Nearly 50% of People Talk to Their Plants and Trees

The surge in buying plants during pandemic lockdowns was well-documented since, for many of us, our trees and houseplants became constant companions and sources of comfort during a difficult time.

Here at Trees.com, we want to find out how many recent and lifelong plant-owners share our tendency for chatting with the greenery. Could talking with your plants even help them grow stronger?

We surveyed 1,250 people to learn more about their plant-talking habits and found that:

• 48% of people report talking to their trees and/or plants
• Of those who do, one in five say they speak to their plants every day
• Two-thirds believe it helps them grow
• Nearly one in four even say they have kissed their plants

1 in 5 Say They Talk to Their Plants and Trees Every Day

It turns out that close to half of the population shares our affinity for chatting with plants. 48% of survey respondents say they do talk to their plants or trees, 34% have never talked to plants, and 18% don’t have any plants around to talk to.

Of the 48% who do talk to plants, 70% say they talk to them occasionally, and just 9% talk to them rarely. However, more than one in five (21%) say they talk to their plants and trees every day.

When asked which types of plants they usually talk to, 80% say they talk to their houseplants, 62% talk to outdoor plants, and 37% talk to trees.

Two-Thirds of Plant and Tree-Talkers Believe it Helps Them Grow

When asked why they talk to plants and trees, 65% of respondents say they believe it helps them to grow. 62% said it helps their own mental health to talk to plants, and 24% think of them as pets.

Additionally, of those who say talking to their plants helps them grow, 60% actually report seeing a difference in their plants’ growth when comparing periods of talking to them and not talking to them.

Nearly 1 in 4 Even Say They Have Kissed Their Plants

We asked survey respondents a few questions that non-plant lovers might deem strange. It turns out that 64% of plant-talkers do believe that their plants have souls or spirits. 28% say that they have hugged their plants, while 23% even say they have kissed their plants. Who are we to judge, after all?

Methodology

This survey was commissioned by Trees.com and conducted online by the survey platform Pollfish on August 12, 2022. In total, 1,250 participants in the U.S. were surveyed. All participants had to pass quality screening checks to ensure the accuracy of results.