As a child, I always wondered why my grandmother never approved of people picking or touching the flowers that surrounded my grandparents’ house. From Texas bluebonnets to Indian paintbrushes and black-eyed susans, her flowerbeds never failed to display of almost every color known to mankind, but what was her trick?

As it turns out, she really had no trick up her sleeve, except to be patient and let the flowers grow without interference from little fingers stroking their delicate petals. Although my grandmother’s growing method may not work for every flower’s success, a recent study published in HortTechnology uncovers that the African violet’s growing success rate greatly depends on touch.

African violets attract many people because of their bright purple flowers and hairy leaves, but according to Julia C. Brotton and Janet C. Cole from the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Oklahoma State University, these attractants may actually harm the plant.

Since many African violet growers work in conditions that lead to dry, irritated skin, the use of body lotion for replenishing moisture to hands becomes a common occurrence; therefore, the researchers studied the damaging effects of touching or “brushing” African violet leaves when body lotion or other skin care products are applied to hands before contact with the leaves.

To test the plants, five brushing treatments were applied to the leaves: no brushing, brushing for 30 and 90 seconds with a latex-gloved hand, and brushing for 30 and 90 seconds after application of lotion to a nongloved hand. After five weeks of testing, the plants were harvested so that damage could be assessed. The study revealed that plants that were brushed with a gloved hand had less damage, greater leaf areas, and greater leaf numbers than those brushed by a nongloved hand with lotion.

Overall, the study suggests that African violets that do not experience leaf brushing by a hand to which lotion has been applied have greater quality and size than those which have experienced brushing. So whether or not your grandmother teaches you that touching the flowers may not be best, you should always remember to keep your hands off the plants!

Discussion Question: Could using gloves during cultivation be beneficial for all flower growers? Why or why not?

News Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103171915.htm
Journal Abstract: http://horttech.ashspublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/19/3/613