the next.
This illustration is seen by the vibrant colors of basic red, green,
blue and yellow, which creates other rich colors of fushia, purple,
indigo and orange. Every time when something is going on with the plant,
those color transitions take place. Like animals, who are running away
to seek safe refuge even hours before a natural disaster happens, plants
now could also become this natural warning system for such an event.
Floraniums, interfacing with living plants and the Internet,
simultaneously delivering signatures of life from all over the globe,
could form the most powerful environmental bio-sensory network system
our planet has ever seen. Ionic and chemical activities not only happen
when the plant is in immediate danger. It also happens if certain cells
signalizing to open pores for water, nutrition and minerals, to move
leaves into the sun, or to close them at night. All these metabolic
rhythms are being visualized through a change of the color of the
Floranium light. Sometimes, you can see color transitions when you just
walk, or blow air on the leaves. If smoke from a camp fire goes into the
organism's direction, or just by holding hands over the leaves of the
plant. Somehow, plants seem to be able to sense the energy field of
people or animals nearby. With the help of gadgets like the Floranium to
interact with green plants, we will able to intuitively understand
aspects of life on a whole different level. It will open up
opportunities to learn how to interpret those messages. Floraniums will
make us aware of all the life which is surrounding us and open endless
opportunities to further understand ourself, nature, life and energy in
a whole different 'light'.
