If you’re still working from home due to the pandemic, chances are you already have a new hobby to keep you entertained at home. Well, this month’s Under the Radar is for those who fell in love with plants!
Taking care of plants may seem easy, but once you’ve tried it, you’ll realise the stress of over and/or under doing certain things. Overwatering, under-watering, too much sunlight, or insufficient sunlight will all affect the plant’s condition and lead to different problems.
So here are some interesting innovations that will help you take better care of your plants:
Quench
Overwatering and under-watering can lead to issues like wilting, yellowing leaves and root rot. Beginners tend to overwater, thinking their plants need water daily and sometimes you may also forget to tend to your plants and under-water them.
Quench, made by an engineer called Andy, is a simple device that reads the soil moisture level and alerts you by sound when it’s time to water your plant. It doesn’t require any extra devices or a companion app — it’ll function on its own and can last for years.
Quench can also detect when it’s nighttime, so instead of getting sound alerts, you’ll get a subtle red light instead. It comes in two sizes — the regular one fits pots less than 20cm and the large one is for bigger plants.
Quench has been launched on IndieGoGo just two weeks back and will be available to ship worldwide this October. It starts from RM132.
Bloomengine s•pot
Here’s another innovation that can keep your plants happy and healthy, the Bloomengine s•pot. It’s a self-care plant system that come with a self-watering mechanism and an adjustable light using Samsung’s horticulture LED technology.
The watering system consists of a water tank paired with a watering wick holder in which you’ll place the Jiffy Pot. The pot will absorb water from the wick, solving the over/under watering issue once and for all.
On the other hand, the lighting system comes with two brightness levels and can be adjusted as the LED light case can be removed when not needed.
The downside to this innovation is that it’s made for plants that can fit into pots with diameter around 10-12cm. Nevertheless, if your plant fits, the Bloomengine s•pot is a great product to go for if you’re going for vacation and have no one to maintain your plant.
Bloomengine s•pot will be shipping from September 2021 and starts at RM245.
Briiv
One huge benefit we get from plants is their air-purifying properties. However, some will opt for air purifiers in their homes instead of getting a bunch of plants. In comes Briiv, a sustainable air purifier that uses 100% renewable and natural materials.
This air purifier doesn’t use HEPA filters; instead, it uses moss, coconut, carbon and silk to filter the air in your home. These filters can remove harmful fine particulate, harmful gases,, allergens and bacteria.
Briiv also works with Alexa and Google Assistant; you can download its app and set timers to turn the air purifier on/off even when you’re not home. You can also keep track of your filter usage — once it’s time to change, you can throw these filters in your garden or compost.
Briiv will start shipping in September 2021 and starts at the price of RM1,437.
Lyfe
So you’ve got lots of plants indoors, but you don’t know how to make them look more…aesthetically pleasing. Lyfe is just the product you need to give your plant that extra pizzazz. It’s a unique planter that levitates – yes, when I say levitate I actually mean your plants will be floating on air.
This magic is possible because Lyfe uses magnetic levitation – the planter has a magnet at its bottom which pushes it away from the electromagnetic base, causing it to ‘float’ mid-air.
Lyfe automatically rotates your plants while it’s levitating, which is also beneficial so your plants can get enough sunlight from all directions.
Lyfe is made by Flyte, the company that also made a levitating light bulb and a levitating timepiece. Lyfe can be purchased here and starts at $299 (RM1,239.65).