In 2020, “pandemic gardens” were as popular as new pets and sourdough starters, but many of us learned the hard way that keeping indoor plants healthy (or even alive) isn’t always easy. This little gadget is looking to change all that, giving you real-time data on what your plants need. According to the makers, it will “revolutionize” the way we care for our indoor plants.
It’s estimated that American adults kill or kill about 190 million houseplants each year, enough to cause many to give up the houseplant hobby altogether.
SmartyPlants, as its name suggests, aims to change all that. Designed specifically for houseplants, its smart sensors monitor light, humidity, temperature, and soil moisture and nutrients. This information is sent to a companion smartphone app, taking the guesswork out of keeping your plants healthy.
This little device is essentially your new smart gardening fingertips
Smart Plant
“SmartyPlants is focused on helping the 48% of houseplant owners who have accidentally killed five or more plants in the last 18 years,” said Ben Beavers, founder and CEO of SmartyPlants. “We don’t judge. We understand that you’re not sure what to do.”
“We want our customers to enjoy their plants stress-free, and with our technology we can ensure that their plants are well taken care of,” added Beavers, who has a background in biology and technology and calls his partner a “serial plant killer.”
When the London startup launched SmartyPlants on Kickstarter, it quickly found a following, quickly raising more than 10 times its £5,000 ($6,315) goal: Within four days of the campaign’s launch, it had more than 500 backers, proving that there are many people desperate for healthy plants.
It’s essentially “plug and play” – you stick the sensor into your plants’ soil, and it does more than just let you know if they’re being watered too much or not getting enough light – the sensor analyzes your room and recommends the best types of plants for the environment. It also has smart home integration, so you can set up an automatic watering system over Wi-Fi.
It also keeps a history of any plant issues and allows you to track growth through AI image analysis. It is customized to the needs of your specific plants, covering the full range of indoor foliage from succulents to ferns, which are notoriously difficult to keep alive indoors.
The app also lets you name your plants, so you can check in on Dave or Shirley even if you can’t remember what species they are, and of course it gives you notifications like, “Dave needs water.”
Once set up, SmartyPlants will send you easy-to-understand insights and learnings, notify you if something goes wrong so you can easily correct mistakes before it’s too late, and it doesn’t just measure light intensity, it looks at the light spectrum to maximise all-important photosynthesis.
The device is powered by a rechargeable battery that lasts for around six months before needing to be recharged, and the app is available for Android and iOS.
The only thing it can’t do is protect your houseplants from hungry pets.
SmartyPlants Campaign Video
On Kickstarter (with the usual crowdfunding caveats applying), you can get a single sensor for a 15% early bird discount (£34, about $43), or a monster pack of 20 for 40% off (£479, about $605), and when you consider the cost of replacing houseplants that aren’t thriving very well around the house, this seems like a very worthwhile investment.
Source: Kickstarter
