Now, an app that indicates when plants need watering

TORONTO: Wilted, starving, thirsty houseplants could soon be getting more tender loving care, thanks to a new plant sensor and app that tells owners when it is time for watering and feeding. The Koubachi Wifi Plant Sensor, which is placed in the soil of the potted plant, connects with a smartphone app that alerts users when plants need watering, misting, fertilizer or more sun or shade. 



Bolliger said water monitoring is particularly important. 

"The problem people run into most often is that they give too much water - that's the main cause of killing plants," he explained in an interview. The data is used to customise care plans, delivered via the app, for more than 135 species of plants, including orchids, tomatoes and umbrella plants. The care plans were developed in conjunction with plant physiologists at ETH Zurich, the Swiss Institute of Technology. 


He added that it is not necessary to purchase a sensor, which costs 100 euros ($125), for each plant because there is a multi-plant feature that allows the system to learn the specifics of the plant in a few weeks, depending on the size of the plant. It will have enough information to tailor the plant care plan and the sensor can then be used in a different plant. The sensor, which took three years to develop, can run for more than a year on a single set of batteries, according to Bolliger. "It kind of resembles a stone that is in the plant," he said.