SmartMoney Magazine by Neil Parmar
Published May 22, 2009
Experts say that as the economy continues its slump, fewer consumers will be paying for outdoor maintenance; more will take summer “staycations” in their backyards; and some will even augment their vegetable beds to save a little on groceries. Sensing opportunity in the $36 billion lawn-and-garden industry, companies are pitching more high-tech products, like $70 “plant-examining glasses” that use NASA technology to identify damaged and diseased leaves. Some of the latest tools include environmental sensors that can recommend the right blooms for your soil, remind you to pull out the hose or relieve you of watering duties altogether. Others, like robotic lawn mowers, hail straight out of The Jetsons.
But earth and electronics can make for odd bedfellows. Some dirt-under-the-fingernail purists pooh-pooh digital proxies.
“This is not hands-on gardening,” says Bruce Butterfield of the National Gardening Association. And some of the more complex technologies can get pricey or require professional geek help. Still, horticulturists say technology can help solve common gardening problems. Here’s how:
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