Arduino Garden Controller - Automatic Watering and Data Logging

[@xAckarax]

"I want to make cool graphs" I totally understand

[@carpii]

Us geeks love graphs. This is a universal truth.

[@shasterdhari]

That feeling when you turn hundreds of raw data points from your physics lab into beautiful graphs. GAHH! So beautiful.

[@magna59]

And why not ? Pedal to the metal , does not answer it all . If you know where you are on the power curve , you can understand what to do with the pedal / gear shift .

[@mazisilas7974]

Most relatable video ever

[@jordanzish]

Right? This guy gets it, and has earned a subscriber.

[@amoghskulkarni]

".. and moreover, I can bend technology to my will and that will feel good to my ego and self worth." Instant sub

[@devon.dulaney]

Sameee

[@purewealth1]

Wow. Your dog runs great with three legs. You did a great job with your narration. Very few people take the time to make a hobby style video and write so informatively. Well done.

[@LucasGentry]

Oh my goodness, I was rolling through that entire narration. I'm planning on setting up a garden for my wife next spring, and I've already partially automated the watering in my head. And I totally relate to the "I like to make cool graphs. I now realize that this is what's really important to me." This video made my day, thanks!

[@LucasGentry]

After watching, I think it's my favorite video yet. Especially how low key the humor is. I love it!

[@tateisaacs1048]

can we just take a moment to appreciate the script of this video, absolutely impeccable

[@ducoschuurman311]

Yes a treat to watch and listen

[@HoffmanEngineering]

This was beautiful. Same conclusions that I come to with most of my projects... "Lets take this really simple thing, and make it much, much more complicated, because I can."

[@6YJI9]

+Hoffman Engineering Story of my life.

[@abdullaharief5827]

I can relate

[@PaintballCrue]

far too relatable it hurts

[@tomharger2573]

Sounds like Dilbert.

[@drnumlock]

It is like Kennedy said "we don't do this because it is easy, we do it because it is difficoult"

[@jackbarnes6841]

"as a civil engineer i would have been happy with anything between 80 and 120"

[@santana_atma]

Jack Barnes but, why?

[@fernank017]

sin(x) = x approximation LOL

[@DieselRamcharger]

@@jackz4665 good enough for govt work.

[@CesarAnton]

@@jackz4665 he means the 20% acceptable margin or error that is common in the industry, his measurement was 99% so anything between 79% and 119% humidity would be within the acceptable margin of error :)

[@IHateGoogle6969]

@@jackz4665 When you enter the real world you'll be aiming for a +/- 30% accuracy on what you're doing. I'm designing a 4000km rail line at the moment and in preparing a BoQ and cost estimate for the client on utility relocations we gave a disclaimer of +/- 50%!! Accuracy is for mathematicians, not for people billing a client by the hour.

[@JOSEPH-vs2gc]

I appreciate the philosophical banter

[@noname_atall]

MrMaestro14231 good.

[@JOSEPH-vs2gc]

thats right, i'm a total bad ass! now get lost.

[@reinux]

+JOSEPH You're not a millenial, so you *must* have the reading comprehension to know that you're being aptly mocked.

[@JOSEPH-vs2gc]

reinux Simple point, if you cannot appreciate this video's honest portrayal the author's personal intents, then you are a chipmunk of a millennial who is shallow and has become zombified by his own technology. I am below 30.

[@reinux]

+JOSEPH I have mixed feelings about the philosophical banter. It's honest, sure, but it's also largely tangential, and a lot of the analogies are seriously contrived. Much of it is filler. It has nothing to do with being a millenial. No one is a "millenial chipmunk" just because they don't appreciate what you do or find the same things annoying that you do. Being patient enough to sit through stuff like this doesn't make you mature. Being a millenial doesn't make you an authority on the failings of the generation. Being superficially self-aware about your millenialness doesn't make you a superior millenial.

[@ojpvids]

"I wanna make cool graphs" I HAVE FOUND MY PEOPLE

[@ganeshsreedhar4657]

avengers, assemble!

[@BobJones-bh9qz]

I identified with that statement too much 😂

[@ratto751]

@@BobJones-bh9qz Me too

[@hjw5774]

This resonated with me!!

