Plant and music study: Does music help plants grow?

There’s no denying that, in Sweden, we’re a nation of plant lovers. Indoor greenery has surged in popularity, with the share of Swedes bringing plants into their home offices soaring from 20% to 48% in just one year1.

And it’s not just for the air quality benefits flowers provide, studies have shown that plants are also great for boosting focus, reducing stress, and improving productivity at work.

But it’s not just plants helping us get through the working day, music plays a big role too. Around 92% of people2 listen to music during their work hours, and in Sweden, 68% of professionals say they listen to music while working, with the same number believing that music makes them more productive3.

Much like music is beneficial for humans, studies have shown that it can help plants grow too, thanks to the way sound vibrations stimulate their cells. But are plants as picky about the playlist as we are?

To find out, the team at Euroflorist studied Sweden’s most popular artists to reveal which songs Swedes should be playing to help take care of their houseplants.

The relationship between plants and music has been a topic of conversation in the scientific community for quite some time. 

Plants obviously don’t have ears like humans do to hear the sounds of music, so how exactly do plants react to music? 

While they’re not exactly tapping their roots to the beat of a song, the sound waves from music do stimulate the plant's cells. Plants transport their nutrients, proteins, and organelles in their fluids (cytoplasm), and it’s said that the vibration of music may help stimulate this process. 

Believe it or not, various studies indicate that plants prefer some genres of music to others—just like humans do! While it’s not quite as simplistic as roses liking pop music and lilies liking rock, intriguingly plants respond better to certain frequencies of music (measured in Hertz, also known as Hz). 

For our study, we used the following scale: 

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.

If you find yourself wondering what artists or genres you should be playing to your houseplants to help them thrive, then look no further. 

We analysed Sweden’s most popular chart hits from the past two decades, using the Sweden Singles Top 100 to find the top five songs per year since 2003. We then calculated the exact Hz of each track to discover which ones are best for plant growth.

For those looking to generally improve the overall growth and development of their houseplants, experts recommend playing music at around 500Hz, as this frequency has been linked to healthier plant growth in previous studies.

According to our research, the best song for plant growth in Sweden is ‘Waves’ by Mr. Probz, which comes in at 501.7Hz.

‘Waves’ became a global hit after its release in 2013 and was especially popular in Sweden, where it spent several weeks in the top 10 on the Sverigetopplistan charts.

Following Mr. Probz is Victor Leksell with his record-breaking hit ‘Svag’, which comes in at 490.2Hz. ‘Svag’ is one of the most-streamed Swedish songs of all time and became a huge success both domestically and across Scandinavia.

Next is Harry Styles with ‘As It Was’, at 484.3Hz. The song was one of the biggest international hits of 2022, topping charts in over 30 countries, including Sweden.

Also making the top five is ‘Boten Anna’ by Basshunter, with a frequency of 483Hz. Released in 2006, ‘Boten Anna’ is a Swedish dance anthem that became a cultural phenomenon, reaching number one across Scandinavia and beyond.

Rounding out the top five is ‘Gamora’ by Hov1 and Einar, which has a frequency of 481.3Hz. Hov1 and Einar are two of Sweden’s most-streamed artists, and ‘Gamora’ was one of the country’s most popular songs at the time of release.

For plant lovers who want to give their houseplants the best possible care, these tracks are a great place to start, each sitting in the optimal frequency range to promote healthy growth and development.

Check out the full top 10 below:

We also looked at which of Sweden’s favourite artists consistently produce music that’s good for plants. Not just one track, but multiple hits that fall within the optimal frequency range for healthy plant growth.

To do this, we analysed how often each artist appeared with tracks in the 500Hz plant growth range.

At the top of the list is Ed Sheeran, whose back catalogue contains multiple hits that sit within the optimal plant growth frequency. His song ‘Shivers’ is one of the standout examples, with a frequency of 436.8Hz.

Following Ed Sheeran is Bolaget, with tracks like ‘Ikväll Igen’ helping secure their spot in the top rankings. Their consistent success in the Swedish charts over recent years has made them one of the most-streamed domestic artists.

