For those who absolutely must have a pot plant but cannot be troubled to water it regularly for whatever reason, there’s Greenopia on ‘Indian Kickstarter’ Wishberry which has received over Rs 9 lakh in funding. This smart gardening kit won a ‘best project’ award at the Indo Russian Innovation Challenge in 2014.
The Greenopia system consists of a smart pot and an accompanying mobile app. The container is embedded with various sensors to measure sunlight, electrical conductivity and moisture in the soil. So apart from telling users if their plant is getting enough sun or not, it will also provide information about whether the soil’s acidic or alkalinity levels are balanced.
Although you can sit back and stop worrying about remembering to tend to your plants regularly, you do need to ensure that the reservoir from which Greenopia draws water does not get completely empty. You can get the inbuilt motor in the pot to sprinkle enough of it on your greens by simply hitting a button through the companion mobile application.
The app will apparently become more intelligent as more people use it and add details to its data base. The smart pot is approximately 2 feet long and half a foot high. Those who’d prefer to receive Greenopia in dimensions of their choosing, can ask for a custom module. It’s not just for lazy gardeners, but also for those who can’t get anyone to water their plants when they’re off on the road.
The developers behind Greenopia will replace electronic parts and provide virtual troubleshooting support for a year. It costs Rs 5000 to Rs 50000, depending on how many smart pots backers sign up for. The Wishberry project is closed presently and has received enough funding to begin production, though its makers are likely to start selling it again in the future.