Keep your green thumb clean
These smart devices do the dirty work for you.
If you want to garden this spring without getting your hands dirty, you’re in luck.
Smart home technology has sprouted outdoors.
Smart sprinkler systems remember to water on their own, smart irrigation controllers check the weather forecast before deciding how much water to give your flora, and you can get a notification on your Galaxy S10 when you need to add some fertilizer.
But don’t just take our word for it.
“I love voice-controlled stuff. The fact that I can now water both plants and my chicken coop on-demand from anywhere at any time is amazing,” said Bob Stolzberg, a Missouri native who bought a smart watering system in 2018.
With the help of Amazon’s Alexa, he grows tomatoes, carrots, red peppers and sunflowers on a farm in the city of Bunker.
“I can say, ‘Alexa, water the chicken coop’ if the water is low. Or I can tell Alexa to water the waterlilies for 20 seconds,” Stolzberg said. “It saves me at least one to two hours per day since I don’t have to haul the water around.”
People are integrating tech into their gardens in a variety of ways, including app-controlled lighting and watering systems that are “more efficient” than options that are controlled by timers, said consumer-goods analyst Jennifer Christ.
Christ, who’s the manager of commercial products at the market research firm Freedonia, said that a growing number of people are also introducing robots to their lawns.
“At this point, most of the robots available are mowers, but other products are becoming commercialized for weeding (and) snow throwing,” she said.
While younger homeowners are more likely to adopt patio and lawn innovation early-on, Christ said that outdoor landscaping tech is appealing because it creates opportunities for older homeowners to maintain their homes with limited physical work.
For those who don’t have outdoor space for growing, there are gadgets that allow even the most amateur gardeners to quickly and effortlessly grow food and plants indoors with or without sunlight.
Users of the floriculture technology say some of the results are actually edible.
Allison Balladares bought a self-sustaining indoor “smart garden” system for her sixth grade classroom. The science teacher is using the plugin powered gadget to grow basil, cilantro and tomatoes to make salsa.
“I’ve been known to kill plants, but this system is basically foolproof,” said Balladares about the plug-and-go unit she bought for $99 on Amazon.
The Click & Grow selfwatering system includes “Smart Soil” that creates an ideal environment for a plant to thrive throughout its life cycle.
Although the smart garden market isn’t as vast as it is for indoor tech, here’s a list of products that will help make your garden as smart as the rest of your home:
Plant sensors
sPlant Soil Sensor – This is a simple sensor that lights up to let you
know when a plant is dry or needs different nutrients. The companion app provides detailed guidelines on a wide range of plants. It costs $39.98 on Amazon.
Apps
SmartPlant – It’s a free app with plant experts on speed dial. You take a photo of your plant and upload it. The botanists will take a look and almost instantly reply with a diagnosis. It’s geomapped to take into account your location, climate and soil type.
GardenTags – What good is a nice garden if you can’t show it off? GardenTags is like an Instagram for horticulture. Available for free on iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
Indoor gardens
Click & Grow – The company has a wide range of smart indoor planters that use “smart soil” and a built-in grow light to automatically care for your plants. It’s a zero-effort device that promises maximum results. It costs $99.99 at Target.
AeroGarden – It’s a DIY kit for growing fresh herbs on your kitchen counter. The all-inclusive kit comes with seed pods, plant food and an LED artificial sunlight. Plus, the companion app helps you monitor and care for your plants. Prices start at $68.94 on Amazon.
NanoFarm – This personal farming system is soil-less. Use the special plant pads, water as instructed and wait for your produce to be ready. Find it for $379.
Watering
Home Weather Station – Netatmo’s Weather Station is the perfect way to weather watch. It reports back to your smartphone on temperature, CO2 levels, pressure, humidity, noise pollution, wind and rain.
Rachio 3 – With this smart irrigation controller, you can customize the irrigation levels in your garden based on your plant’s needs. The Amazon-certified sprinkler controller helps you monitor and manage watering from anywhere. You can use it to create tailored schedules, automatic weather adjustments and maintain your yard. It costs $229.99 at Best Buy.
GreenIQ – The sprinkler system helps keep you from overwatering. This gardening gadget monitors soil moisture levels even lets you know about pipe breaks and leaks too. It costs $249.99 at Home Depot.
Lawn
Robotic Mower – If you’ve already got a Roomba for your carpets and floors, this is an option for your lawn. Brands include Worx, Husqvarna and Robomow. Each is available on Amazon. Prices range from about $500 to $2,500.