November 23, 2009

Who Needs The EasyBloom Plant Sensor

The EasyBloom Plant Sensor is the perfect product for that tech-savvy gardener. EasyBloom’s manufacturer, San Francisco-based company PlantSense, said they wanted to bring greenhouse operator technology to amateur gardeners. In one test, EasyBloom took in 129 data points over 30 hours and recommended 321 plants for that specific soil and conditions. While guesswork can sometimes be a fun part of the process, EasyBloom provides you with solutions to ailing plants and plant suggestions you may have never thought of before.

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!

The EasyBloom Plant Sensor is intended for beginner gardeners. “Probably the best part of the device is the web interface that provides detailed information on recommended plants,” writes one Amazon reviewer. “It is virtually an on-line encyclopedia and more expansive than the Western Garden Book,” adds another gardener. She adds, “I have never seen a plant monitor like this that is so extensive or thorough with thousands of plants and analysis. This is a must for any serious gardener.” People like being able to save their plant data, analyze their ailing plants and peruse a list of the best plants and flowers for their area. The program’s interface is reportedly “easy to use,” even for those who consider themselves “not very technologically savvy.”

The EasyBloom Plant Sensor does not win everyone over. Some people feel that gardening should be an intimate moment involving man and nature only. “This is not hands-on gardening,” argues Bruce Butterfield of the National Gardening Association. “I’ll rely on my old-fashioned green thumb,” adds St. Petersburg Times contributor Yvonne Swanson, who says that “most of the rules are thrown out the window” with Florida gardening. One Amazon reviewer from Texas argues that this gadget only alerts you to the water/sunlight conditions of the plants and that “Using your better judgment would be more effective and allow you to learn as a gardener.” Other reviewers say they don’t like that they had to register before being able to use this gizmo.

Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed help for panic attacks as well as tips on the various panic disorder medications available at www.anxietydisordercure.com.

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