With summer just around the corner, Aussie homeowners are making the most of the cooler months by planting the latest smart garden tech throughout their backyard.
This trending technology has sprouted in popularity in recent years. It takes the hassle out of backyard maintenance by doing the groundwork on time-consuming and strenuous tasks.
The savvy tech uses digitally connected apps to allow garden enthusiasts to monitor, adjust, or automatically manage their gardens’ water, lighting, or maintenance schedules.
With smart garden products now branching out to everyday homeowners, garden lovers are using winter to create their dream gardens, giving them more time in summer to enjoy their outdoor space.
But going digital in the dirt comes at a cost, with some garden smart tech costing thousands of dollars to purchase and install.
However, there are still some ways to smarten up your garden on a budget; here’s Build-it’s top five:
Compost monitors
Compost monitors can help garden gurus keep tabs on the health of their soil.
A smart prong measures the levels of essential chemical elements and delivers up-to-date statistics to the user’s smartphone, computer or tablet.
This allows you to adjust the compost as and when needed to help provide your plants with the best nutrition.
The monitor will track and provide helpful recommendations based on its findings, such as adjusting the moisture levels or adding specific materials to help boost the nutritional value.
A great budget compost monitor is the Monty Monitor, costing just $199.
It helps solve common composting problems, such as inconsistent results and uncertainty about your compost’s health, by providing real-time insights into its temperature, moisture levels, and gas readings.
And if you’re looking for a discount, they even sell factory imperfections of the same model for $139.
Smart weather stations
Why turn on the TV or search online for a weather update when you can get up-to-date forecasts straight to your mobile, tablet, or computer?
‘But I already have a weather app on my phone?’ – we hear you say.
That’s a good point, but that data is often collected from large weather stations that can be located hundreds of kilometres away, reducing its accuracy and real-time information.
Having your own smart garden weather sensor means you get hyper-accurate information, allowing users to customise garden irrigation schedules or prepare it for extreme weather events.
The VEVOR 7-in-1 Wi-Fi Weather Station is a great budget option that offers precise monitoring of wind speed, direction, temperature, humidity, rainfall, light levels, wind chill, dew point, air pressure, calendar, and moon phases.
At under $150, it offers all that information straight to your devices anywhere in the world.
Soil sensors
Like compost monitors, soil sensors help provide personalised metrics for their surrounding environment.
They are most used in conjunction with irrigation systems to ensure areas of the garden receive adequate watering.
This allows garden lovers to carefully monitor and care for even the most temperamental, new and existing plants and ensure their garden remains lush and inviting all year round.
The IoT Soil Condition Sensor Moisture + Temperature (WIFI) is a great value buy for those who want to monitor their garden’s soil condition closely.
The tech tests soil temperature and moisture conditions in real time before transferring data to its free mobile app.
At $89.90, it’s excellent value for a top-reviewed brilliant system product.
Robo-weeder
No, this won’t replace your local drug dealer, but it will scour your garden for worrisome weeds.
Working similarly to a robotic vacuum, a robotic weeder skims the ground while looking for established or emerging weeds and removing them where possible.
The Tertill Garden Weeding Robot is a good budget option for Build-it readers, currently only $149 on Amazon.
It uses sensors, specialised wheels, and string trimmers to destroy weeds in its path, stopping them from overtaking your garden.
And it doesn’t even require charging, thanks to its inbuilt solar panel.
Robo-lawnmowers
Relatively new to the market, these automated arborists have the potential to completely change the way you do your outdoor weekend chores.
These little lawn helpers are designed to be ‘set and forget’ so your grass stays the perfect length all year round without you lifting a finger.
They are also fairly low-maintenance, requiring only that you keep them clean, replace certain components like blades and batteries when they break, and give them a service every now and again (roughly every six months).
The Gardena Sileno Minimo 250 Robotic Lawnmower is one of the best (and only) budget options available, priced at $999 at Bunnings.
Its award-winning battery allows it to trim up to 250 sq meters of lawn on a single charge while also tackling elevations of 25 per cent.
Operational in any weather condition, the Gardena also features a unique ‘silent’ mode that allows it to operate at night.
