Experiment 11: The Self‑Watering Plant Scheduler
Imagine never having to wonder if you remembered to water your fern, cactus, or herb garden. With a few cheap sensors and a little automation, your plants can get the exact amount of water they need—while you focus on the things that truly matter.
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Step‑by‑Step Details
- Gather the hardware. You’ll need:
- 2‑3 cheap soil‑moisture sensors (e.g., Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor).
- A Wi‑Fi enabled microcontroller (ESP‑01/ESP‑32) or a smart plug with IFTTT/Webhooks support.
- A small water pump or a smart‑plug‑controlled drip system.
- A power source and a waterproof container for the pump.
- Wire the sensors. Connect each sensor’s analog output to the microcontroller’s ADC pins. Power them with 3.3 V and ground.
- Program the controller. Use Arduino IDE or PlatformIO to read sensor values and publish them to a cloud service (e.g., MQTT broker, Adafruit IO, or IFTTT webhook).
- Create a simple rule. In your automation platform, set a trigger:
If moisture level < threshold → turn on pump for X seconds. - Calibrate. Test each plant’s ideal moisture threshold (usually 30‑40 % for most houseplants). Adjust the threshold in the rule accordingly.
- Deploy. Place sensors in each pot, hide the pump tubing, and let the system run. Check the dashboard once a week to ensure everything is healthy.
- Enjoy the peace of mind. No more missed waterings, wilted leaves, or frantic “Did I water the basil?” moments.
