Tending to a garden is like caring for a second child. You’ll need a little tender loving care, some pruning and plenty of daily attention to ensure your patch of green grows up strong and healthy.
But here’s the catch: Not everyone is cut out to be a plant parent. Blame it on a hectic lifestyle, constant forgetfulness (forgot about watering your plant babies while on holiday again?) or just plain laziness – it’s a fact that maintaining these greens takes up a whole lot more time and effort than we can spare.
Interior designer: GB Interior
Fret not though, whether you're just getting started with the whole gardening thing or simply finding a way to manage your current evergreens, these smart planters – which are perfect for the modern-day urban dweller – will help to ease your burden.
Interior designer: form & space
1. Ecoqube Air - All in one Smart Planter
Can't seem to care properly for your plants because you're always stuck in front of a computer screen? Well, with Ecoqube Air, there's no reason why you can’t – considering that you’ll be seeing them face-to-face on your desk! This all-in-one, aquarium-like gadget functions as a greenhouse, air purifier as well as a smart light therapy system, while still being able to fit on most tabletops with ease.
Tapping on hydroponic technology, the Ecoqube regulates and determines the right amount of water to supply your plants, while the box’s inbuilt LED lights provide all round ‘sunlight’ even in dim, indoor spaces. And if you're feeling particularly antsy about how your plant is doing – you can keep tabs on water levels as well as adjust light timing and colour via the gadget’s smartphone app.
Buy Now: From US$179 on Indiegogo
2. Lyfe Flyte - Suspended air plant planter
There's something magical and fascinating about floating objects, and the Lyfe Flyte is no exception. Well, save for the fact that it is mostly just a functional planter that ensures your plant gets optimum exposure to sunlight.
Set in a gorgeously sculpted vase, the Lyfe Flyte utilises maglev technology to levitate the planter in mid-air. While floating, the planter also gently rotates on a circular path, enabling its ‘passenger’ to receive sufficient sunlight from all angles. Of course, there's more to the Lyfe Flyte’s fancy floating feature than its ‘wow’ factor – magnetic energy is said to improve plant metabolism and assist in the ripening of certain fruits.
BUY NOW: From US$199 on Kickstarter
3. Parrot Pot - Plant babysitter extraordinaire
A little OCD when it comes to tending to your growing plants? This compact planter has got you covered. With a total of 4 built-in sensors that'll track any progress your plant makes and its overall condition, this high-tech planter provides real time data of soil pH levels, moisture levels and more.
On top of analysing your plants’ biodata in detail, the Bluetooth enabled Parrot Pot also comes with an automated self-watering feature that’ll adjust water levels to the optimal volume. Perfect for keeping an eye on your cute (but fragile) baby plants.
Buy Now: From US$54.99 from Amazon
4. Click and Grow Wall Farm Mini - Urban Farming for Tiny Spaces
Fancy growing your very own crops? You don't have to settle with creating a mini indoor herb garden from scratch anymore. Enter Click n Grow, an all-in-one smart gardening system that allows even novices to successfully grow and regrow their crops with the assistance of an automated watering system and fuss-free ‘plant pallets’ that last up to a month.
With the Wall Farm Mini, users can fit up to 34 types of plant pallets (ranging from blooms, fruits, herbs and tea leaves) in a nifty rack that fits into most tight spaces (YAY for HDBs and condos!). The rack even comes with built-in LED lights that help stimulate plant growth. Don’t worry about wires, pipes and soil bits cluttering up your space either – the Click and Grow Wall Farm Mini also comes in a timbered finish for a sleek, minimalist look.
Buy Now: US$899 from Click and Grow
5. LeGrow - Fun, Stackable Smart Garden
Growing a plant doesn't have to be a laborious, dirty process. Here’s the ultimate garden for some good, clean fun – LeGrow’s modular smart garden system is a compact system made up of lego-like cube blocks that you can stack and arrange however you like.
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Besides its self-watering plant pots, the system also comes with twin bulb LED Grow lights for faster plant growth, a 360-degree humidifier to keep your plants moist and hydrated and (bonus!) 4 USB charging points so you can admire your plants while powering up your smartphone.
Buy Now: From US$69 on Indiegogo
6. Plantui - No Soil, Low Energy Smart Crop Planter
All about going green? Take eco-friendly living to the next level with this smart planter that requires zero soil and consumes only 9kWh of power per year. Utilising a smart irrigation system that waters crops from germination to harvest, users can buy various plant capsules (vegetables, tomatoes, chillies) to create a personalised indoor farm.
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Of course, this mushroom-shaped planter does more than look cute on your balcony. The Plantui can be adjusted to fit plants of up to 1m tall, and has an LED light system that mimics the intensity of sunlight. The result? Fresh, pesticide-free food for your table, minus the exhausting work.
Buy Now: From US$238 on Plantui
Cover photo credit: The Orange Cube
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