User: Micr0plant

Take off your tinfoil hats, we have a solution!

On: 9th Grade Science Experiment: Garden Cress Won't Germinate Near Routers

Hey cool! I know the mechanism behind this! Garden cress are of the family Brassicaceae and many of that family are incredibly sensitive to a type of plasticizer called phthalates

I've worked in research horticulture for some years and research staff who focus on Brassica spp are incredibly careful about the components used in things like planthouses and controlled growth chambers

Not all plastics and plasticizers contain these compounds ( I've been told it is only in cheap plastics but I can't confirm this ). But if you're spending +50K on a controlled growth environment for your Brassica spp you want written confirmation from your supply company that no phthalates are used anywhere in it's construction as it negatively affects growth, including germination in some species. This include no phthalates in the circuitry, wiring and shrinkwrap where their outgassing could get into the growth chamber, even indirectly

I haven't read more than the abstracts of the articles below but they provide a useful starting point

Trace gases generated in closed plant cultivation systems and their effects on plant growth. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11541892

Growth inhibition in Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. chinensis) growth exposed to di-n-butyl phthalate. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18678443