“Smart” houses are becoming increasingly popular, with homeowners enjoying the convenience of operating their oven remotely, or receiving notifications from their fridge. Likewise, designers are rolling out “smart” applications for the yard, so that your outdoors can be as high-tech as your indoors. These are just some of the latest innovations.
Smart irrigation. Watering your lawn can feel like a science class assignment. You need to gauge the weather, assess your lawn’s needs, and determine how much you should water and when. If you’d rather skip the work and spend more time enjoying your yard, a smart irrigation system does the work for you. It will assess conditions and respond appropriately, so that you never have to think about watering the lawn.
Rain sensors. Let’s say you’re using an irrigation system on a timer, and while you’re away from home it begins raining. You don’t need to rush home and manually shut off your sprinklers if you’ve previously installed a rain sensor. This handy gadget understands that running the irrigation system during rain is an unnecessary waste, and turns off the system for you.
Soil monitor. Shouldn’t watering be tailored to the soil’s current condition and needs? If you said yes, you’re onto something. A soil monitor does that work for you, by assessing the amount of moisture in the soil and then calculating the amount of irrigation needed. This device takes the guesswork out of watering your lawn, so that you don’t risk over- or underwatering.
Bluetooth landscape lighting. Landscape lighting hasn’t changed much in the last few decades – until now. With a Bluetooth transformer attached to your lighting system, you can adjust your lights (timing and wattage) from a smartphone app.
Robotic lawnmowers. No, it doesn’t look like Rosie from the Jetsons. But it will get the job done! A robotic lawnmower takes care of cutting the grass. All you need to do is program it with your preferred settings, and then set it loose on your lawn.
If you have any questions about these “smart” landscaping options, we’ll be happy to answer your questions. The market provides a variety of options, so consult with an expert to be sure you’re selecting the right product for your needs.
