Need help knowing when to water your plants? Try this app

A SMARTWATCH designed specifically for plants has been invented to help botanists keep their gardens shipshape.

The device, which is stuck on to leaves, will ping a smartphone app if the plant needs watering.

Scientists behind the device said it could even warn gardeners of exposure to pests or toxic agents.

Visual signs that a plant is thirsty – such as shrivelling or browning leaves – only actually appear when most of the water is gone, and then it can often be far too late to resurrect your beloved greenery. To give an earlier warning, the simple design, which can be easily hidden on the plant, uses electrodes stuck to a leaf.

It works even when leaves dry out and sticks on strongly in the wind – a problem discovered in previous attempts.

While the device has so far only been tested in a greenhouse, the team now plans to try it in gardens and allotments.

They intend to use it on crops in the hope it will help farmers.

The US research into the device was published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.