Plants Really Don't Like to Be Touched (2024)

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Plants Really Don't Like to Be Touched? ›

Touch Triggers A Genetic Defense Response In Houseplants

“Within 30 minutes of being touched, 10 per cent of the plant's genome is altered. “This involves a huge expenditure of energy which is taken away from plant growth. If the touching is repeated, then plant growth is reduced by up to 30 per cent.”

More commonly known as the sensitive plant or touch-me-not plant, Mimosa pudica is a tropical shrub that closes its leaves when touched. The plant is native to Central and South America and features delicate, fern-like leaves with light purple pom-pom-shaped flowers. It's part of the legume family Fabaceae.

Do plants like being touched at all? The simple answer is that no, most plants do not like to be touched. Of course, this does depend somewhat on the plant. Some plants don't mind being touched near as much as others do.

Thigmonastic responses include opening and closing leaves, petals, or other parts of the plant as a reaction to touch. Through thigmomorphogenesis, plants change their growth in response to repeated mechanical stress from wind, rain, or other living things.

While scientists have known that plants can respond to touch, this study shows that plant cells send different signals when touch is initiated and ended. “It is quite surprising how finely sensitive plants cells are—that they can discriminate when something is touching them.

Sensitive plant | Mimosa pudica, Touch-Me-Not, Thigmonasty | Britannica.

For example, sensitive plants (Mimosa pudica) have leaves that fold inwards when touched to prevent themselves from being damaged. Another great example is the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), which quickly snaps shut (as you'll know if you've ever tickled one).

Mimosa pudica (also called sensitive plant, sleepy plant, action plant, humble plant, touch-me-not, or shameplant) is a creeping annual or perennial flowering plant of the pea/legume family Fabaceae.

Can plants feel anxiety? ›

Do Plants Feel Stress? Research from the university of Tel Aviv has suggested that plants emit distress signals when they are uprooted or have stems cut.

The way plants respond to injuries isn't an example of pain, but rather, an example of a defense mechanism. Plants, like humans, have evolved ways to defend themselves against external threats, and while our defense involves a pain sensation, theirs does not.

“Plants probably don't hear like we do,” says Dr Dominique Hes, biophilia expert and lead researcher at Horticulture Innovation Australia's Plant Life Balance. “But some research shows that speaking nicely to plants will support their growth, whereas yelling at them won't.

Given that plants do not have pain receptors, nerves, or a brain, they do not feel pain as we members of the animal kingdom understand it. Uprooting a carrot or trimming a hedge is not a form of botanical torture, and you can bite into that apple without worry.

"Within 30 minutes of being touched, 10 per cent of the plant's genome is altered. This involves a huge expenditure of energy which is taken away from plant growth. If the touching is repeated, then plant growth is reduced by up to 30 per cent."

Any contact, be it with your hand, washcloth, or even another plant, will trigger a stress response in your plant. These stress responses often involve producing and releasing hormones and chemicals designed to deter herbivory or save your plant from becoming a snack for some curious cat.

Your plants really dislike when you touch them, apparently. A new study out of the La Trobe Institute for Agriculture and Food has found that most plants are extremely sensitive to touch, and even a light touch can significantly stunt their growth, reports Phys.org.

Certain plants like Mimosa pudica (touch me not ), our touch acts as stimulus for plant and it closes its leaves in return. Some chemicals are released from the stem when we touch the plant. These chemicals force water to move out of the cell leading to the loss of turgor pressure. As a result, leaves droop.

Plants' responses to stimuli is called tropism. Plant response to light (phototropism), gravity (geotropism), and touch (thigmotropism) result in the long-term growth of the plant towards or away from the stimulus. Touch caused changes in biomass distribution of potato plants, which made them more compact than others.

Any contact, be it with your hand, washcloth, or even another plant, will trigger a stress response in your plant. These stress responses often involve producing and releasing hormones and chemicals designed to deter herbivory or save your plant from becoming a snack for some curious cat.