what's your most memorable experiment?

20 years ago

If you are like me then you probably try several small experiments each year - some of mine never get finished for various reasons (probably mostly because this is a hobby for me and not grant research , laughing)...but I do have some that stand out over the years as being kind of cool.

My favorite is way off the charts on "unexplained" ...I am into subtle energy and bought some perovskia seeds about 7 years ago . I read the package and it said germination time was between one and four MONTHS...so I wondered if I could speed that up . I split the package in half, and "charged" half in "my way" - and then planted both groups. Lo and behold, some of the charged group came up in one WEEK. (the others didn't)

The best part? This experiment was repeatable! I bought another packet of seed from the same company and tried it again and got the same results. I kind of lost interest in any more repeats since I didn't know what I was going to do with all that perovskia...I like them but....

And now all these years later, I can tell you that while the charged seeds may have sprouted faster (in fact I never did get any others to sprout before I lost the packs to lack of water and mold, etc ) but they also are kind of , well, odd. Not really very hearty. That could be where they've been located all these years though as the sun factor is an issue there.

I then took that success and tried to get some columbine seeds to germinate quickly without any cold period (as was said to need this so one was supposed to put them in the fridge for 6 weeks first) . And I did get them to come up in two weeks , again, simply through charging them and then planting them. Those plants are really , really incredible...have had them for many years and they are gorgeous, healthy and increase in number each year exponentially.

Anyone else have a particularly memorable experiment?

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Comments (7)

albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
20 years ago
I had a big show aquarium that sprung a leak so I made a "growth chamber". I replaced the cheap aquarium lights with a better "full spectrum" light. The very expensive heater had a thermostat set to 82Â°F. I placed a flask of bicarbonate solution in the bottom next to a flask of weak acid and connected the two with a wick so the two solutions would wick together and produce CO2 then I put a segment of Opuntia ficus-indica in a pot of clean moist sharp sand fertilized with a weak complete fertilizer and set this in the aquarium and sealed the whole thing. I forced leaves. That's right, leaves from the cactus.
pam_aa
20 years ago
whitejade, what do you mean by "charged"?
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whitejade
Original Author
20 years ago
Well that's not anything at all technical , which is why this is so off the charts !

It's the interaction between myself and the seeds... I suppose some could call it mind over matter but I think that is too simplistic. I honestly do not know how to explain charging or the process of doing it . Some people are familiar with Reiki and I guess this is along the same lines since there is no real physical manipulation taking place . I think there's a ton of room for all of us to even begin to understand how powerful the mind-body connection is.
albert_135 　 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
20 years ago
Whitejade, my cactus leaves were 'spatulate', 3-4 mm, short lived.

As for your seeds charged with subtle energy; you need to run double blind studies. Few in this hemisphere with a science degree are going to follow your work very closely unless you do double blind studies.

BTW, I had no controls for my cactus and some Opuntia do produce true leaves briefly around the influoresence anyway so it didn't take too much science, and it is not too unbelievable, to have just caused them to develop down the stem segment a bit. I've not a clue as to why it worked. So the experiment was memorable, not useful in the least.
The_Mohave__Kid
20 years ago
Hello Albert ...

"I've not a clue as to why it worked."

The genus Optuntia is known to develope true temporary leaves on new growth ...

These leaves are considered a left over developemental pathway once common in primative Cactii that had leaves and in fact some Cactii today are indeed broad leaved evergreen trees.

What you uncovered was a very distant look into a past world.

Although most Cactii have lost leaves during their evolution .. Optuntia being an exception .. some have re evolved leaves.

Good Day ...
whitejade
Original Author
20 years ago
"As for your seeds charged with subtle energy; you need to run double blind studies. Few in this hemisphere with a science degree are going to follow your work very closely unless you do double blind studies. "

Albert thanks for the heads up but I'm really not all that concerned as to whether "science degreed" persons will follow my subtle energy activities.

I am concerned with results .. to me, no matter how it works, if it works, it works. And to be honest nobody could do the same study, since they wouldn't be me! That's the true catch about subtle energy studies, double blind or otherwise - whomever is performing them IS a unique variable that can never be repeated by anyone else .

About your cactus, yes, seems to me I've seen that on Opuntias...they are the most adaptable of the cacti, the most surprising ..they can even grow outdoors in zone 5, which I do not think any other cacti can do(?) I did see a small patch of wild opuntia in Canada once at a national park - it's easy to see them in arizona, but up north in Canada ? that was cool...
paradisi
20 years ago
She who must be obeyed abuses the strawberries when there isn't any fruit and they flower the next day

she sings to them when they are fruiting and they continue for weeks

I had a lemon which was dying very successfully so I abused it, pulled it out of the hole it was in (no spade) and pushed it into a pile of compost and instructed it to live or die. It's still living and flowering 8 months after "the event"