Raspberry Pi Plant Watering (& Time Lapse)

[@anthonymccarthy4164]

I've never seen a clearer explanation of what someone was doing with setting up, programming and implementing a computer project and never one that was as entertaining. Excellent as always.

[@ChupoCro]

I wonder if presentations you've seen are including One Lone Coder's, Bisqwit's, LiveOverflow's or Retro Game Mechanics Explained's videos for example. I am not saying Christopher's presentations are not exceptional, I just wanted to mention a few that are worth checking.

[@erlinglorentsen4262]

"I have a cunning plan" As a Blackadder fan I couldn't help smiling at that particular expression.

[@billpay6896]

Baldrick

[@erlinglorentsen4262]

@@billpay6896 yep 😄

[@rdhunkins]

I love cunning plans.

[@alexlandherr]

More cunning than a weasel?

[@sharonwolff1]

@@alexlandherr A plan so cunning, that if you put a tail on it, you could call it a weasel.

[@jamillmaldonado8812]

I've been watching for a couple of year now since high school and I've gotta say to this content is pure gold it's always presented in a way anybody can understand super appreciate it!

[@lewzero]

This time lapse video is possibly one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Specifically because the effort to make it is the single most well explained Rpi project I've ever seen. It sure made this old computer nerd smile. If I had stuff like this when I first tried to understand programming 30 years ago, I would likely be doing that instead of music production and 3d art with my computer. Truly inspiring

[@rexjuggler19]

Simply amazing. I have wanted to do a nearly identical project and had purchased a relay board and some solenoids over a year ago, but when I looked at the moisture sensors, I knew there would be a corrosion issue with them and I never did think of a way or type of sensor that would not have the problem. It never occurred to me to simply use one of the relays to turn the sensor off to mitigate. You're a hero. I also hadn't thought of attaching a camera which would be nice as well after thinking about it. I had, however, thought about the configuration necessary or advisable on the solenoids - You'd want to be sure to have "normally-closed" without voltage to avoid flooding issues during a power interruption. I think that is what you have on your setup, but perhaps worth mentioning to others wanting to do a similar project. Thanks as usual. I do enjoy your channel.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for this -- my solenoid valve is indeed normally closed. :)

[@zigorvlc]

This channel is just becoming my go to for procrastinating

[@ExplainingComputers]

:)

[@thewalabee1414]

I love your videos and the fact that you make wonderful things that don't cost a lot of money is part of the reason. You 'inventions' can be made with just a small amount of money and the 'free' knowledge that give so generously dispense. Thank you!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thank you so much!

[@basroos_snafu]

Thanks for this very interesting and useful video! What I would like to mention though is that a lot of plants don't like to have wet feet all the time, and therefor I would like to suggest to put the water sensor in the container rather than in one of the pots. You may need to increase the watering time, so it will fill to a certain level, let the plants suck it up and not rewater until it's dry enough for the sensor to ring the bell again. That would make for a more realistic scenario, suitable for more species. And don't get me wrong: it is absolutely a very useful video the way it is now and I appreciate your effort and explanation very much (indeed)! Keep up the good work!

[@mauodias]

Came here looking exactly for this comment. Maybe would it be better to drop the water above the plants? Requires raising the valve and reservoir, and some more complex tubing, but would also avoid keeping the roots too wet all the time. Anyway, fantastic project indeed!

[@lander1591]

I would add a loop siphon (made with a loop of hose) to the watering pan so that each time the watering cycle occurs it completely fills the watering pan and then drains it once full. Also plants like to get their leaves wet, so a misting system would also be good for plant health.

[@johnet326]

I've seen a few time lapse videos of plants growing. Always find it enjoyable to watch. Planted six raspberry plants, got lots of raspberries second year. There were fat birdies. Still had enough berries to give to neighbours, friends and family. My raspberry pies didn't do anything except be delicious.

[@MagicMoose14587]

Perfect timing - I decided to do a project like this just today!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Excellent!

