The Latest Must-Have Technology For The Keen Gardener*

This is a post for any of you with green fingers! Technology is changing in all areas of our lives and there are now many innovations designed to help out keen gardeners. If you're partial to a spot of horticulture then read on as today GGD looks at the top must-have pieces of technology for gardeners in 2018.  

Heated Propagators 

Our UK climate can cause problems for any gardeners who are trying to grow their dream garden, complete with exotic plants and vegetables from around the world. However, there are solutions on hand such as heated propagators.

A heated propagator allows seeds to germinate earlier and more successfully which means that less will go to waste. When innovations like this first came out, it was heated greenhouses and heated benches that were all the rage. Unfortunately these can add to your energy costs as the heat can quickly dissipate and therefore they must be on all the time to be successful. The heated propagator on the other hand has walls and a lid which can retain the warmth.

You can often alter the temperature - between 5°C to 30°C - to grow a range of plants and to help your vegetable seeds flourish. Some of the more exotic seeds and hot chillies require warmer temperatures and without a propagator it would be almost impossible to grow them in the cooler climate of the UK. Bear in mind if you're looking to save money, growing from seeds is much more cost-effective than buying an already germinated young plant.

Many heated propagators have a light installed too. This can help seedlings and cutting to grow healthily and provides high output for low energy as often the propagator contains a reflector that can reflect lost light and diffuse light deep into the plant leaves.

Handy Apps 

There's no doubt about it, there’s an app for everyone and everything these days right? For lovers of gardening there are many apps that you should consider downloading but below are the two we recommend;

·         GrowIt! — If you’ve just moved to a new house, are getting used to gardening in your area or are keen to turn your vegetable seeds into full blown veg, this could be a useful app for you. It can connect you with local gardeners who are used to the climate and soil type and can give you some advice. You can also upload photos of your own plants to share your gardening knowledge with others.

·         Garden Compass — If you’re looking for other like-minded individuals to share your gardening snaps with, this could be for you. With this app, you can upload photos to the website, ask horticultural experts questions and create your personalised garden care calendar.

Multi-Pot Watering

Hands up if you've ever forgotten to water your plants inside or out? I thought as much! Although we don’t like to admit it, sometimes our busy schedules take over and things such as plant care get pushed to the back burner. Not to worry, here's where a pot watering kit can help you! 

These kits can water up to twenty five plants automatically and they can even sense what time of the day it is. You simply set up the gadget so that it slowly releases water to the root of the plant which will save you all the effort! Just connect it to your outdoor garden tap for even less hassle.

Olloclip Pro-Lens

Instagram, Pinterest, you've heard of them all and with the rise in social media and the ability to photo share with others, you want to be capturing the best photos you can! Often the beauty of a plant is in the detail of its leaves or in the array of colours. Perhaps you also enjoy watching the wildlife in the garden? Either way, to take the best gardening photos you should invest in an Olloclip Pro Lens.

This piece of technology can fit nicely onto your iPhone. Simply clip it over the lens of your phone and it combines with your phones digital zoom — letting you take macro photos with up to 100x magnification. It’s ideal for capturing the details that aren’t visible to the human eye or even monitoring insects as they enjoy your garden. You’re guaranteed to get some wonderful shots without the need for purchasing a professional camera.

Monitoring Your Plants Requirements

Unfortunately, your plants can’t let you know what they need, but wouldn't it be great if they could? We have to make the judgement ourselves based on the climate and soil-type in the garden. However, there is one gadget that can help — the Parrot Flower Power plant monitor.

It understands the essential needs of your plant, has 7,000 plants in its database and a battery life of six months. Simply place the monitor into the soil next to your plant and the monitor can detect; sunlight, temperature and fertilizer. This information then is sent straight to your smartphone, so you know when to water them or add more fertilizer.

As you can see, there’s a range of technology out there to meet your gardening needs! From making the germination process that little bit easier, to being able to water your twenty five pots at once, there’s not a lot that technology can’t do these days.

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