We are like plants – who knew!
1) Plants, especially vegetables, thrive in healthy bacteria. Soil that is rich in bacteria from compost and manure keeps plants healthy. The same is true for us. Healthy bacteria that line our intestines improve both our digestion and immunity. That’s why avoiding silent food allergies (see article) that disrupt good bacteria and probiotics like acidophilus are so important for us!
2) Plants thrive in a healthy pH. Just like it is important to check our own pH to make sure our organs are in balance, the pH levels of plants should also be monitored. Have pH level of plants checked by testing their soil. For $13, you can have a sample the soil of your indoor and outdoor plants checked at http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/. This will help to keep bugs away, keep your plants thriving and give your vegetables the highest nutrient density.
3) Plants need sun to thrive. So do we! Without sun, we can’t utilize Vitamin D.
4) We both like massages! Massaging indoor plants mimics conditions in their natural environment which regulates plant hormones that regular cellular processes including the formation of flowers, stems, leaves, the shedding of leaves and the development of ripening of fruit. Here is a fun fact according to Wikipedia – “plants, unlike animals, lack glands that produce and secrete hormones, instead each cell is cabable of producing hormones. Plant hormones shape the plant, affecting seed growth, time of flowering, the sex of flowers, senescence of leaves and fruits. They affect which tissues grow upward and which grow downward, leaf formation and stem growth, fruit development and ripening, plant longevity, and even plant death. Hormones are vital to plant growth and lacking them, plants would be mostly a mass of undifferentiated cells.” Sarah LaValley of Sarah LaValley Garden Design and Organic Land Specialist recommends massaging your indoor plants to stimulate hormones that help plants thrive. Who knew!
For more information, go to my Radio Show Archives on Organic Farming (5/9/10).
I always thought my mother was nuts for talking to her houseplants until now…