[@Winnetou17]

What project ? Is it going good ? Making progress ?

[@MagicMoose14587]

@@Winnetou17 a few plant monitors around the house and garden, though I'll use ESP32 boards so I can connect them to Home Assistant :)

[@Leonvolt28]

@@MagicMoose14587 are you going to use esphome?

[@MagicMoose14587]

@@Leonvolt28 Yep, I've already got it running some other things

[@juliusfucik4011]

I am loving this, but there is a slight control engineering problem in it: The soil will absorb the moisture from below, which takes time. This may result in multiple releases of water while the sensor is still not indicating the soil is wet... There is a slight risk of overflowing the container. I would reduce the release time and make sure the interval is not too short. This may only really really be a problem for taller pots as the moisture would not reach the bottom of the sensor quickly enough. I would adapt the system to get those to work. I am currently growing some venus fly traps with my 8 year old daughter. She loves it, but the seeds have to be kept moist for 3-5 weeks. That is hard to do in hot weather, so I could definitely see us building a similar setup that waters from above. Thanks for another quality video!

[@pay9011]

I know nothing about them, but watching these videos convinces me that these Raspberry pi's are amazing devices. Very interesting video! 👍👍👍

[@YTBK]

ah... I have been neglecting some plants in my garden recently. I absolutely will do this when I find the time so they don't die on me, thanks for the video! it'll help me out a lot

[@MrThedennisblack]

These Pi videos are far and away my favorite on the channel!

[@fwdesparado]

This is great timing for this video. My mother started growing blueberries this year and I have been wanting to set up a watering system for her. Now I don't have any excuses left (other than lack of time) for not completing my project.

[@kkon5ti]

Thank you very much, this has motivated me to get on with my experiment Update July: Starting my own build now, will be modified for longer drip irrigation on a balcony, wish me luck!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Excellent! Good luck.

[@1974UTuber]

That's a great project for schools. They can learn about technology and see the results of their project on the time-lapse video. Very nice implementation Chris

[@maderightamerica3216]

I really enjoyed this video. I'm going to attempt to make the same watering system as you did. You are a great teacher. There are hundreds of thousands of us who watch your channel to learn programming skills and ways to use what we learn. Thank you very much sir!

[@TheClembo]

Well done Percy RPI Thrower. Just love watching time-lapse to show what's happening when we're not not looking! Fantastic -Thank you.

[@Shawclough]

I’ve been eagerly anticipating this video since you teased it in the battery test video.

[@saturno_tv]

Here, as promised! The 17th gold! Thank you! The best tech stuff on youtube is on this channel! FIRST

[@ExplainingComputers]

17th Gold indeed! A very impressive medals table. :)

[@TreBros]

Awesome! I really enjoy all of your videos! Keep up the good work "ExplainingComputers"!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks. :)

[@meowthx1985]

Now THAT'S the video I was hoping for a long while. Thanks for uploading this!

[@corazondecocodrilo]

lovely how Chris devotes the dedication explain every single thing, makes me wish to come across more teachers like him

[@grandadmark7023]

Thank you for the time and effort you put into these videos. The clear explanation and structure to them make them entertaining and educational. A lot of other instructional videos are just a big ego trip for the presenter and frustrating for the viewer.

[@andyjk5974]

i think this is the most useful thing i have watched on KZbin this year

[@bluedirtgreen]

I find myself spending over two hours a week watering all the plants in my garden. Using a system similar to this in even a few of my raised beds would be a great labor saver.

[@erwinfs5]

I dont understand anything in this video, since I have poor knowledge about electronics. But I still love this video because this channel is really educational. I am subscribing to learn about linux and raspberry pi operating system

[@ExplainingComputers]

Welcome aboard!

[@SprocketN]

Another excellent video. Your step by step explanation means that now I have to go out and buy all the parts (x3) so my grandsons and I can create automatic cress growing ‘robots’. I hope at least one of my grandsons likes cress! I’m certain they’ll like building the project together.

