You hear a lot about how pet owners sometimes struggle to find a responsible person to look after their dog, cat or other companion animal when they need to travel for business. After all, many people consider their pets to be a part of their family and will go to great lengths to ensure their comfort, health and safety.
There may be somewhat less discussion when it comes to finding someone to keep your plants healthy when you’re away from home. The plants growing in your garden or in the pots you keep on your kitchen windowsill surely will not require as much effort or attention than pets.
However, if you are serious about keeping your plants healthy and thriving, you’ll probably at least leave a list of instructions with the person you’ve arranged to take care of them. The problem is, you may be plagued from time to time with a nagging suspicion that your plants’ caretaker is forgetting to water them or didn’t give them proper lighting.
This is where PlantLink can come in handy. PlantLink is a system that relies on electronic sensors that you put in the soil where your plants are growing. They measure electrical resistivity, which lets you see how well they are doing according to an automated schedule for watering each type of plant. It uses a smartphone app to control and keep track of the devices. The app will help you calculate how much water different types of plants typically need. You can use it to customize alerts that will appear on your smartphone’s screen, informing you if a plant has not been watered or if it has been over watered.
PlantLink costs $79 and will support up to 64 electronic links to your plants (extra links cost $35 each).
Using the new PlantLink system should give business travelers some much needed peace of mind, letting them focus more on their upcoming meetings instead of wondering if their plants are getting the care and attention they deserve.
