There is much evidence that air ions may assist in the greenhouse and horticulture fields. We
have several books in our reference libraries that show many experiments in the field of
electro-horticulture. In every experiment, increasing the level of air ions around the vegetation
increased the plant growth.
A young customer of ours won a science fair project proving that her
cabbages and other vegetables grew much larger in the presence of negative ions. She went on to win
Best Of State with this project.
Our own limited experiments with cucumber plants have verified these claims.
The book The Ion Effect, by Fred Soyka, mainly deals with the effects of negative ions on
people, but it further indicates that negative ion generators make plants grow faster. Here's a few
excerpts from the book:
"Scientists at the University of California grew barley, oats, lettuce, and peas with a
total of only sixty positive ions and negative ions and found that growth was stunted and the plants
were diseased. The same experiment in air with more than double the natural number of ions produced
accelerated growth."
"In the 1960s one U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist grew seedlings in ion-enriched
air and produced cucumbers eighteen inches longer than normal."
"Photosynthesis could not take place without ions in the atmosphere".
"In a Faraday cage, where the outside electrical fields are excluded, plants grow only about
half the size they would if rooted in the garden."
The book lists some experiments dating back to Benjamin Franklin (who did some of this stuff).
They placed charged electrodes over plants and found that they grew faster.
Comtech Research can provide custom outdoor and indoor ionizing
systems, premium information on this subject, and consultation for small farms and greenhouses who
wish to apply this to their operation. A consultation fee may be required.