[@draven4464]

"LOOK AT THIS GRAPH" - Nickelback

[@staplers88]

"I want to make cool graphs" is THE quote that has finally solidified in my mind that I need to become an engineer. I'm 32, and I finally know what I want to be when I grow up.

[@munzoboexperience]

Have you started the journey?

[@rhalfik]

@@munzoboexperience I want to know too.

[@kwonekstrom2138]

Ah, reminds me of the day I took off from work generating pie charts in SVG to go to a college math class and learn how to read pie charts. lol

[@HeathLedgersChemist]

As a Data Analyst, my suggestion would be to divide the garden bed up into zones. With multiple zones, you could then alter the ratios / volumes of certain variables (I'm thinking water) to see what effect(s) that has on yield.

[@Smetanol_]

to have 4 times more graphs and being able to combine them in one big badass graph

[@zipp4everyone263]

Not just more graphs, you'd be able to get better averages too and you would be able to more closely simulate the proper irrigation each plant needs.

[@steveblnn]

or you could use google to search for research that has already been done on optimal plant growth by reputable botanists/horticulturists/farmers and fine tune your "variables" accordingly.

[@HeathLedgersChemist]

Reputable peer reviewed research papers by gardeners. LOL Hang on, I'm still LOL'ing

[@afterretro4726]

I love you right now, lol - Glitch Gatsby, writer at After Retro

[@EthanoftheD30]

"...so this is LEED silver accredited. To get the gold I think you have to use pallet wood and have a Pinterest account." This guy slips in the funniest, most nerdy jokes I've ever heard 😂 much appreciated 👌🏽

[@kentvandervelden]

Your comments at the end, regarding solutions looking for problems are spot on. Maybe the best problem these solutions are applicable to is education. E.g., here people, especially kids, love gardening, once they get started. Add a little bit of tech and science and engineering, and they are learning... and not even aware of because they are having fun.

[@SuperiorToiletTissue]

Kind of sad that we have to "trick" kids into learning, because the word itself seems to imply something inherently negative

[@johnstein5987]

Thanks for putting this together. The bit about being a civil engineer that would be happy with anything between 80 and 120 moisture content of water really got me. Best of luck with your endeavors!

[@michaelceraso6229]

"I dont know if it's correct, but I am using the correct units" LMAO

[@CathieZimmerman]

But did anyone notice the adorable and happy 3 legged dog?

[@charlesissleepy]

tripod is a pretty pupperino

[@NiNjaTurtLe697]

Cathie Zimmerman love the dog

[@Nurpie]

timetag pleasee

[@Netram2]

At 8:57

[@Krakattack]

What. A cutie. Not to mention the cat getting onto the table full of electronics just to check out the empty box.

[@shinohai5781]

I too would rather bash my head against code for a week than be a normal person and just water the garden when the alarm clock goes off. I'm a very busy man. Lots of KZbin videos to watch, many ceiling tiles to count.

[@TheHaighus]

@Peter Kropotkin Speak for yourself, my sum programming experience is that Google doodle awhile back lol It would probably take me a week to get my head around an Arduino, maybe less if I enlisted my programming sibling to teach me.

[@zazugee]

speaking as a nerd myself who is in a post-nerd phase watering plants daily is a good routine its like taking a break from comp, reading and checking on plants, its on itself a learning experience but i guess i understand when you're totaly focused on something else, like reading about some new topics or doing some "useful work"

[@greenoftreeblackofblue6625]

I can spend the time I save being bored looking at the plamts grow

[@aritrosaha1616]

zazugee ohh so that’s what it’s called (I’m talking about the post-nerd phase, not trying to insult, just felt like I’m going through a similar phase).

[@AnthonyHandcock]

I agree... Where's the fun in doing something the easy way when you can make it needlessly complicated for absolutely no good reason at all? I have Arduinos controlling the growth of my indoor "tomatoes" and it almost works almost all of the time :-)

[@wjlambert]

I sincerely appreciate the approach to gardening to make simple through what might seem like an overly complicated ideal. The end goal is to do what wasn't even realistically possible even 30 years prior. Micro computers and localized sensors make garden micromanagement a reality. Although it may not be known what actually causes the failure of a plant, you can to a much higher degree, monitor the I/O of a connected garden than a non-connected one. Thank You For doing all this work, testing, graphing, soldering, installing, planting, etc. I am grateful to you.

