hydros

hydros app interface

One of my biggest challenges with my garden this summer has been inconsistent watering. Last night was a perfect example - I didn't check the weather and decided to water as we are in the middle of a heat spell in St.Louis as my tomatoes are looking a bit sad. And of course not an hour later it down poured! Next season I am definitely going to have to make watering on a routine basis a much bigger priority or I could get this incredible app called Hydros. This smartphone app developed by Simple Elements checks the forecast AND the moisture level in your soil before turning on your irrigation system. The way it works is that the app communicates with a sensor that is inserted into your yard and a controller at your water source. The sensor sends up to date information about the current moisture level in your soil while the app checks the weather to create a customized watering schedule for your yard. Your schedule can be further specified by inserting information about the type of soil and grass you have to tailor your watering to your particular conditions. Another cool feature is that you can use multiple sensors creating different zones of watering (i.e. a vegetable garden). The whole kit cost $230 which is a bit steep but considering Simple Elements claim you can save 25 - 60 percent of your water bill you would potentially recoup those costs pretty quickly. 

Hydros sensor

We don't have an irrigation or a garden yet big enough to warrant this purchase but I think it is so cool and would definitely invest in one in the future. 

Thanks to GARDENISTA for originally sharing this content with me.