EasyBloom 1000 Plant Sensor Review

When I received the EasyBloom Plant Sensor, I was excited because I had been struggling to grow plants on my new property despite years of gardening experience.This product promised to recommend and monitor my plants to determine what was going wrong.Unfortunately, it measures nothing more than I could tell by sticking my own finger in the soil and watching the shadows for a day: moisture and light.Yes, it measures temperature and relative humidity, but those vary both daily and seasonally and can be figured out by walking out the door.It does not analyze the soil -- probably the most crucial information that cannot be intuitively known -- for type, fertility, toxicity, and acidity.You must discover and enter this yourself on the web site.

The monitor setting does basically the same thing, only over a longer time so you can see the moisture and light fluctuations over a longer period of time; again, it cannot diagnose over- or under-fertilization, incorrect acidity, compacted or too sandy soil, diseases, or pests, the most common reasons a plant dies.The EasyBloom can take a snapshot of the location for future reference.

Probably the best part of the device is the web interface that provides detailed information on recommended plants.Yes, this information can be found online or in a good plant book, but the site shows thumbnail photos of the plants that can then lead the user to a more detailed description, including care, known pests, height, growing zones, attractiveness to birds, shape, etc.I really would have liked a "deer resistant" option; maybe they will add that in the future.Strangely enough, the site does not recommend the plants that *are* thriving in my landscape.

Beginning gardeners will find this device much more useful than experienced ones since they may not yet know how to use light conditions (shade, partial shade, afternoon sun, etc.) and soil moisture content to select the proper plants for an area.Unfortunately, they are also the ones who might over-fertilize or select the wrong plant for the soil type.

Although the EasyBloom is not comprehensive enough for advanced help, it would make a good housewarming gift for someone's first home.I'll be the first in line when they upgrade the device to include soil testing and fertility.

UPDATE:I purposefully mistreated a houseplant to see what the EasyBloom device would say -- and it was spot on.It identified low light and improper watering, making a suggestion to repot it (to get a more absorbent soil) and place it in a better lit location.

Also, as of December 15, 2008, Easy Bloom supports Macs with its online software.I've used it -- and it works well.Please read the comments attached to this review to see the response of an EasyBloom rep who lists some changes since I wrote the above.-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann

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Product Description:
The EasyBloom Plant Sensor helps you grow a perfect garden without all of the guesswork. If you've ever wondered, "Is this corner too hot, too dark, or too dry?", EasyBloom is for you. You will begin to garden with confidence. Instead of wondering which plants will thrive where, you will know for sure with EasyBloom.
This ingenious in-ground sensor reads and analyzes growing conditions in specific spots inside your home or in your yard. It measures sunlight, temperature, humidity, soil moisture and drainage. It even uses the same technology used on NASA's Mars Phoenix mission to measure the soil.


After a minimum of 24 hours, you just plug it into your computer USB port and watch as it turns readings into recommendations, listing plants sure to flourish in your exact environment. Narrow your search more by specifying desired bloom color or season, plant height, drought tolerant, deer resistant, and other features.


EasyBloom puts expert plant help in the palm of your hand:
• Access the EasyBloom database of 5,000+ plants (developed with the largest growers of plants and flowers)
• Find plants to thrive in every area of your home and garden, based on algorithms developed by leading plant horticulturalists and botanists
• End the discouraging cycle of trial-and-error planting
• Diagnose ailing plants and bring them back to health
• Keep inventory of your own plants for one-click plant care
• EasyBloom data is specifically calculated for the United States and is not recommended for use outside of the U.S.


How It Works


1. Set It
Plug the EasyBloom Plant Sensor into a USB port--you will be brought to your My EasyBloom Dashboard page. Put the sensor into Recommend or Monitor mode.


2. Place Sensor
Place the sensor in a spot where you would like to grow a plant, or adjacent to the plant that needs monitoring. Let the EasyBloom Plant Sensor gather a ‘plant's eye' view of that location.


3. Plug It In
After 24 hours, plug the sensor into your USB port. Sensor data is uploaded to the EasyBloom website where algorithms are run that will either recommend a plant or diagnose what is wrong with an ailing plant.


4. Get Results
When in Recommend mode, the EasyBloom website will present a set of plants that will thrive in that location. In Monitor mode, you will be told what is going wrong with a plant with visual cues on how to fix it.


5. Enjoy
Sit back and enjoy flourishing plants.


The ultimate "why didn't someone think of that sooner" invention, EasyBloom is like having your own personal team of botanists on-call around the clock. The result? You spend a lot less time working in your garden, and a lot more time enjoying it. EasyBloom is a perfect gift for novices to experienced gardeners. The Plant Sensor is completely reusable and works with your PC or Mac.



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