[@thedocotrL]

"As a civil engineer I would've been happy with anything between 80 and 120". Priceless!

[@JRizzo-li2dr]

"I want to make cool graphs" Spoken like a true scientist.

[@albatrossboss]

This was the entirety of my masters work, instrumenting dirt to make cool graphs! Great channel

[@fuegoisfire1]

I absolutely love your dry humor. I was laughing out loud at my desk from, "I want to make cool graphs" and, "I am not a responsible human being who is capable of remembering to water a garden every day."

[@toasty4000000]

I love your sense of humor

[@bradmetcalf5333]

Man. Having watched so much of your newer stuff and loving it, this has to be my favorite video so far. Thanks for doing what you do!

[@acadman4322]

I have been working with Arduino for almost a decade. I find my fascination is involved with the recording and study of routine detail or reverse that: The detailed study of the routine. It's like watching a time-lapse video of the sky. We usually see the sky only in still shots of memory. But, if you study it in its full motion with time-lapse, you see an incredible dynamic of movement you never really noticed before. Arduino is the ever-vigilant sentinel of light levels, temperature changes, and other subtle changes and can react to these environmental changes in ways and with reliability, humans never could. So it is that i think of it as the absolutely perfect gardener if we can program it correctly. Commercial farming today would not be nearly as productive as it is without computer control assistance. Arduino puts that amazing control in the hands of the everyday back yard gardener. Your project really inspires me and I am sure others, to give it a try.

[@kalebbruwer]

"As a cat owner it would be nice to have something do what I tell it to"

[@leohinrichsmeyer5254]

i totally understand

[@DennisMoore664]

As someone who lives with a cat, you never own them. It's more the other way around.

[@TheHaighus]

But he has a doggy too! Far superior creatures, they listen to instructions ;)

[@DJMovit]

Totally understand!

[@risajajr]

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

[@you_just]

Snappy humor, informative content, and cool graphs! 10/10 would watch again!

[@r3mdh]

I am impressed with the professional editing, narration and story of this video. Short, simple and inspiring. You've got a new subscriber as of right ......... now. :-)

[@drnumlock]

I love your attitude towards gardening. What gardening actualy involves make you apreciate farmers work so much more.

[@thevinkerry]

the subtle engineering humor with this guy is amazing. of-course amazing engineering as well.

[@KrisKasprzak]

Cool idea, but probably the best narration i've ever heard. I'm looking for a project for my Arduino--thanks for the ideas.

[@danielmaydana8169]

Kris Kasprzak ikr

[@javiboo]

+Kris Kasprzak yup very funny and informative

[@mnotlyon]

+Kris Kasprzak Yep, I gotta thumbs up this. Great video.

[@azizjel]

I cam looking for a cool project for my Arduino, what I got is a lesson in human dignity! I don't know you sir, but you are one of the rarest responsible human beings on this planet. I don't care about your project that much after I saw the 3 legged dog at the end, and how he was happy fetching that tennis ball. Bless you!

[@jlennardz]

"I want to make cool graphs" This made me an instant subscriber

[@paulmaxwell8851]

Yes, many vegetables and especially herbs are fine with fluctuating soil moisture levels. A few root vegetables such as potatoes require steady, even moisture levels. They can split or develop hollow cores, or simply end up undersized. Great video! I'm definitely going to try this.

[@AntarcticaTv]

amazing friend, you are doing things that many engineers and plant research people ignore or take for granted that they are fine

[@AKAMustang]

7:54 Plants watched by Arduino watched by Man watched by Cat

[@eucalyptux]

watched by Camera watched by KZbin's users

[@_Miner]

While the dog is about to take a dump at 8:08

[@ibqx]

watched by creeper behind the chair.

[@rbn_hmrs541]

whatched by nsa

[@KoalaProductions]

@end. Watched by us, watched by nsa.

[@attackandsnack]

oh man, that LEED silver joke was gold. lol that would kill at a TED talk haha :) thanks for the video!

[@tomdchi12]

If he had a few 3" 3 ring binders full of documentation for that I'd have pulled an ab muscle.

[@matthewvandam4701]

I've watched tons of your more recent video and now I stubbled across this one. You have a lot of skills, woodworking, programming, gardening, engineering. Thanks for the video!

