Subtle electrical current

I have heard people briefly mention that plants absorb nutrients through some sort of exchange which involves positive and negative charges. I know that a certain algae has been found to produce small amounts of electricity, and other plants, such as a lemon, hold an electrical charge. Do you know how electricity plays a part in the growth of plants? In the nutrient uptake through the roots? Does it have to do with the cation exchange capacity of the soil? Are there ways that we can impact the electrical interactions in a practical (or not) manner in order to influence the growth of plants?

Thanks
Daniel

This isn't exactly what you're looking for, but it's a start; what struck with me the most from my my biopsychology class in undergrad was about how all the messages of our nervous system are spread through electrical impulses. It seems plants use some of the same kinds of electric mechanisms to communicate within the organism.

From Wikipedia Plant perception (physiology) Electrophysiology[edit]
Although plant cells are not neurons, they can be electrically excitable and can display rapid electrical responses (action potentials) to environmental stimuli. These action potentials can influence processes such as actin-based cytoplasmic streaming, plant organ movements, wound responses, respiration, photosynthesis, and flowering.[8][9][10][11] These electrical responses can cause the synthesis of numerous organic molecules, including ones that act as neuroactive substances in other organisms.[citation needed] Thus, plants accomplish behavioural responses in environmental, communicative, and ecological contexts.

Wow, Thanks, that reminds me of some things that I learned from the book mycelium running about how the trees communicate with each other through the mycelium. The original Internet. and also a thread from earlier discussing Mother trees... Cant find the thread I was thinking of, but here is a a link to where the video is which was in the thread.