By Russell M. Gullo
Gardening has always been a bit a craft consisting of various parts – it’s an art, it’s a science, and if you’re my mother-in-law, throw in some wives’ tales too for good measure! The key though has always lied in having a solid understanding of plants, soil, insects, diseases, and weather conditions. Now, artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how we approach gardening, making all of this easier, and more efficient.
Time and again one of the biggest dilemmas we encounter at the garden center is that people possess a lot of enthusiasm for gardening, but lack confidence and perceive their knowledge of gardening to be very limited. And who can blame them? We’re not a nation of farmers anymore. We all lives busy lives and don’t have the time to invest in making ourselves experts in yet another area. AI is going to make this a lot easier for all of us. In fact, it already is. Here’s what we have to look forward to.
Plant ID
If you have Google Photos, Prime Photos, or Apple Photos, you know that the software can detect and organize faces into distinct individuals. While it doesn’t work perfectly – sometimes it confuses my 3 kids, who all look very similar, it is pretty accurate.
The same concept applies to plant ID tools powered by AI. These have actually been around for a while now. If you have an iPhone, you might know that it has a built-in plant identifier powered by AI called Visual Look Up. Others include PlantSnap, PictureThis, and LeafSnap. Imagine going for a walk in your neighborhood or a park and seeing a plant that you love, but not having anyone there to tell you what it is. These apps make it so easy and give you an instant answer. No longer do you need to bring a picture into the garden center. But, seriously, come visit us still, we’ll get lonely!
Insect and Disease Detection
These same apps are quickly gaining the capability to accurately identify plant diseases and harmful insects. They can also recommend care instructions based on what they’ve identified. This greatly simplifies gardening; it takes out a lot of the guess work and makes it so much more accessible, even for novices.
AI-Powered Plant Care
This one is pretty exciting. With the help of smart gardening apps and AI-powered sensors, gardeners are starting to be able to monitor all sorts of variables in their gardens such as air and soil temperature, soil moisture, light levels, nutrients, and plant health. Based on this data, AI algorithms can detect small changes, and are able to make recommendations to gardeners on when to water, fertilize, or adjust lighting, eliminating much of the guesswork that frustrates so many gardeners.
AI Watering
Watering is undoubtedly an essential part of maintaining healthy plants, but there is a sweet spot to maintain health and vigor. Too much water can invite disease and root rot, while too little can stress or even kill plants. AI-powered water sensors can measure moisture, and in conjunction with weather forecasts, determine the exact amount of water needed. Linked to an irrigation system, this is a big win for water conservation. Instead of your sprinkler system going on at 6 AM no matter what, it will be much smarter, using data to decide on a custom schedule.
Smart Landscape Design
AI can assist gardeners in creating plans for their gardens, harnessing the data of the local climate, light conditions in a particular area, and plant compatibility. While we always use the human element to, for instance, recommend mixing in evergreens, in order to have some color when deciduous plants are bare 6 months out of the year, AI will be able to do this as well. This creates balanced plans that will not only thrive, but look good as well.
What Else Does the Future Hold?
The integration of AI into gardening is still in its infancy and holds many future capabilities. And with how fast the technology is progressing, we’ll see these changes sooner rather than later. We already have smart robot lawnmowers, which eliminate a task for its owners that can be lengthy and unappealing. In the future we may see robots than can plant, weed, harvest, and spread mulch with precision. The protection of important species such as bees will likely be optimized by AI-driven strategies and recommendations. Likewise, AI will be able to provide early warning models to predict if or when harmful species such as the box tree moth will affect your area. AI-driven climate models will continue to improve as well and help gardeners plant accordingly for success.
The commercial implications are much greater, and will likely benefit society on a larger scale. Using many of these same technologies, farmers will experience greater crop yields, less disease and crop failure, more precise (and likely less) herbicide, insecticide, and fungicide use, water conservation, lower labor costs, and the ability to better match market demands with production.
Potential Concerns
In a world full of endless scrolling, virtual socialization rather than face-to-face, and sedentary lifestyles, getting out and gardening has become an increasingly important activity for well-being. The more we automate, the more we run into the danger of making life “too easy”, as well as isolating ourselves. Gardening is a great form of exercise! It makes us feel alive, it gives us purpose, and a sense of accomplishment. It can be a calming stress reliever and a have a positive effect on mental health. Gardening provides opportunities to be outside, enjoy our short summers, and interact with our neighbors. While technology can make our lives easier, it is important to maintain a healthy balance.
