The story begin when a detective, Cleve Backster, in 1966, discovered per chance that one of his plant was able to guess his thoughts and was able to answer emotionally to the environment and the though of other thinking beings. Using a lie detector for measuring really small electric signals, Mr. Backster has been able to detect some thinking capacities in the plants equal, or even more powerful than humans. The plants would be able to use telepathy to protect themselves and help other plants. His discoveries have been described by Peter Tomkins and Christopher Bird in The secret life of plants published in 1973.
He made different experiences. In one of them, he puts two plants of the same species 3 meters far from each other. He gave water to only one of them (he gave too much water for this plant). But, the two grew equally. It seems that the plant which received water gave some to the other plant! Some scientists study the water power to transmit information through time and distance and they saw that it is possible to communicate through water in the air. They test this through Quartz crystals.
Cleve Backster made another experience, he invite 5 people, one of them should cut one plant which was in a room. Backster couldn’t see who would do it. The five men enter one after another and when it was the turn to the man who should cut the plant, the plant become exited (an electric signal have been detected by the lie detector). He cut only one part of the plant. Then, Backster went in the room and had to guess who was the killer. He ask the 5 to leave the room and to re-enter one after another. When it was the killer who come in the room, the plant recognize him and a signal had been detected on the lie detector then Backster guessed it was him!
He also test the capacity the plants have to guess feelings from far distances. He saw that the plants feel the feelings of people who have been in relation with the plant, even at great distances. Some other men studied the power of the plan’s mind to capt feelings. One of them, a priest made lots of prayer on one field and nothing to another: The result was that the field who have been carefully prayed grew 1,5 time quicker than the other one!