Here’s How to Build a Smart, Cost-efficient Garden with Internet of Things

Smart garden monitoring systems leveraging Internet of Things (IoT) can help transform your gardening process to a smart and dynamic one. The system will monitor the light intensity and moisture content of the soil at regular intervals and alert you when the plants need watering. And, if you have a smart plant watering system, your plants will be watered even in your absence.

How the Internet of Things Gardening System works

The water sensor in the IoT gardening system reviews the moisture level of the soil—whether they are under-watered, over-watered or are optimally watered. The light sensor measures the amount of sunlight the plant gets. All of this data is then sent to a cloud-based processing unit, which analyzes the data and determines whether the current water levels of the plant have fallen below the threshold level (user-defined).

In case the moisture level falls below the threshold, it sends a command to the automatic water sprinkler to irrigate the garden. As a garden owner, you continually get alerts updating you about the actions being taken. So, even when you are remote, you can rest assured that your plants are being taken care of.

What is needed

There are IoT-enabled smart gardening kits that you can buy or even choose to set up your own smart garden monitoring system. From smart garden sensors that suggest the best plants for your garden to precision planting with smart weather stations, WiFi-enabled water sprinklers, and robotic lawnmowers, there are plenty of tools to help automate your gardening process.

And, when you opt for a DIY smart garden project—which is a whopping $41 billion in the US according to IBISWorld—all you need is to assemble the required hardware and use the codes available on GitHub.

Space constraint? Go for a vertical garden

If you face space constraints and can not enjoy the luxury of a sprawling garden, IoT-enabled vertical garden is your best bet. These vertical gardens let you grow hydroponic plants along your walls. Hydroponic gardening refers to growing plants without soil. In this method, the soil is replaced with a water solution, which is nutrient-rich and can adequately nourish the plants. Only the roots are dipped in the solution while gravel or perlite supports the plant.

These wall-mounted modular garden systems use IoT enabled micro-controllers, which keep track of the moisture, nutrients, and pH levels to help maintain the plants. The micro-controller is connected to WiFi, which sends data over to an app. The data is analyzed and required actions are communicated. Some of the smart gardening systems feature built-in lighting, which helps maintain an optimum temperature for the plants to grow.

For improved farming

This technology is not only useful for home gardens but can also be quite useful for farmers who face drought or adverse climatic conditions that can spoil their crops. Using IoT-enabled smart farming techniques, farmers can grow crops even when the soil is not arable or the soil quality is poor. IoT-enabled farming can help grow plants and crops while cutting down on water consumption, use of pesticides, labor, and maintenance costs.

The article has been written by Neetu Katyal, Content and Marketing Consultant

She can be reached on LinkedIn.