Water your plants with a Raspberry Pi
Cyber Gardener
© Lead Image © lightwise, 123rf.com
An automated watering system comprising a Raspberry Pi Zero W, an analog-to-digital converter, and an inexpensive irrigation kit can help keep your potted plants from dying of thirst.
Inspired by an earlier article in Linux Pro Magazine [1], I had been thinking for some time about the idea of using a computer to measure the moisture of three potted plants in my office and watering them automatically when needed. When I came across an inexpensive kit with sensors and pumps, the time had come to tackle the subject.
The first idea for watering the three flower pots was to use a pump with a valve system to regulate which pot was watered. However, online research did not reveal any low-cost systems, so the project ended up back in the drawer.
A later search took me to an irrigation kit by the Chinese company WayinTop that contains four individual pumps, four humidity sensors, a relay module, and a matching hose [2], all for about $30 (EUR30, £34). This was well within the price range I had in mind.
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