Does gardening now require a green phone?

Photo: robomow.com.Photo: robomow.com.

Our smart phones keep us connected to each other in many ways, from sharing photos of last night’s Little League game to collaborating on documents, or simply checking in with family and friends. And now the “Internet of Things” is connecting us to our gardens.

It wasn’t enough to simply have a self-propelled mower that cuts the grass like the iRobot Roomba vacuums the carpet. Now, Robomow has a smart phone app that allows you to control your mower from anywhere – the cabin, mall, vacation or golf course. One convenient screen gives you access to settings like lawn size, the mower’s weekly schedule and defined mowing zones.
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Photo: Rachio.com.Photo: Rachio.com.

If you thought it couldn’t get better than automatic sprinklers, now there is a system that provides lawns the right amount of hydration based on the weather forecast. The Rachio Iro sprinkler controller downloads weather reports for your neighborhood via the web and then waters more in hot, dry weather and less, or not at all, on rainy days.
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Photo: Edyn.com.Photo: Edyn.com.

Another system that takes environmental conditions into account is Edyn, which tracks light, humidity, temperature, soil nutrition and moisture, then cross-references the data with plant and soil science and weather databases to recommend plants that will thrive in your garden. Its accompanying app reminds you when to plant, water, fertilize and harvest.
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