As at 17 June, the two roots systems growing in the loom are well established at about 12 days old. Presently, just one side is growing around a template; the other side is just free-forming roots. I would like to put a previously grown root system in the second side for those growing roots to form around and incorporate with. I need to seal the root system I intend to incorporate to prevent it from absorbing water, falling apart or starting to decompose while submerged in the water reservoir.

I incorporated some plants which I had harvested a root system from into this batch. After I harvest the root systems, there is a small piece of root left attached to the plant, and if cared for, it continues to grow before the plant dies off. Rather than throw them out I wanted to test if they would re-establish within a new system and thicken up what was growing around the edges. As the seedlings grew, they tended to push the older plants up and away from the water. Although I have been pushing them back down, I am not sure if any older plants will take particularly well.

To try to encourage root growth, I placed blue LED lights above the table. I have done some research that indicates blue LED lights help in the initial stages of growth and create larger root systems. The image below shows a study of seedlings exposed to various concentrations of red and blue lights. Blue light showed to inhibited the height of the plant but created thicker roots. From today, I will convert to red lights until harvest as the plants are well established. I am sure there is an exact science; however, at this point, I have set a couple of LED lights above the table and placed them on a 16-hour timer. There is an additional light source through the clearlight on the roof of the garage, but for an hour before sunrise and a few hours after sunset, the sole source of light is blue or red light. I will gauge if, over the 21 days of growth, the root systems are noticeably thicker than the previous ones I grew in the table.

Image showing effects on seedlings grown in red and blue light. https://gpnmag.com/article/effects-of-blue-light-on-plants/

I am also exposing the table to sound, as some research suggests that certain frequencies of sounds stimulate plants in different ways. Jye Murray wrote an online article in September 2023 titled The Power of Sound Frequencies: Effects on Humans and Plants, which contains the following information about different frequencies and how they affect plant growth:

125Hz: Known to stimulate germination and root growth in plants.
250Hz: Promotes the elongation of plant stems and leaves.
500Hz: Encourages overall plant growth and development.
1,000Hz: Stimulates plant photosynthesis and nutrient uptake.
8,000Hz: Enhances flowering and fruiting in certain plant species.

I also read a study Beyond Chemical Triggers: Evidence for Sound-Evoked Physiological Reactions in Plants which discusses growing evidence that plants respond to sound waves and also release sound from their xylem (their water transporting system). The study discusses how plants exhibit transcriptional and hormonal changes and how sound also activates systemic immune responses in crop plants and increases tolerance to drought stress. An example is given how sound-treated tomatoes showed a 13.2% increase in yield and that wheat treated with 5 kHZ (92DB) sound waves increased plant growth and dry weight in wheat. Additionally high frequency and high decibels (DB) have been shown to cause damage to plant cells

As I am using wheat grass and oat seeds, a similar plant type to what is mentioned in the study, I thought I would subject them to a few hours of gentle low-frequency sound per day, in particular 125Hz (30DB). At this point much like the lights, its not a particularly controlled experiment, Im just curious to see over the 21 days whether the plants will have a visibly denser root system with exposure to blue light and sound. And if so then I can possibly investigate the effects of these interventions further.

There has definitely been significant growth in the 9 days since I incorporated light and sound. The young seedlings at 12 days old are already at the height of the harvested plants which were harvested at around 25 days. The root systems seem healthy and dense too.