Bacterial Sex, Chemical Warfare, and the Hidden Drama of House Plants - Valeria Verrone (PhD)

Ever watched a house plant thrive against all odds - or a supposedly "unkillable" succulent turn to mush - and wondered what cosmic force is at play? The answer isn't in the stars or your watering schedule; it's in the soil.

You think you own a plant. You actually host a microbial megacity. Around plant roots - the rhizosphere - is teeming with billions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes locked in a constant dance of cooperation, fierce competition, and high-stakes chemical warfare. It's a world where your plant isn't just a plant; it's the mayor of a bustling underground city, actively recruiting allies, negotiating with enemies, and calling in backup when pathogens attack.

But the true marvel lies deeper: how are these microbes adapting right under our noses? They communicate, organize in little cities, support and kill each other, and swap DNA like trading cards - a process that's essentially bacterial sex - sharing antibiotic resistance genes, metabolic tricks, and survival strategies on the fly. In healthy plants, all these activities occur in a perfectly chaotic balance. But what happens when that balance tips? If you overwater, forget to water, or leave for two weeks, beneficial allies may vanish, opportunistic pathogens seize their moment, and the whole underground community restructures itself, for better or worse.

In this Think & Drink talk, we'll dive into this hidden world. We'll explore:

• How microbes act as your plant's personal stress managers, producing hormones that boost resilience.

• How they scavenge nutrients from impossible places and prime the plant's immune system before trouble strikes.

• Why overwatering triggers a microbial apocalypse.

• How sunlight shapes an underground world it never touches.

  
  

You'll walk away with a new appreciation for the invisible ecosystem in your own living room, and maybe a few tips to keep its peace - no green thumb required.

About the speaker

Valeria Verrone is a soil microbiologist and underground explorer with a PhD in plant-microbe interactions from Newcastle University, UK.

Over the years, she has worked across a wide range of topics: regenerative agriculture, ecosystem restoration, biofertilizers, urban soils, and biodiversity surveys in tropical ecosystems. Basically, if it involves microbes and soil (and adventure), she is in.

Valeria is the founder of Soil Up, her work and playground, where she consults, communicates science, hosts workshops, and collaborates with artists, farmers, and practitioners. Her soft spot has always been for the underdogs: the soil microbes that are constantly overlooked, yet quietly shape our lives in profound ways - and still manage to surprise us with every new scientific discovery.

She is on a mission to make the invisible world visible and to make people fall in love with the unloved creatures beneath their feet.

Doors open at 19:30 – Arrive early, grab a seat, and settle in.

Talk starts at 20:00 and runs until around 21:30.

Price includes light drinks.

Stick around afterward - good conversations don’t have closing times.