Introduction: The Lazy Grower (Self Irrigating Plant)

By

Names and PRN: Bhumika Pravin 15060321024 & Shantanu Chhawchharia 17060321092

Problem Statements:

Growing plants in limited space by amateurs

Description:
Many people would like to grow plants (basic vegetables and herbs for the kitchen for example) but do not have enough space in their house to do so. They also may not have the expertise to grow plants, so would need an easy DIY solution. Solving this is important, especially in urban areas, because it will help households become more self sufficient.

Why we chose this problem?

We were inspired by Kimbal Musk, Elon Musk's brother, and his project to farm in urban spaces. Urban spaces general lack the resources required to farm conventionally. Therefore he had to get creative and find a solution to farm in indoor spaces - with limited space, light and soil nutrients. If the device is used to grow plants indoors, we could see a shift in the way people consume their food. It would reduce wastage of food and could improve the air quality of the users apartment. We attempted to make a cheaper version of the same product so that it could be feasibly used in India.

Step 1: Proposed Solutions

Details about solutions we proposed:

Idea name : A container with lights, soil, vents and a irrigation system.

Url/links/blogs/videos :https://www.amazon.com/TheBudGrower-com-Complete-...

Materials /skills required:

Black container/ sheets Pipes Soil Lights Air conditioner/ blower Hooks

A container with lights, soil, vents and a irrigation system.

Idea name : Herb Rack

Url/links/blogs/videos : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/ver...

Materials /skills required:

Long rack of plastic/ wood Drill Hooks Planters Small pots Pipes Wood Panels

Idea name : A farm inside a building

Url/links/blogs/videos :

Materials /skills required: Building/Warehouse Air conditioning Fans Staff Lots of money



Idea name : Plant and Forget

Url/links/blogs/videos : https://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Soil-Mois...

Materials /skills required:

Black container/ sheets
Pipes Soil Lights Air conditioner/ blower Hooks Arduino Wires Moisture senors Light sensors Glass

Step 2: Why We Chose Lazy Planter?

Why we chose Lazy Planter?

Out of the above ideas, the herb rack would be the easiest to make while the farm inside a building would be the most difficult. I personally would like to build the plant and forget box. Making the idea would be a challenge, but it is not completely outside my skills. With some hard work this project could easily be built within 2 months. Since the project is small scale, the resources required for it should be manageable. The most expensive part of the project would be the arduino. Other materials could easily be sourced from hardware and electrical stores.

I have rated the idea as exciting because I believe automation improves a person's life. For example, if a farmer could automate the process of growing his crops, he would only be required to passively keeps track of the progress of his plants. This would save him time and money (in labour cost). Therefore, an automated growing process is an existing solution to the problem of growing plants in small spaces. It would work both as an end user product for apartments as well as a concept/prototype for larger industrial scale solutions.

Now, next is a step by step guide on how we made the project.

Step 3: Circuit Diagram

Follow this diagram and make the connections accordingly.

Step 4: Step 2: Connect the Moisture Sensor to Controller and the Breadboard.

Attach the moisture sensor to the controller and then attach the controller to the Arduino. Refer to the circuit diagram for detailed connections.

Step 5: Step 3: Connect the Pump to Relay.

Follow the circuit diagram to connect the relay. Attach the battery to the relay.

Step 6: Step 4: Connect the Arduino and Relay to the Breadboard.

Connect the Relay to the breadboard. Attach the Arduino to the breadboard according to the circuit diagram.

Step 7: Input the Following Code on the Ardunio IDE

const int sensor_pin = A0; /* Soil moisture sensor O/P pin */

  float moisture_percentage;
  int motorPin = 13;
  const int min_moisture = 50;
  
void setup(){
  pinMode(motorPin, OUTPUT); 
  Serial.begin(9600); /* Define baud rate for serial communication */
}
void loop() {
  
  int sensor_analog;
  sensor_analog = analogRead(sensor_pin);
  moisture_percentage = ( 100 - ( (sensor_analog/1023.00) * 100 ) );
  Serial.print("Moisture Percentage = ");
  Serial.print(moisture_percentage);
  Serial.print("%\n\n");
  
  if(moisture_percentage > min_moisture) {
        PumpWater();       
    } 
  else{
    StopPump();
  }
  delay(1000);    
}
void PumpWater(){
   digitalWrite(motorPin, HIGH);
  delay(1000);
 
}
void StopPump(){
  digitalWrite(motorPin, LOW);
  delay(1000);
}

Step 8: Upload the Code to the Arduino. Assemble the Device

Upload the code to Arduino

Attach the pipe to the pump

Put the moisture sensor into the planter

Put the pump into the water tank

Add water to the tank

Put the deve inside a case.

Attach the Wall adapter to the arduino

Plug and enjoy

Step 9: Working Video

Step 10: References

“Arduino&Soil Moisture Sensor-Interfacing Tutorial-Circuit Diagram,Applications.” Electronic Circuits and Diagrams-Electronic Projects and Design, 31 July 2018, www.circuitstoday.com/arduino-soil-moisture-senso...

“Automatic Plant Watering System Using Arduino Uno.” Arduino Project Hub, create.arduino.cc/projecthub/neetithakur/automatic-plant-watering-system-using-arduino-uno-8764ba.

Instructables. “Arduino Soil Moisture Sensor.” Instructables, Instructables, 31 July 2017, www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Soil-Moisture-Se...

Instructables. “Automatic Plant Watering and Soil Moisture Sensing.” Instructables, Instructables, 13 Oct. 2017, www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Soil-Moisture-Se...