[@Solarcrest05]

Love your content and style of presenting, Chris, thanks for being there!

[@joshuavstheworld7]

I don't even have a garden but this video has been pretty enlightening. Yet another magnificent use of the Raspberry Pi. Thank you.

[@mico5003]

I always wanted to use the pi for planting. This is by far one of the best examples. With a twist of timelapse. Depending on what you want to grow you adjust accordingly for the plants need, I assume. Chris, you are first class youtuber!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for this. And yes, you can adjust both the moisture sensor trigger level, and the amount of water released when it triggers, according to the plants being grown.

[@mico5003]

@@ExplainingComputers It is quite informative and fun to see a progress. My parents are green thumps, even though we live in northern part of the world. And I now have reason to be part of planting and growing eatible plant and such. And this is an episode I’ll be following as guidance.

[@JM-ym8mm]

For anyone watching these days, make sure to get a capacitive moisture reader instead of the resistive one. The resistive sensor has exposed electrodes and measures the resistance between the two electrodes so as the soil becomes wet, the conductive layer will corrode as the wet soil reacts with the electrode. Capacitive ones are completely insulated from water and do not have the same issue.

[@rhesaramadhan8474]

I wish I know this channel earlier.... but I'm glad to find it before it was too late!

[@EcoHamletsUK]

I must make sure I start off with a simple system like this, when I finally finish building my greenhouse. I get carried away with ideas for a whole greenhouse management system linked into Node-Red, so I get regular notifications, live video, and lots of pretty graphs!

[@ExplainingComputers]

It is always best to build things up in stages! :)

[@Chris.Brisson]

@@ExplainingComputers "crawl, walk, run" was the motto of my boss (the person who was responsible for software integration of a missile system on an actual robot, a robot that has been busy over the last 20 years).

[@chriswalford4161]

IoP

[@zacharysimon2952]

I love this video! I'm an amateur gardener myself, and have recently thought about doing something like this. It looks like a really interesting experiment, thank you for running through it with us!

[@cgriggsiv]

Nice to see how you think outside the box Excellent video as always have yourself a good day

[@Diogordoful]

Thanks!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Many thanks for your support, most appreciated. :)

[@TimmyXaero]

I liked watching this video. Amazing how you got all of these items to work. Great gardening system. Thanks Chris.

[@henrykhenrykowski2745]

When you put music on timelapse, it somehow instantly reminded me the old VHS videos that we watched as a students in primary & secondary school during our biology classes. :) Same stuff was also going on the national TV during the educational block back in a days. Other that that, it's a very good video. Glad you make it work & keep on updating us on your 'smart greenhouse' project. ;)

[@s9550110]

Thanks

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for your support, most appreciated.

[@vadermasktruth]

Marijuana is legal here in Detroit. We can grow up to 20 plants for personal consumption. I'm gonna rig my Pi up like this! Awesome video! Cheers from Detroit, Motor City!

[@KameraShy]

Brilliant! Party On!

[@IgabodDobagi]

I wish I had this video and a raspberry pi back when I actually had a huge garden in my front yard. I no longer live there and don't have a front yard to speak of so no garden for me. But I'll definitely be coming back to this video in the future when that changes. I used to live in Texas though, so this would have been REALLY helpful to avoid going outside in that oppressive heat to water some plants back then.

[@ianbertenshaw4350]

Excellent video Christopher! You could add a temp/ humidity sensor some 12v halogen lights and a fan to control the temperature and humidity inside your greenhouse and make good use of the last two relays ! I would use a small logic level mosfet to turn the board for the moisture sensor on and off as it will have a longer life than a relay and use less power - you can get small mosfet modules for the Pi and arduino very cheaply and possibly one that is in a hat format to replace the relays altogether.

[@spiveym]

I like this setup because it uses a solenoid valve. I am designing a circuit with one water source, one pump, and multiple solenoid valves to direct the water to the individual plants.

