No one in my home has a green thumb. Sure, like any normal family we have some decorative blooms around the house, but nothing to get too crazy over. Mostly because we are a family on the go, plants suffer in both the summer and winter, when the weather is most extreme. If plants could talk, right?
Well, Parrot developed a way to get the data you need about plants, simply by walking by. While we may be too busy to notice a plant while rushing past, what if you could receive a shout of desperation. A plant begging you for water through a push notification is hard to ignore.
Details
Flower Power is a two part package. Leveraging the power of a small hardware device and mobile iOS Flower Power app, your plants can actually talk to you. Okay, it is through graphs and charts, but it is certainly a game changer for garden novices and green thumbs alike.
Through a daily diary, the app shows instant notifications and up to a five day care plan. This prediction capability helps busy caretakers, who may need the extra timeline to run to the store for supplies, like fertilizer. These short term care predictions will help your plants flourish. Most importantly, getting everything up and running is critical to providing good care. The installation video below will give you a good idea of the process.
AÂ library database of more than 7,000 plants, from 2,000 species help get the right plant uploaded and it even includes origin, tips, requirements and photos for reference. The library then becomes the background to real time graphical analysis through the app, as populated by the hardware.
A Bluetooth 4.0 connection establishes a quick link to an iPhone as it comes within 30 feet. Two thermostats gather air and subterranean temperature. The temperature information is then compared to the plant type, designating the healthiness factor. Light access is determined because photosynthesis is necessary for plan life. To check for fertilizer levels, the soil is tested for electrical conductivity. Fertilizers contain conductive ions, which increased electrical flow in the soil, hence the test. Moisture measurement is accomplished by checking dielectric permittivity.
All of this is handled through the very small hardware device, which can store 80 days worth of information, just in case you let your garden completely run itself for three months. For even more explicit understanding of the Flower Power details and measurements, I encourage you to download and read through the manual.
Conclusion
Personally, I’m not much of a flower planter or veggie grower, but the Parrot Flower Power is an extremely handy tool and I appreciate Parrot sending one over for review. Providing instant, even real time information, it is really your own fault if your plants die. It is such an impressive device, Flower Power has been making positive ways for connected home devices. Consequently, it is event featured in one of Apple’s more recent commercials about excellent apps and corresponding hardware.
I was frustrated by the firmware update the device suggested when I first connected it. The firmware update is run through your iPhone. iPhone connects via Wi-Fi to download the firmware update and then pushes the update via Bluetooth to the device. It took forever and I eventually just cancelled the update. However, everything seems to be working fine.
At $59.99, it is a little expensive for a plant monitor, but it truly is the complete package for horticulturists or your resident plant killer. Plants are expensive and I’m happy to spend a little bit of money, if it means keeping them alive longer. Who knew you could over water a plant? The Parrot Flower Power will send you an alert! It will make a great stocking stuffer or holiday gift.