One would think the $36-billion lawn and garden industry would be hurting with the economic downturn. However, outdoor companies understand that, as the economy continues to rebound, consumers are still looking for new innovations that save money. Experts posit one of the latest trends is the backyard vegetable garden, which can save consumers a little cash at the grocery store and foster a healthy diet. First-time gardeners are being seduced by amazing technology, like the $60 EasyBloom Plant Sensor, which takes all the guesswork out of planting and makes specific recommendations based on your exact soil type. It looks like this:
To use the EasyBloom Plant Sensor, you plug it into a computer’s USB port to register, download the necessary software program and access the online plant library. Choose a mode, such as Water, Recommend or Monitor. In “Water” mode, you’ll find out if your plants are getting too much or too little water. In “Monitor” mode, EasyBloom will tell you what’s wrong with an ailing plant and give you clues on how to fix it. With “Recommend” mode, EasyBloom will tell you the ideal plants to grow in the given conditions. Next, you place the sensor in the location where you’d like to put your garden, leaving it to analyze for at least 24 hours. As you sleep, the Plant Sensor will begin analyzing the sunlight, temperature, humidity, soil moisture and drainage, using the same technology NASA uses to measure the soil on Mars. Then you can plug your Plant Sensor back into your USB and see what this “Plant Doctor” can do!
This invention is a God-send to people with a “brown thumb” who can’t seem to keep their plants alive, but it is also a marvel for the experienced gardener. Once inserted into the ground, this device will know the time, temperature, humidity, sunlight and moisture. Once plugged into the USB port of your computer, it will link to a website, where you enter your postal code once and it links you to weather service databases and local seed companies. Most impressive is EasyBloom Plant Sensor’s 5,000+ plant library (at www.easybloom.com/plantlibrary), which tells you how to grow plants from seed, whether they need sun or shade, which type of soil they need, interesting facts and more! There are loads of colorful picture and a convenient “Buy Now” button. You’ll get lists of plants that flourish in your area, which you can narrow down by specifying the bloom color, season or plant height you prefer. You can also keep an online inventory of the plants you’re growing for one-click reference.
“Technology is really trying to take the guess work out of it because most of us don’t have scientific labs where we can test how much water our plants have versus how much they needs, or what’s the temperature of the soil,” says Natali Del Conte of CNET.com. However, there is still room for improvement with products like the EasyBloom Plant Sensor. One drawback is that the system doesn’t analyze for soil acidity or alkalinity, it doesn’t advise you on composting or fertilizing and it can’t test the exact mineral composition of your soil. These are all features that tech savvy gardeners say they’d like to see incorporated in the future. For more information, visit www.easybloom.com. To buy, you can save $10 off the original retail price at www.amazon.com.
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Fishing Report: October 16, 2009 Lake Fishing - In lake Amador, the trout fishing has been fairly stable following a 8,500 pound plant that went in during the past week. This week is going to see an additional 5,000 pound plant, and the water clarity has also been good. At Berryessa, the lake seems to...... -
Choosing the Right Plants for Your Garden When you first saw how much space you had in your back yard you were probably really excited by the prospect of all of the plants that you could install there. But you need to consider the kind of soil that you have, the kind of light that you have,......
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