[@jalendvenn7990]

I want to do something like this as well. Were you able to get it to work? I would like an automated system to water multiple plants instead of just one

[@cupchanger]

Another fantastic video, I must say this is one of my favorites. I’ve been thinking of similar ideas for some time. I am a water manager for large scale park irrigation, controlling millions of gallons a night. A couple of your ideas were intriguing, especially how you limit the corrosion on the sensor. Thank you for always making Sunday special. Your videos are the only scheduled program I look forward too.

[@matthewfarrell317]

I had contemplated something like this for a cutting raising setup. To automate the watering, but use a humidity sensor to open and shut the container. This gives me a great start cheers.

[@philipbrady7635]

wonderful video, you are a multi-talented man. really appreciate that you showed the code and how you developed it.

[@Chris.Brisson]

There will be a devastating shortage of raspberries this year, as the berries were baked on the bush before they could be harvested. Next year I will grow my own, watered by Christopher Barnatt's patented Raspberry Pi automatic watering system.

[@galandilvogler8577]

Chris is a nice guy, he would make the project FOSS. :)

[@patricstahl]

This is super cool! Would love to see more practical appliances like this. Some power generation with a propeller? Some more timelapse videos. Thanks a bunch for this video. Really inspiring.

[@cristinatroccoliwilliams1389]

Brilliant, great idea with the time lapse camera. I’m glad you did what I mentioned in a comment . I set up my own with the pi pico, though I used a submersible pump and and capacitive moisture sensor in a plastic bag. I am considering switching to a solenoid. I just wanted to try using a motor. Your code is much more efficient than mine ;)

[@adamcottrill2575]

Bravo Christopher, well thought out, well put together, informative and interesting...smashed it out of the park in my book! Cheers!

[@ElmerFuddGun]

*Things to add to this fun project:* 1) a log file to record everything such as: start time, watering time, etc. 2) a light sensor so pics are only taken when there is enough light. Also put it in the log to see how watering and light, etc. correlate. 3) 12V battery voltage monitoring via an ADC. Too low and it sends you a notification. 4) Temperature sensor. Record to file. Don't water below zero, etc. Using a log file (1) may have helped to show a correlation to watering time (relays and solenoid switching) and the corrupted pictures. I'm sure others can add to this list. Such a fun project!

[@ExplainingComputers]

All good ideas. :) This video is very much presented as a proof-of-concept and a starting point.

[@statters]

Silly me, I was expecting a sacrificial anode to avoid corrosion. An excellent video as always.

[@Rcbeacon]

I really good example practical application. This provides the opportunity for a followup video. Possibilities include: Turn the sensor power off as soon as the moisture state is known. Use an analog sensor or two sensors to control water delivery off and eliminate calibration, which will vary with plants and conditions over time. You could use a small pump from a stored water supply. Sense the water supply and over-watering to raise an alarm. Look at power consumption vs battery capacity, alarm on low battery, maybe add a small solar panel to keep it topped up.

[@cometmace]

Since the video was about building a moisture sensitive pump, I wish you'd logged each time the pump came on (temp?, humidity?, light-level?). That would make an interesting graph. A great video with a fantastic timeline of how the project was built in stages.

[@devdeque7846]

I've built an indoor one of these using an Arduino. I used two nails for a water sensor and a UV light strip. I wanted to experiment with how watering, light, and night/night cycles, affects on certain plants. It was fun to make and play with, but I didn't find it very useful for actually growing plants.

[@MrMarclein]

Was there some problem with the lights?

[@ivolol]

@@MrMarclein You need some specialised light sources for doing serious growing of 'normal' plants using only artificial light, they need strong amounts of particular wavelengths of light. Usually you find them as grow lights. If you don't want to mess about with those then doing microgreens or plants specifically designed as indoor should work fine.

[@ElmerFuddGun]

Does your Python program really require the camera preview function? Why did you say the camera takes time to "settle" at 15:41? I can see the camera function needing time at the start of the program for setup but does it really need time in every loop?

