Page 34 - Issue 2 Kyalami Connect

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Kyalami Estates
Brand Manual

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talk

Kyalami Estates Corporate Brand Bible Behaviour 15

2.0 Establishing the Visual Layout: Signature on green layouts And when addressing a Brussels sprout, No reply. I pulled the bean off the vine and
cMaster University researchers
discovered plants can become what language should one use? A friend ate it.
fiercely competitive when finds Esperanto is best with Spanish onions
mforced to share their pot with and Swiss chard. I could hear it grumbling in my stomach for
strange plants of the same species, but hours afterwards.
extremely accommodating when potted With Winter on the way, I feel it incumbent
with their siblings. upon me to pursue this psychobotanic I mentioned recently that Prince
debate. (Don't you just love that word – Charles admitted to the habit of talking
"The ability to recognise and favour kin psychobotanic? It's mine but feel free to to his vegetables to encourage them
The signature can also be placed is common in animals, but this is the first use it whenever you like). to grow. This is when the subject of
on multiply on the green primary time it has been shown in plants," said language first cropped up. A reader
colour. It is set to a 3rd size of Associate Professor Susan Dudley. I took some beer out to my beans one day. asked: “In what language should one
address, say, a Spanish onion or a
height. "When plants share pots, they get "Where are you going with those beers?" French bean?"
competitive and start growing more roots, (This was the wife from the kitchen.)
which allows them to grab water and Tony Scorer of Florida on the West Rand
mineral nutrients before their neighbours "Nowhere," I said. (She would never have emailed me some time ago: "I never speak
get them. But when they share a pot understood.) to my vegetables except in English. And I
with family, they don't increase their root do so sternly and then rip out the weaker
growth." - Journal of the Royal Society. I had decided to have a beer with the ones and glower at the rest. It works for
runner beans and went up to a particularly me."
I have never doubted that plants have long one. "Hello old bean!" I said (jokingly
intelligence. I wasn’t surprised at all to of course). Carol McArdle of Paulshof in Sandton
learn that plants know who (or even whom) confirmed that vegetables such as
their brothers and sisters are. No reply. But I noticed out of the corner of Brussels sprouts and French beans
my eye my neighbour calling her children respond to French and enjoy Mozart.
And I have long known that talking indoors.
to vegetables helps them grow. A Some people are seriously serious about
horticulturalist recently said tomato I moved nearer and lowered the voice: "As this music therapy and this is why, I
plants that are pampered by music, soft a runner bean, have you ever considered suppose, they tend to play only serious
talk and “even an occasional beer” grow doing the Comrades?" music to their vegetables. I have never
several more tomatoes than plants that are heard of anybody playing rock to their
ignored. The neighbour called in her dog. cabbages, for instance.
But talking to plants is never easy. Much "Look, I'll tell you what," I said, "I'll give One lady told me her root crops responded
of the time I cannot think of what to say - you an extra dose of 3.1.5 if you say just particularly well to the celebrated soprano,
even while sharing a couple of beers with one word... No? Then what about a straight Birgit Nilsson. I suspect this is because
my tomatoes. fix of superphosphate?" Nilsson is a Swede.

Some gardeners say one has
to talk tough. (“If you don’t
produce decent tomatoes this Canadian biologists have discovered that plants
year I’m going to spray you with
herbicide!”) have the ability to recognise siblings.

32 Kyalami Estates • CONNECT • Issue 2 • 2020