[@devon.dulaney]

You're humor makes this even more enjoyable to watch than it already is. Lol love it!

[@morphman86]

This is so up my alley, it almost hurts. Yet, for some reason, all I can think about is how adorable that dog at the end was!

[@MikeFyxdt]

Dude, you are so on point on so many topics in this video. Well done, thoroughly enjoyed!

[@weetabixharry]

That dog is definitely an electronic engineer. "I have 4 legs, if you round up to the next power of 2".

[@chrismelia7827]

Having watched your channel for a while I'm amazed that I haven't seen this before! It's exactly what I'm aiming for with a little more organisation and, consequently, more action! Thanks!

[@dataseuss6747]

The introduction is very motivating for someone exploring (and failing) the countless projects that exist.

[@evfast]

Brilliant video. I get the Rube Goldberg approach, a great example of a problem solving compulsion searching for an outlet. My spontaneous smile when counting your dogs legs and the joy in his heart was more than worth watching an already worthy video.

[@Minimalist11Guy]

Thank you for the inspiration, it is not just your cat that is fascinated with your projects.

[@VeryLostFisherman]

"Hey, I can use technology to overcome my personal shortcomings" SUB

[@pablorodriguez6318]

"Even though I check on it now more often than before I had the Arduino" HAHAHAHAHA CLASSIC!

[@milododds1]

This video is so honest and truthful about why do things like this, I love it !! Who doesn't like a cool graph? I'm glad that you figured out your driving force. I'm thinking about doing something like olla balls that are connected to the drip line, so sensor position will be critical.

[@bmillersk]

Those ARE some nice graphs! Tons of data collected and displayed very clearly... well done.

[@Rin-qj7zt]

The worth depends on how much you enjoy engineering. To me, a project like this seems totally worth it. Regardless of price or time.

[@brunotomazini2889]

Almost five years later i'm watching this video and thinking: "Ok, i need more videos about you garden."

[@samsameerpm]

Yes, that's what I just commented, really interesting!!

[@badbush5]

loved the video! you have a very nice combination of information and humor. I definitely subscribed.

[@101wutproductions]

Hobby electronics is more of a creative outlet than a "practical" skill for most people. Loved the video.

[@matheuscardoso1]

Apparently one year have passed but I've just found this again and... Man, this os one the greatest vídeos I have ever seen.

[@Exxenmann]

This video and your dry humor is awesome :D

[@victorialslocum]

You are my hero I’ve wanted to do this project for so long and this inspired me to finally get it going. Thank you so much!

[@jensdanbolt6953]

When I get out of college and move somewhere permanent, this will be my life :)

[@nyghtly-derek]

"After all, no ones hobby is to buy an irrigation controller off the shelf of a hardware store." This quote reflects my feelings whenever I start messing around with micro-controllers. There's almost always an off-the-shelf solution that's cheaper and more effective than whatever I came up with. That said, I don't think I ever would have realized that the off-the-shelf solution even existed, if I hadn't played around with the Arduino first. The act of learning has inherent value, even if your application of that knowledge is limited to buying a solution at the hardware store.

[@BrianPaul1984]

Nice video. I'm also impressed with the speed and agility of that 3-legged dog at the end of the video!

[@g.b.260]

"Arduino shields are ... like mario powerups" love this guy and channel

[@joshuajaydan]

You need to correlate the plant growth with the different inputs.

[@calebkutney9119]

"as a civil engineer, I'd be happy between 80-120%" quote made my day 😂

[@cw4608]

I think this was one of the most enjoyable videos I have watched lately. In addition to the wry humor, it was frank and informative. Keep up the great videos, I will check out more on your channel!

[@JackGladstoneHolroyde]

I watched this when you first released it and wasn't that interested. Lately I've passed a certain age and been looking at ways of managing my endless houseplants and lo, the algorithm brought this back to me. Thanks Grady!

[@stevenpam]

"As a civil engineer, I would have been happy with anywhere between 80 and 120". I'm not sure exactly what this joke means, but it amused me anyway :-)

[@meunomejaestavaemuso]

+Steven Pam Haha, yeah. I think it means 'as long it says that water is more wet than everything else I'm fine, even it says that it 20% more wet than water." kkkk

[@CoolKoon]

Steven Pam I think he was referring to the usual way dimensions are honored in the construction industry....

