“Stroking – gently brushing or stroking seedlings raised indoors helps to produce stocky, firmly rooted plants”

“Seedlings raised under cover tend to be taller and weaker than those growing outside. Gently stroking or brushing seedlings makes them grow shorter and sturdier without harming them in any way. The plants do not need to be stroked individually. A piece of card brushed gently backwards and forwards 10-20 times over a tray of seedlings is all that is required on a daily basis. Plants seem to respond best when stroked early in the day.”

Quoted from Organic Gardening in Australia

I guess this would simulate wind and other disturbances that they would normally get outside. We are often told not to stake trees too tightly but to let them move in the wind to develop stronger trunks.

I’ve only just finished talking to them – now i have to pat then as well. LOL.
This might take a while to master.

somebody’s stroking something…

only kidding, whatever floats your boat and makes you think your plants are benefitting from then go for it ;)

in all seriousness…or as much as i can muster at the moment…it might actually be a good thing for seedlings that are going stalky/tall, to help them get stronger. a lot of these so called “new” techniques are fairly old tricks of the trade in commercial growing operations. i must admit that i probably wouldn’t do this myself…unless i had a whole tray of seedlings that i could easily/quickly “stroke” to see if it works and/or adopt technique.
an unrelated technique, unheard of in typical gardening, is pollinating tomatoes growing up strings in a greenhouse…and you bang the crossbar at the top that the strings are attached to, to cause vibrations on all the strings and pollinate all those flowers in one go. anyway…horses for courses.

pain master said:

somebody’s stroking something…

only kidding, whatever floats your boat and makes you think your plants are benefitting from then go for it ;)

Do I detect a non believer?

pomolo said:

pain master said:

somebody’s stroking something…

only kidding, whatever floats your boat and makes you think your plants are benefitting from then go for it ;)

Do I detect a non believer?

healthy scepticism is…just that
but if we can’t discuss plant growing techniques in a gardening forum….then what can we talk about?
gardening happens to be a passion of mine. i’m all for friendly chats…would also like a chance to discuss/further gardening knowledge. otherwise there’s plenty of chat forums about.

aquarium said:

pomolo said:

pain master said:

somebody’s stroking something…

only kidding, whatever floats your boat and makes you think your plants are benefitting from then go for it ;)

Do I detect a non believer?

healthy scepticism is…just that
but if we can’t discuss plant growing techniques in a gardening forum….then what can we talk about?
gardening happens to be a passion of mine. i’m all for friendly chats…would also like a chance to discuss/further gardening knowledge. otherwise there’s plenty of chat forums about.

I agree aquaman, here we should be able to voice our own opinions rather than go with the flow….

to tell you the truth, I have never accidently been cruel to a plant (kinda) and I do believe that certain techniques can work, but I also have proof that Nature has a pretty cool way of getting on with things.

I’m not a non-believer, nor do I subscribe.

but if we can’t discuss plant growing techniques in a gardening forum….then what can we talk about?
——
quite right – bows to his new ‘ideas guru’ – aquaman.
my toms have grown to 30cm high in their artificial hothouse. i will put them in a sheltered position outside and let the eddying swirls of the wind do the ‘stroking’. i think this stoking/brushing is a re-creation of the natural toughening up, slowing growth, removal of pestilence, treatment the wind naturally provides.

Think ill be trying this one out, by the stuff i have read says i can just get some cardboard or papper and brush over the seedlings a few times.