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DIY on how to make your plants Twitter
Engadget hit on this one, and it's technically possible to do it with a Windows PC, but considering that Mac users are greener than most folks, and lovers of both plants and cool tech DIY, we're posting it anyway. Botanicalls, which is a project to help your plants make phone calls, has posted a how-to guide on getting your plants to twitter when they need water, got water but not enough, or are even being overwatered.The whole rig requires an Arduino board, and it's not exactly for Mom to do on her own (unless of course your Mom is an electrical engineer, which is entirely possible), because it also will walk you through making your own moisture sensor. Once you've got everything plugged in, the Arduino software will talk to the unit via USB and ethernet, and a terminal script will actually send the Tweets out. Unfortunately, despite a quick search on Twitter, I wasn't able to find any plants actually tweeting, but if you have one, let us know.
DIY kit lets houseplants Twitter when they need water
Finally, your mind-exploding, breakdown-inducing struggle to keep your houseplants watered regularly is getting a little help. A group called Botanicalls has come up with a method to monitor your plants remotely, then be Twittered when they need some water. Taking a slightly different direction than the ThirstyLight, the system is based around the popular (and versatile) Arduino board, which is combined with a DIY moisture sensor, and a small piece of code that will alert you when your greenery is starting to need a drink. Look, we'll be honest with you: it's a pretty complicated process to go through just to figure out when your plants need water, but if you're as serious about flora as we think you are, this will be a dream come true.[Via Make]
