Smart gardening is a new and rising trend in the gardening industry. It’s a style of gardening the relies on devices to do the hard work for you. Many gardeners adapt to this trend because it can cut time spent on monotonous tasks and give more time to doing actual gardening. It also helps those gardeners who have to spend most of their time working as smart gardening can tend to your plants for you. However, there are some things you have to prepare before starting your smart garden. This can help your transition a lot smoother and aid the devices to run correctly. Here are some essential things you need to prepare before starting your smart garden.
Irrigation
Let’s get the hard stuff out of the way. Irrigation is one of the essential things you need to prepare for your smart garden. Compared to typical gardens, smart gardens rely on automated devices. Some of these devices are part of your irrigation system. If you’re planning to have these devices in your garden, you will need to install a new irrigation system.
Start by planning where you would want to place these devices. For example, smart sprinklers are best placed in open spaces so they can cover a wider arc. They can also work well when you put them inside greenhouses as they can water all your plants evenly without using as much water. It’s also important to know what kind of materials your devices need. Smart sprinklers and some plant monitoring devices usually need special pipes that can be integrated into the system. Although they might not be expensive, you’re still going to need them ahead of time.
Landscaping
Landscaping can help you get the most out of your smart garden. It is also one of the most parts of having a smart garden. Smart garden relies on maximizing the benefits your plants get depending on their location. This includes how much water and sunlight they get. So landscaping is essential for smart outdoor gardens but not as crucial for indoor ones.
To start landscaping for your smart garden, make sure you know where your smart devices are. This will give you the know-how where to place your plants. When landscaping for the first time, it’s good to start simple. Keep the ground flat, and don’t overthink the overall looks. When starting, you’ll be looking to maximize efficiency over the looks of your smart garden. Additionally, flat and level grounds can help maximize the coverage of your sprinklers and other devices. Once you are more aware of landscaping principles, you can then go for a layered smart garden.
Electrical Wiring
Electrical wiring is something that most gardeners would not expect to be a part of their gardens. However, it’s essential for every smart garden. So when landscaping or preparing the irrigation for your garden, remember to leave some space for the wiring.
You shouldn’t be the one to do the electrical wiring for your smart garden devices. It’s a dangerous undertaking, especially for those inexperienced. This job is usually left to the ones who will install the machines for you. If not, you can always hire a contractor to do it for you. However, if you have some experience and want to take a more hands-on approach, then, by all means, go for it.
Gardening Apps
Gardening apps are an added benefit for smart gardens. They help you monitor your plant’s health, schedule when to water them, and some can even help remove weeds for you. You don’t need to prepare anything for these apps; you have to choose the right ones. They are the fruits of your labor after preparing your garden for these smart devices.
Smart gardens are the gardens of the future. They are self-sustaining gardens that can look out for themselves when their owners are out doing their own thing. They can be quite costly, but they can save a lot of money in the long run. Smart gardens are great to have, even for amateur gardeners.