Gardening knowledge update

Most people who own a garden do their own gardening without any experts help. But gardeners often do what they think is best when it comes to pruning trees and bushes, watering plants, and mowing the lawn rather than drawing on any particular gardening knowledge. The most common gardening tasks are weeding and mowing the lawn Watering the plants is still a manual task for most gardeners, relying on an automatic irrigation system is still more of an exception than a rule. However, if gardeners have some knowledge about watering and mowing, they will end up with healthier plants and will be more efficient in their use of water.
Smart and helpful 

It can be a good idea for complete beginners and seasoned gardeners alike to rely on smart gardening tools. They can take away repetitive tasks like mowing the lawn and watering the plants, save time and make life easier for gardeners. But, even more importantly, smart technology benefits the plants themselves by giving them exactly what they need. And gardeners can learn more about what their gardens need from them.

Garden owners can use the free GARDENA smart app to schedule and control garden irrigation and maintenance directly from their smartphones. An extensive plant database containing more than 4,500 entries comes in handy for specific care instructions and background information. Gardeners can find out everything they need to know about a plant, including how much light and water it needs, how to plant it in the garden, how hardy it is in winter, what its ideal soil type is and whether it has any poisonous parts. Anyone having trouble identifying their plants can use the photo recognition function. It is possible to upload up to five photos and the app will show the best matches.

Water at the right time   

Intelligent watering solutions supply plants with water at the right time. The app uses local weather forecasts and the changing times of sunrise and sunset over the course of the season. The supply is optimized by networked sensors that measure the moisture in the soil. Irrigation becomes even more customized when the sensors are connected to plants from the plant library. In this way, the soil moisture is matched to the plant's species-specific requirements and the irrigation is adjusted accordingly. Plants are only watered when they need to be watered. And because fungal diseases are no longer able to settle on wet leaves, the plants are healthier too. Another benefit is that the system deters weeds, as the available water is largely absorbed by the cultivated plants and flowers.  

A connected garden  

Watering can be linked to lawn care. Like all of Gardena’s smart devices, robotic mowers can be fully integrated into a digital network known as a smart system. This allows the robotic mower to be programmed and monitored at any time and from any location. It operates independently whatever the weather and can handle lawns in different shapes and sizes. The mowing schedule automatically adapts to the rate of grass growth and the precise trim ensures the optimum healthy growth of the lawn. The mown grass is left on the lawn as a natural fertiliser and does not need to be disposed of. It is also possible to adjust the mowing schedule, for example, to prevent the mower from operating at night or during twilight. That way, nocturnal animals are not disturbed.  

Lawn areas can be mapped in the smart app using LONA (location and navigation) technology and mowing activities can be configured individually for set zones. Robotic mowers can keep lawns looking perfectly pristine but also skip over certain areas to create wildflower patches, which look beautiful and provide an important food source for wildlife in the garden.  

Find out more at www.gardena.com/smartsystem