Must-Have Technology for the Keen Gardener*

We live in the age where technology affects all areas of our life, and gardening is no different. In the past, gardening has not only been a popular passtime, it was an art form. But nowadays with the many innovations and gadgets out there anyone can sucessfully garden. Here are the top pieces of tech gardeners will be looking at in 2018;

Heated Propagators
A gardeners dream would be to have the ability to grow different plants from around the world, however in the UK our cold, wet climate doesn’t really allow for that. Which is why heated propagators come in so you can grow your own vegetables and plants. For those of you who don’t know, a heated propagator allows seeds to germinate earlier and more successfully. You can often adapt the temperature between 5°C to 30°C to grow a range of plants and flourish your vegetable seeds. Some of the more exotic seeds and hot chillies require warmer temperatures and it could be impossible to grow them in cooler climates without this piece of technology.

In the past it was heated greenhouses that were ready availble for this sort of thing but it added to peoples energy bills so much that no one really wanted to buy them. For them to work qithout the heat dissipating they had to be on all the time. Propergators have walls and a lid which retain the warmth, they’re also a lot smaller so don’t have the same effect on your energy bills..

Handy Apps
Whatever you need, you can guarentee there is an app for it especially when it comes to hobbies, and who knew that even extended to gardening? Here are some apps you should consider downloading to help you;

GrowIt! – If you’ve just moved to a new house or are getting used to gardening in your area, this could be a useful app for you. It can connect you with local gardeners who are used to the climate and soil type and can give you some advice. You can also upload photos of your own plants to share your gardening knowledge with others.

Garden Compass — If you’re looking for other like-minded individuals to share your gardening snaps with, this could be for you. With this app, you can upload photos to the website, ask questions to horticultural experts and crate your personalised garden care calendar.

Multi Pot Watering
No one likes to admit they forgot to water their plants, to some people that’s just as bad as forgetting to feed a pet! But these days with the help of a pot watering kit, they’ll alays get done.

These kits are so smart that they water up to 25 plants automatically and can even sense what time it is and when to water your flowering plants. You can set up the gadget so that it slowly releases water to the root of the plant which will save you the effort.

Olloclip Pro-Lens
Okay, so this one isn’t strictly a gardening thing, but with the popularity of social media, especially photosharing apps like Instagram, this could come in handy.

This piece of technology can fit nicely onto your iPhone. Simply clip it over the lens of your phone and it combines with your phones digital zoom. It’s ideal for capturing the details that aren’t visible to the human eye or even monitoring insects as they enjoy your garden. You’re guaranteed to get some wonderful shots without the need for purchasing a professional camera.

Monitoring your Plants Requirements
Plants cannot tell you what they needs so with gardening it can be a lot of guess work. However there is a gadget that could help you make judgement calls; the Parrot Flower Power plant monitor. Although it doesn’t tell you about each specific plant in your garden, it understands the essential needs of your plant, has 7,000 plants in its database and a battery life of six months. Simply place the monitor into the soil next to your plant and the monitor can detect; sunlight, temperature and fertilizer. This information then is sent straight to your smartphone, so you know when to water them or add more fertilizer.

Who knew there was so much tech out there to help you become a star gardener? Heck, I might even take it up as a hobby!