So-called “plant music” is on the rise in Egypt, with the pandemic turning many Egyptians on to the wonders of plantcare. Spotify data found that 21% of users in Egypt have played audio content to care for their plants in the past year using playlists such as Spotify’s “Music for Plants” — which grew nearly 1.4k% during the past 12 months, according to a press release (pdf). Meanwhile, 16% of Egyptians reported talking to their houseplants more, according to a Spotify poll, with around a third of respondents saying that they felt caring for houseplants offers people more of a purpose in life. The audience data recorded 30% of Egyptians as saying they “will carry their passion for houseplants on into the future.”

But can your cacti actually benefit from a daily musical interlude? The idea that plants respond to music was popularized with the publishing of a New York Times article in 1973, titled The Secret Life of Plants, in which the authors argued that plants have a level of consciousness, citing scientific studies that suggested that music and human interaction can help plants grow. One of the earliest studies conducted on the topic was in 1962 at Annamalai University. The experiment exposed balsam plants to classical music and found that their growth rate increased by 20%, while their biomass increased 72% compared to a control group. The same experiment found that when crops were exposed to classical south Asian raga music, they yielded 25% – 60% more than the national average, according to Bloomscape.

It’s all about the vibrations that music gives off to plants, and science has shown that our green friends thrive when exposed to music between 115 Hz and 250 Hz, at which level the vibrations emulate similar sounds to nature. That’s why some genres such as classical and jazz are more effective than others when it comes to growing plants, explained University of Melbourne's Dominique Hes, according to Better Homes and Gardens.

Apparently, plants like music in moderation: A 1973 study by The Sound of Music and Plants Author Dorothy Rallack found that the ideal time for plants to be exposed to music was for three hour intervals. In her experiment, plants exposed to an F note for eight hours at a time died within two weeks, while plants who had a time limit on their music listening were much healthier than their non-music-exposed counterparts. Several studies have since been carried out to explore the ideal combination of genres, instruments, and exposure for plants to increase crop yield, including a study published in Science Direct that also tested whether different plants required different combinations.

Even more mind-boggling; plants can also make music themselves: An upcoming device called PlantWave translates plant biodata into music by attaching a pair of probes to plants’ leaves. The device detects slight electrical variations in a plant which are then translated into pitch messages that play musical instruments. The signals are extremely sensitive and pitch or rhythm can be affected by light, movement, or air levels. The technology (which should be released this summer) inspired articles in Wired, Popular Mechanics, and NPR. PlantWave also has a live online radio channel, Plant FM that streams music from plants in their Data Garden, mentioning which plant is currently conducting the music. We spent some time listening to a Snake Plant’s composition, and impressed is an understatement.

Want to play some grooves for your own garden? Apparently they like Simon and Garfunkel, Coldplay, and The Shins, Spotify says. This may explain why our office plants withered after listening to Iron Maiden’s greatest hits on loop for 12 hours.

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