Go Green with PlantSense: New Gardening Tool Brings Technology to the Dirt

SAN FRANCISCO, April 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Just in time for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, PlantSense, Inc. unveiled the new EasyBloom Plant Sensor Plus – a tool that takes the guesswork out of gardening. After taking a "plant's eye view" of light, temperature and soil moisture, EasyBloom Plus recommends plants that will thrive in a particular spot, diagnoses ailing plants, and even "chirps" when a plant needs water.  And now, users can have even more insight into the soil with the EasyBloom Plus, which analyzes a plant's fertilizer needs.

"We've solved the most common challenges to growing a potted plant or a thriving backyard garden," said Matt Glenn, CEO for PlantSense. "In fact, our users have grown 30% more plants with the help of EasyBloom. They've told us that it gives them confidence in the garden and helps their gardening dollars go farther.  We're turning brown thumbs into green thumbs."

EasyBloom Plus Takes the Guesswork out of Gardening

Like the original EasyBloom Plant Sensor, the EasyBloom Plus gives users a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" about the plant's soil moisture, temperature and sunlight, and then provides simple steps to keep a plant thriving.  Users can test flowers, herbs, fruits, vegetables, trees and other plants – indoors or outdoors – or find the perfect plant to thrive in that spot.

Now for the first time, the new EasyBloom Plus adds a way for gardeners to know if they have over- or under-fertilized, and it recommends what type of fertilizer the plant needs.  Users can activate the fertilizer feature with a software upgrade.

"Like people, plants need nutrients, too," said Robby Flannery, Ph. D., plant biology and lead horticulturalist for PlantSense.  "If you want juicier tomatoes, more beautiful roses, or a healthy crop of herbs, you need fertilizer to make that happen.  But knowing when and how to fertilize isn't easy, even for seasoned gardeners."

In fact, Harris Interactive® conducted an online study on PlantSense's behalf, and found that 80% of adults say they know how often to fertilize.  Yet, only 13% of EasyBloom Plus users – mostly experienced gardeners – were properly fertilizing their plants according to PlantSense data.

According to Flannery, the most common mistakes gardeners make are over-watering, and over-fertilizing.  "Gardeners often think that if a little fertilizer works, a lot must be better – but you can end up killing your plants," said Dr. Flannery.  "EasyBloom Plus will make sure you're giving your plants the exact fertilizer they need to thrive."

The EasyBloom Plant Sensor Plus is available today from Amazon.com, HomeDepot.com and Target.com for $49.95. The fertilizer upgrade can be activated for $2 per month, or a $19 annual fee.

How EasyBloom Plus Works  

Users simply place EasyBloom Plant Sensor Plus anywhere they want to grow a plant – indoors or outside – and it collects information for 24 hours.  Then users insert the USB portion of the plant sensor into their computer, and PlantSense analyzes the information against a database of 6,000 plants.  EasyBloom Plus uses the same technology that was used on NASA's Mars Phoenix mission and scientific techniques deployed by winemakers and greenhouse growers. Click here to learn more about how it works.

"Not having a natural green thumb, I've killed my share of plants," said Prentiss Pugh, a gardener from Louisiana who uses EasyBloom in his backyard.  "It's great to have information from EasyBloom that I couldn't figure out on my own.  Now I fertilize at the right levels and water my plants on a schedule, saving me water and more trips to the store."

Mars vs. Venus in the Garden:  Women More Likely to Admit if They've Killed a Plant

PlantSense also announced research that uncovers differences between women and men in the garden, showing that women are more than twice as likely than men to admit if they've killed a plant within six months of purchase (35% vs. 15%).  Women are also more likely to admit they don't know how often to fertilize (23% vs. 17%), and more likely to plant more plants than they did last year (35% vs. 27%).  More than twice as many women than men ages 18-34 say they plan to learn how to garden (21% vs. 9%).  And, men are less likely than women to think it's important to learn gardening skills (36% vs. 45%).

Backyard Gardening is En Vogue, but Research Shows that Americans Need Help

Celebrities like Michelle Obama, Julia Roberts and Kelsey Grammar have made backyard gardening en vogue, yet PlantSense revealed that Americans need help with their plants:

• One-in-four adults has killed a plant within the first six months of buying it
• 70% of adults say that something like knowing what type of plant to grow or when to water would make it easier to garden
• Thirty-six percent of adults said that knowing how often to fertilize would help make it easier for them to grow plants
• Forty percent said knowing what's wrong with a dying plant would make gardening easier

"We're bringing the expertise of expert gardeners and botanists to the fingertips of a budding gardener," said Glenn.  "EasyBloom can help you get the garden you've always wanted."

About PlantSense, Inc.

PlantSense, Inc. was founded in 2006 to take the guesswork and frustration out of home gardening by bringing the expertise of professionals to the fingertips of the amateur.  The company's first product, the EasyBloom Plant Sensor, is a smart, Internet-connected tool that reveals exactly what plants will thrive in a specific location.  By applying proven, scientific techniques used by professional winemakers and greenhouse growers, PlantSense allows anyone to enjoy a beautiful indoor or outdoor garden — from a single bedroom begonia to a backyard bed of roses.  For more information, visit www.easybloom.com.

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Red Consultancy and PlantSense Inc. from March 19-23, 2010 among 2,315 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Daniella Klopocki.

SOURCE PlantSense, Inc.