Jasmin Moeller has bought more houseplants in the last two years – like millions of other people around the world.
With the pandemic meaning most of us have been spending far more time at home, there has been a rush to bring more nature and color indoors as well.
For Mrs. Möller, a 38-year-old from Germany, additional plants in her apartment feel “more comfortable”. She adds: “They make me feel good. It’s like having nature and a quiet place at home.”
In the UK, online houseplant retailer Patch says sales are up 500% in the first year of the pandemic. That trend has continued — the latest figures from the Garden Center Association show that houseplant sales in 2021 were 29% higher than in 2020 and 50% higher than in 2019.
Elsewhere, the picture is similar, with U.S. houseplant sales up 18% last year, while Germany’s grew 11% in 2020.
But buying a new houseplant is one thing, cultivating it successfully is quite another, as Ms. Möller, for her part, openly admits that she “is not very good at cultivating them”.
To help her and others worried about her lack of green thumbs, sales of high-tech houseplant sensors — devices you stick in the ground next to them — have increased.
These sensors are typically solar powered and connect wirelessly to a user’s smartphone and laptop via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. They indicate in real time whether a plant has enough water or sunlight and the right temperature.
Ms. Möller uses a sensor from the German company Greensens for some of her systems. It has more than 5,000 species in its app database.
“It gives me the opportunity to check … and now my plants look healthy,” says Mrs. Möller, who is regularly informed how her plants are doing and whether they need special watering.
The app uses an emoji traffic light system with red, yellow and green smileys to show the status of the system. Red indicates the plant is very dry and dying, yellow is fine while green indicates it feels good and is in perfect condition.
Greensens is the brainchild of founder Stanislav Shults, who says the idea came firsthand as he used to be a “serial plant killer”.
“The problem with plants is the same as with a pet,” says Mr. Shults. “You really need a little knowledge of plant health to take care of them.”
In its first year, 2020, Greensens sold €15,000 ($17,000; £12,600) worth of sensors. Since then, sales have tripled and amounted to 46,000 euros last year.
dr Rumina Taylor, a clinical psychologist at UK practice HelloSelf, says it’s not surprising that houseplant sales have soared amid the uncertainty of recent years.
“Research has shown that even having a single small plant nearby can relieve stress and anxiety in just a few weeks,” she says. “Plants bring a sense of calm, increase productivity and overall relaxation.”
Another crop sensor company is German company Fyta, which is in the process of bringing its technology to market. The app includes additional content such as tutorials to help users learn more about their plants.
It also allows users to identify plants through their cameras. “You can take a picture of the plant and it will tell you exactly what kind of plant you have,” says co-founder Sylvie Basler. “You can create an entire garden in your app.”
But what do garden experts think of such gadgets?
Botanist Silver Spence, CEO of online plant retailer Friends or Friends, worries people will never be able to improve their gardening skills.
“Keeping houseplants is often about adjusting to the plant and its needs – and getting to know them in your environment,” she says. “By using these devices, you can study along with the gadget – if it works well – or you can choose to rely on the gadget forever.”
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Ms Spence also wonders if solar-powered sensors will get enough light in gloomy British or Scandinavian rooms in winter.
“Apart from that, I admire the technology behind the digitization of one of the last offline hobbies.”
David Angelov, executive director of US gardening website PlantParenthood, also recommends people develop their own sense of what a plant needs. He wants them to become the sensor themselves.
“If a plant has a lot of leaves, it takes a lot of energy to grow,” he says. “It should [typically] be watered once a week.
“To test if there is enough water, take some dirt and make a fist or a ball out of it. If the water comes out like a sponge, it’s too wet. If the earth doesn’t stick together like a snowball, it’s dry too.
“For light, when the greener leaves turn yellow, that’s not enough light. If it’s light green, it’s a happy plant.”
Back in Germany, Ms. Möller is sure that the sensors will help her to improve her gardening knowledge and skills. “Recently my neighbor said I’m very good at taking care of my plants.”
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