[@josephvictory9536]

I took it as more of an inside joke between engineers. Civil engineering has a very high tolerance for imprecise figures, sort of the bane of the typically extremely precise engineers in most other fields (like structural, aerospace, mechanical ect). A hammer used to flatten dough is good enough for the civil engineer. But mostly because thats typically the best possible attempt given the funds, and complexity of data inputs and interactions with the things they deal with. Eventually some just adapt to the state of deprivation.

[@cold3lectric]

ideally, the water content by volume, for a cup of water, should be 100%

[@seraphina985]

+Mike Weatherl For that of course one would need to find a sample of water with no impurities, with water being about as close to a universal solvent as any liquid can get finding a completely pure sample of the stuff is nigh on impossible.

[@AhmedAffraz]

Engineers: People who spend hours to automate a thing which takes a minute to be done manually :D

[@TheGenericAssasin]

Spending several hours to be lazy essentially.

[@jasonwood7340]

It's really more of an up front investment of a few hours, and the payoff in hours available to be lazy later on is a really good return on investment. Plus you get herbs and tomatoes out of it.

[@mikeike9899]

Ahmed Affraz you gotta make thing complicated to complete simple objectives just to be lazy, ah.. I love engineering

[@nirbhaythacker6662]

Engineers:People who sell the automation they made in a few hours (days) to millions people who use it thousands of times, saving billions of man minutes, and making a ton of cash from it.

[@jamezh2822]

nirbhay thacker rarely the case.

[@90hijacked]

an update video on this project would be nice :) How did it turn out in the long run?

[@oskyskywalker]

Let me start saying that your video is by far the best I have ever seen in this 2 hour adventure so far trying to convince myself that I need an Arduino in my life and the way I need to justify myself the according and expected expense. As soon as I start watching the video, I knew it would be a good idea to do it smoking a little, and that was a big funny Yeah! Not only the real engineering/science under the video, but, man, the humor! You really make me lol, haha. I think I will start following you as my new Arduino guru, or at least, to have fun with a lil of tech science and nice vibe while smoking, hehe. Anyway, thank you for both. Best regards from Querétaro, Mexico. Oscar The Weedgeenier.

[@dustypidgeon]

That joke about the water content being 98 and how you'd be happy anywhere from 80 - 120! You rock man love the videos thank you

[@dhaves]

1:52 beer, arduino, over-engeneering simple process and arduino i´m in!

[@FreekHoekstra]

So how is the garden doing now? 3 years in?

[@RebellisSpiritus]

Do you have instructions for the cat?

[@noteda6361]

Cats have busy COM port all the time, no chance to upload the sketch.

[@diegoparga9324]

I just moved from a tiny apartment to a less tiny one that has a terrace. Of course, my engineering background begged for an automated garden with sensors to make graphs. I’m glad I found this video so now I don’t have to build this. KZbin algorithm saves the day again

[@MichaelIreland]

Hehe, I love your commentary and wry wit. I am an avid gardener, and I live in a part of the world where some automated controls would be super useful. I've often considered some sort of analyzing automation like this, but instead just hooked up my garden soaker hoses to my underground sprinkler system on a timer. Works fine, and satisfies the irresponsible part of me. I also think your doge is a good doge. Such ball. Very fetch. WOW!

[@CLIQUEIPTV]

Loved it, very funny, I was just talking to someone about building the very same thing but adding in something to measure minerals and soil quality.

[@EvopicsDe]

CLIQUEIPTV cool! how?

[@SlowAndH3avy]

he just need some NASA rover technology lol

[@simetry6477]

That isn't all that variable, would you just have to measure that once?

[@Brojman]

Thumbs up for cool graphs!(and 3 legged dog :D)

[@AndreAndFriends]

9min. Happy 3 legged dog. LOVE IT

[@sagebrushrepair]

Hi Grady I'm sure others have said this but when you said you were embarrassed: Congrats on getting it done with a $10 one, seriously!

[@kevinerhartjr.273]

I'm happy to report that I honestly enjoyed ur video right b4 I fell into a restful nap and dozed while 1's and 0's played behind my eyelids!!!

