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I just read that some plants can actually hear caterpillars chewing

Found it in a science article from the University of Missouri last week. It said they release defensive chemicals when they hear the munching sounds. Does this mean we should be more careful about noise around our gardens?
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3 Comments
the_mia
the_mia2mo ago
That's wild. My basil plant got totally eaten last summer and I kept talking about how loud the bugs were. Maybe it was listening the whole time.
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aaron884
aaron8842mo ago
My basil got wrecked by caterpillars last year and I was complaining about them nonstop. Pretty sure they heard me and doubled down out of spite. I even tried talking nicely to the plant after that, but it was too late. The whole thing felt like a weird, leafy betrayal. Now I just give my plants the silent treatment.
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simonh74
simonh742mo ago
My neighbor swears his tomato plants grow better when he plays classic rock on a little radio in the greenhouse. He says the vibrations must do something, but I caught him talking to them about fertilizer schedules too, so who knows lol.
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