Gardening is often enjoyable, but it is always time consuming. So why not automate demanding gardening tasks to reclaim some of that free time?
Unfortunately, spring is almost here. So for those of us with green fingers, we are faced with an endless list of tasks that will help us prepare the garden and keep it flourishing throughout the year.
You probably enjoy many of these tasks, from planning your garden. How to design your perfect garden using technology at your fingertips. How to design your perfect garden using technology at your fingertips. If you want a beautiful garden, you can turn to technology to help you. These are the best free (or extremely affordable) landscape design tools, resources, and mobile apps out there. Read More But there will undoubtedly be some that will quickly become a chore. With that in mind, browse this list of ways you can automate the gardening tasks you struggle with the most. Imagine how much more enjoyable your summer could be, if only the pleasurable parts of gardening were left to you.
We have already mentioned some of these options, hidden in articles about Arduino projects. Arduino Project Ideas for an Automated Home Arduino Project Ideas for an Automated Home Wouldn't it be great to water your greenhouse without leaving your chair? An Arduino can be hired as the key component of some home automation projects. Here are five! Read More and Home Automation Projects 5 DIY Home Automation Projects to Get Started with Your Smart Home 5 DIY Home Automation Projects to Get Started with Your Smart Home When it comes to creating smart homes, most people just don't know where to start. Here are five basic beginner projects that you can build right now. Read more . Below, you'll find the best of these brought together, along with much more.
Setting up an automated sprinkler system may not be as difficult as it seems, nor as expensive. For $110 you can purchase Rain Bird's Automatic Sprinkler Kit, which you can set up in a single afternoon.
Automatic timer (connected to hose faucet) activates sprinkler system. Once activated, the sprinklers rise up from your lawn, and once they're ready, they sink back down so they don't interfere with mowing.
If you prefer to build something yourself, there are DIY projects that work in a similar way.
How would you feel if your own robot mowed your lawn every day? The Husqvarna Automower 230 ACX, priced at a weeping $3,500, tackles “Up to 6,000m2 of lawn in any weather, with rough terrain and slopes up to 45%”. The robotic lawnmower takes random paths around your lawn, redirecting itself when it encounters an obstacle.
The mower can distinguish between the shortest and longest blades of grass, and the longer blades are precisely cut into small pieces, which fall onto the lawn to decompose naturally.
If that price tag scares you off, though, know your way around Arduino 4 Reasons Everyone Should Learn Arduino Now 4 Reasons Everyone Should Learn Arduino Now Arduino This, Arduino That. Maybe you've heard of it before, maybe not. You may have no idea what it is, what it can do, or why you should care. This is why. Read More
It can be difficult to distinguish diseased plants from healthy ones, but a telltale sign is the amount of energy the plant absorbs from visible light.
To help you visually see the difference so you know which plants to attend to, you'll need a digital infrared camera. Replace the infrared filter with a blue filter (you can pick these up at most photo stores for around $10). You have essentially created a "photosynthesis chamber" that will tell you which plants are under stress.
Then head over to infragram.org and upload the photos you take of your garden. The site will process the images for free. Those plants that absorb less light are the ones that need your care..
If you want more features, you can buy Infragram's point-and-shoot camera for $125.
Drip irrigation is a money-saving way to water plants (not lawns). 5 tech habits to cultivate if you want to save money. 5 tech habits to cultivate if you want to save money. Cultivate these 5 habits to ensure you save money. and get the devices and hardware you've been wanting. Read More By using a network of sensors, valves, and pipes, water is dripped where it's needed, when it's needed.
An affordable way to set up an automated drip irrigation system is by purchasing a Raindrip kit (~$70). Most kits come with an automatic faucet timer that controls when your plants will be supplied with water. Expansions can be purchased to customize your system.
If you prefer to water your plants with a sprinkler system, use a smart watering system like Rachio (starting at $200). These types of systems are designed to keep your plants healthy while saving water. Rachio cannot only be fully controlled from your smartphone. You can also set automated schedules that are edited based on seasonal changes and online weather forecasts.
If you want to build your own DIY Arduino version, that's also possible.
We've Mentioned 5 Smart Devices To Help Manage Your Garden 5 Smart Devices To Help Manage Your Garden Turns out, a smart garden is entirely possible, thanks to the devices we're going to be looking at today. Read more about Koubachi ($100-$150 per sensor) and Parrot Flower Power ($60 per sensor) earlier, but their variety of features makes both options worth mentioning again.
These sensors measure all of your plants' vital signs, including soil moisture, sunlight, infrared light, ambient temperature, and more. Once connected to mobile or web applications, the sensors also have access to species information, weather data and user preferences. With all this information combined, they give you detailed care tips for each of your plants. This makes it a powerful piece of plant care technology that is especially useful for more valuable and difficult to care for plants.
If you're looking for even more automation features, Parrot Flower Power has some fantastic integrations with IFTTT (read our guide The Ultimate Guide to IFTTT:Use the Web's Most Powerful Tool Like a Pro The Ultimate Guide to IFTTT:Use the Most Powerful Tool of the Web as a Pro If This Then That, also known as IFTTT, is a free web-based service for your apps and devices to work together. Not sure how to build your applet? Follow this guide. Read More) . These include turning on Philips Hue lights when certain conditions are met and setting an event on your calendar to remind you when to water your plants.
If you live in an area where animals like raccoons and deer wreak havoc on your yard, you should upgrade to a Garden Gnome Drone (for about $300). If you know how to set up Arduino Learn Electronics and Arduino just by watching these videos Learn Electronics and Arduino just by watching these videos Learning to program your own electronics is enriching and rewarding, but it can be hard to get started without guidance. We've rounded up the best videos, YouTube channels, and online courses to get you started. Read More
What you will be building in this DIY project is essentially a guard robot for your garden. When an infrared motion sensor that is linked to the drone detects movement, the vehicle takes off and flies a pre-configured flight path around your garden to chase away those beasts of nature, before returning to its charging station.
If you decide to take on this project, I love you hear how you get along.
If you'd like to grow your own herbs or vegetables, but don't have the outdoor space to make it happen, check out Fizzy Farm hydrophonic systems.
If you don't have outside space, you can buy an inside system ($150). If you only have a small patio, you can purchase an outdoor system ($200).
By using a combination of nutrient powder and a powerful oxygen pump to oxygenate the water, plants can thrive much more easily. This system helps plants grow in spaces that would normally be too hot or too cold, while also stabilizing the pH levels of the water.
This means that nobody Now you can grow small plants to the highest level, even in the most hostile places..
These products cover a large part of the gardening tasks, but not all. We haven't yet heard of a decent home-use automation option for weeding or sowing seeds. I guess we have to get our hands dirty. somehow , correct?
What other aspects of gardening would you like to see automated? Or do you prefer gardening to remain a physical past tense that eschews invasive technology?