[@timonix2]

This video was awesome. I would subscribe but I already am.

[@korso_s]

"Let's go through the individual parts" *Great scott music starts*

[@BannedFromJordo]

Ironic.

[@SDKsa1]

This was a super engineer memey type vid. Love it!

[@playeronthebeat]

This is something I really need later on for my garden as well, lol. I'm not that lazy that I forget it, I'm just wanting to enjoy my time while having many qualities of life, like having fresh herbs and vegetables as well as a garden. I'd rather spent time enjoying it than working hard in it (after work and stuff). This is, why I love technical things like this. They're making your life easier and you can still fully enjoy your garden (and have considerably less work to do).

[@TheHaighus]

I live in the UK, which means plants are mostly self-watering... Makes gardening outdoors a lot easier if they can cope with the weather. So something like this would only be useful in the rare droughts, and therefore almost completely for fun :D

[@AZOffRoadster]

First time this old of a vid came up. Having only been watching this channel for a few years, I didn't expect it to go into Arduino stuff.

[@kd1s]

As engineering types we all are fundamentally lazy people. Office mate and I were discussing that very thing the other day - we'd rather spend two days writing a BASH script to do data transformation than spend a full week or more doing manual steps.

[@PelletProof]

Oh please. You know you'd spend the full week just writing the script over doing it manual. :'D

[@P8qzxnxfP85xZ2H3wDRV]

I think you meant to write "we'd rather spend 1 week writing a BASH script to do data transformation than spend two days doing manual steps". :)

[@gugajedi]

Would you create a step by step guide to it?

[@Kittyreaper]

I would look on instructables or other hobbyist sites with arduino categories. Here's one I found for this kind of project: www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Plant-Watering-System/

[@personsname0]

"I want to make cool graphs" spot on lol

[@chrismaddox15]

Well done. I'm with you finding cool, technical, complicated ways of doing things that already have a solution....But we do it because it's fun and it gives our brains gymnastics in "better ways of doing it." Great humor. Well enjoyed!

[@JeremyCee]

Your dry sense of deadpan humor alone gets a subscribe on this GREAT video!!

[@andreasnulein782]

"I want to make cool graphs" I mean: your graphs are nice but you could definitely spice them up by using grafana for example. :) That's where I turn all my data into graphs

[@PBeringer]

Pfft ... but MATLAB just does it ALLLLL. ;)

[@christiannoll9385]

OMG THAT 3 LEGGED DOG IS SOOOOOO INSPIRATIONAL!!!❤️

[@stevenposch9885]

I'm not usually one to comment on KZbin videos, however... Nailed it ! Right on the head. I too would really like to make cool graphs one day, I got my Arduino starter kit today. Happy over complicating to all.

[@AdeebaZamaan]

You are hilarious. You put my own frustrations with technology into perspective. Suddenly I realize I LIKE this and that frustration is part of the process, just as I was liberated by hearing the joke about any project requiring MULTIPLE trips the hardware store. I should have learned long ago that frustration is part of what makes it FUN, not to mention worthwhile. Thanks for your epigrammatic lesson in useful ways to look at life. (I've been thinking about buying an Arduino! But I think I should check out a crystal set first.)

[@sydneypemberton5138]

I started off on this tack as well. Now I realize that good landscape design can do all of this passively. Simpler = more graceful = engineering win.

[@FabrizioBranca]

This video is hilarious and very interesting. Thank you very much for sharing! :)

[@scicommerce]

Hey, it is awesome! Simple, cleawer and fun ☺

[@Aridzonan13]

The Best Arduino Book is "Arduino a Technical Reference" by J.M. Hughes.

[@laypyu]

Wow. Thank you so much. :)

[@brandonlu208]

I think you just convinced me to arduino-ize my houseplant watering.

[@gregorymoore7617]

same here for mine

[@bebophippie1781]

+Brandon Lu I think you just convinced me to plant seeds in my arduino. I shall call it ardweedo.

[@LanceElot]

+Bebop Hippie1 ardweedo huh... now thats an idea worth investing xD

[@craigsmith1002]

I like the practical sense of humor. Very practical with age and exspudimentation.

[@dyvel]

The narrator's commentary captures the mind of a true engineer. I don't want to subscribe - but I had to.