My brother told me to ignore the 'smart' gardening apps and just buy a $12 moisture meter.

He said all the data and watering schedules were just noise, and the simple tool would tell me exactly what my plants needed. I tried the fancy app route for a whole season in Denver and killed two lavender bushes by overwatering. Now I just stick the probe in the dirt. Is this a sign that simple tools are the future, or are the apps just not good enough yet?

4 comments

4 Comments

ivan_harris12d ago

Yeah, I killed a cactus following an app's "ideal" schedule. The meter just tells you what's actually happening in the pot.

mark_green12d ago

Exactly, the meter shows what's real. Apps just guess based on some average plant. You can't beat checking the actual soil.

patriciagarcia12d ago

But doesn't that just mean the apps are guessing wrong? Like, they're trying to replace the real check with a bunch of rules that don't fit your actual dirt or weather. Maybe the tech isn't the problem, but the idea that you can automate something that changes every day. My basil on the porch needs water way more than the one inside, but an app would treat them the same. It feels like they're solving for a perfect world that doesn't exist.

wendy_henderson2112d ago

Your brother's right. Apps overcomplicate something that's basically just poking the dirt.