Next is Miss Li, whose track ‘X’ comes in at 429.3Hz. Miss Li is one of Sweden’s most popular pop artists, known for her catchy melodies and frequent chart success.

Also making the list is Victor Leksell, with his record-breaking song ‘Svag’, clocking in at 490.2Hz, one of the closest tracks in the Swedish dataset to the plant growth target of 500Hz.

Lady Gaga rounds out the top five, with global hits like ‘Poker Face’ contributing to her tally. The song has a frequency of 470.1Hz, placing it well within the plant-friendly range.

Check out the top five artists creating the most music for plant growth below:

Our analysis of Sweden’s most popular chart hits found that the best genre of music for plant growth is pop.

While the top individual songs for plant development vary across different styles, pop music consistently provides the most tracks within the optimal 500Hz range, which is linked to healthy plant growth and overall development.

Following pop is EDM, with many of Sweden’s top electronic artists producing plant-friendly tracks. Hip-Hop and Rock also contributed several songs that sit in the plant-growth range, while soul music rounded out the list.

So whether you prefer pop, dance, or something more alternative, there’s likely something on your playlist that could help your houseplants grow. For those building the perfect plant-care soundtrack, starting with pop is the safest bet

For those looking to get a bit more out of their plants, such as increasing the oxygen levels in their home, there are certain frequencies of music you can play. 

To stimulate plant photosynthesis specifically, and encourage nutrient uptake in your plants, we recommend playing songs that come in at around 1,000Hz. 

According to our research, the best song for increasing plant oxygen output in Sweden is ‘Babblarnas Vaggvisa’ by Babblarna, which comes in at 1,035.4Hz.

Babblarna is a hugely popular children’s group in Sweden, and ‘Babblarnas Vaggvisa’ is a bedtime lullaby that is streamed by thousands of families daily, making it an unexpectedly perfect song for helping plants produce more oxygen.

Next is ‘Greyhound’ by Swedish House Mafia, coming in at 854.2Hz. Known for their energetic EDM sound, Swedish House Mafia is one of Sweden’s biggest musical exports, and ‘Greyhound’ is one of their most popular tracks.

Following that is ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna and Jay-Z, at 800.4Hz. The track was a global phenomenon when it was released in 2007, spending weeks at number one in Sweden and across the world.

Also on the list is Ed Sheeran’s ‘I See Fire’, with a frequency of 757.5Hz, and ‘Levels’ by Avicii, at 711.9Hz. Both tracks remain among the most iconic hits in their genres, with ‘Levels’ in particular recognised as one of the most influential EDM songs of the 2010s.

Check out the full top 5 below:

Houseplants are excellent additions to our home, and their many proven health and well-being benefits make them more than just a bit of pretty greenery for decoration. 

However, unlike our outdoor garden plants that go through a seasonal growth cycle, houseplants tend to come from tropical climates with different seasonal cycles than what we have here in the Sweden. 

Just like bouquets of cut flowers, houseplants require ongoing maintenance and care to keep them looking their best. 

Whether you’re a first-time houseplant owner or you’re practically a seasoned horticulturist, experimenting with music can be an excellent way to help your houseplants thrive. 

To calculate our Hz findings, we took our frequency data breakdown from QP Seedlings. 

We used aCharts to pull the top five songs per year from the Sweden Singles Top 100 chart (from 2003 onwards), and pulled each of their top-streamed songs from Spotify.

Once we had our final list of artists and top songs, we calculated the BPM of each song and converted it into Hz and multiplied by the total number of seconds in the song (Hz frequency is measured per second) to give us the total Hz frequency of each song. 

https://heimstaden.com/se/blogg/inspiration/trendiga-inomhusvaxter/ 

https://css-tricks.com/poll-results-do-you-listen-to-music-while-you-work/ 

https://www.sami.se/2024/09/musik-gor-dig-mer-produktiv-pa-jobbet/