Greenhouse Smart Watering System

When watering plants, greenhouse owners must consider a range of environmental and biological variables. Greenhouse plant watering is challenging, inconsistent and labor intensive, and growers need to evaluate which systems best suit their greenhouse operation, such as hose with spray attachments versus overhead sprinklers versus single-volume automated systems.The team’s automated system uses sensors to measure parameters such as soil moisture and plant maturation to analyze crop health and determine how much water to dispense. Three Pixy2 cameras analyze crop appearance and detect bar codes that uniquely identify plants. An actuated sensor probe inserted into the plant substrate records soil moisture data as percent saturation, and a coin load cell measures the weight of each plant.The team designed graphical user interfaces that reflect the data acquired from the various sensors, and which allow manual control of all motors and valves if necessary. Combining these subsystems creates an accurate automated system capable of watering three plants at a time without generating any solid or liquid waste outside of normal maintenance.