I have been using steel, aluminum and copper wire in the vicinity of my gardens for years, primarily in the form of protective fencing. I had heard years ago from a veteran gardener that the metal conductors help plants to grow. As a then relatively new grower, I was all for it! I’m just not sure that the metals have ever had any effect on growth.

Recently I came across a post about electroculture, which has been trending over the past few years. This is likely due to the fact that more people started gardening at home during the pandemic years and finding new ways to boost production was on everyone’s mind.

So what is electroculture? Glad you asked! It makes use of a copper wire antenna that supposedly captures electricity in the soil, bringing current to the plant roots. Soil on its own is not a good electrical conductor but apparently, the higher the porosity of the soil, coupled with moisture makes for a great conductor.

But does it help with plant growth? The answer to that question depends on the grower—or, more important, the type of soil, region, rainfall and types of crops.

This year I am going to conduct an experiment. I will use the electroculture antenna in the carrot bed. Considering carrots are a root vegetable, I figure it would receive the most benefit if this procedure works. I’ll also plant a few carrots in a bed in another area that will not have the antenna. Our hypothesis is that there will be no observable effect on the plants—but we hope we will be proven wrong!

Interested in constructing an antenna in your garden? Check out this Facebook video. A few pointers from the video:

• Use copper wire is recommended
• Wire gauge: lower gauge = thicker wire
• Drive the antenna into the ground near the plant
• Be safe: avoid this apparatus during rainstorms and do not use generated electricity around it

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