[@ExplainingComputers]

If you don't bring up the camera preview you cannot take a picture! :) It needs to settle for every loop because I turn off the preview at the end of each loop to save power (as we are running on batteries).

[@ElmerFuddGun]

@@ExplainingComputers - That must be a limitation of the _PiCamera_ Python function (and the old RaspiStill?). Maybe try the _PIL.Image_ function instead as it doesn't need to show any preview. I've seen it used on YT and downloaded and ran the Python code and it seems to work good. Maybe it will speed things up too so you don't need any settling time either. IIRC it will also allow other USB cameras to be used.

[@idowebwork]

Can definitely see myself setting this up here. A very practical use of a Raspberry Pi Zero.

[@mikiethebikie]

Hi Chris, this is a really good example of real-time feedback control. Thanks a lot.

[@vatsal_shukla]

Lots of love from India 🇮🇳 This is fantastic...

[@ExplainingComputers]

Greetings from the UK! :)

[@-.-4PR3ND1Z_R3L4X.-.]

This video is very inspiring. I hope KZbin recommends one with a fish tank. 😃

[@ExplainingComputers]

:)

[@basvandersluis5662]

To power on the sensor just before reading it is brilliant! I just measured the consumption of that sensor and it's about 10mA, which means you could directly power it from a GPIO-pin. This saves one relay (and some power from the battery).

[@samaitcheson7057]

Chris' cunning plans are always a great learning experience 😊 I always really enjoy your real world computing projects Chris. Thanks again for a great piece of education.

[@mojanowaksywa]

is this your full time job? Well done. Yet another so professional video!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Yes, KZbin is pretty much my full time job right now. Pre-pandemic I also did a lot of speaking and lecturing engagements, but that work has all but dried up at the moment, aside from occassional online presentations.

[@amarnathde2174]

his style never changed

[@scottperry8388]

Genius as usual. What an interesting use for modern electronics, taking care of and monitoring some of the oldest life on the planet.

[@AlanMason]

Excelent video. Loved the timelapse. Cant wait to see what other uses you find for that little machine!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks 👍

[@mikewatson1105]

Chris, this is great, however I plan to reverse engineer this project. A combination of a little ground subsidence and an ageing house means that rainwater has to flow uphill to drain away from the house. Before digital days I combined a bath depth alarm moisture sensor kit with a caravan water pump and filters to lift the water up and away from the house and into the drain. It works well, with maintenance, such as replacing bike-spoke electrodes every 6 months. This has inspired me to go digital. The only extra I would like is a blocked filter sensor, maybe flow rate or pressure differential? Thanks so much for the inspiration! Mike.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Sounds like you have an interesting project to work on.

[@srfrg9707]

A few remarks since I did such a project myself and found limitations with long term use. - I found it cheaper and more practical to buy a all in one watering timer, the kind you screw on your garden focet and works with a 9V battery. The case is already weatherproof. You keep the solenoid and 9V battery and replace the electronic timer with your own design. The result will look profesional and will have all the practicability of an industrial design. - Moisture sensors do corrode even when no current runs through them. My solution was to burry a little bell shaped enclosure with a DH22 humidity sensor inside. The bell creates an air chamber and prevents water to rise to the level of the DH22. The DH22 will give us the humidity % of the air in the chamber. Those are not precise devices but we don't care for precise readings. We just need a 0/1 order. Also it will give us the temperature of the ground wich can be used for more automatisation (soil heating, day/night detection without a clock etc.).

[@kieran.stafford]

I think it's high time Mr. Scissors got his own KZbin channel.

[@ExplainingComputers]

I'm sure that one day he will branch out on this own . . .

[@robertJfontaine]

Awesome video. Always showing us how amazing raspberry Pi can be!

[@zl4ssb920]

ironic the ad at the start of this video was for a "better" moisture sensor for pi/ardiuno ..good video

[@NewAgeDIY]

I love making automation projects. My last project was my cat feeder. This project will definitely be considered. I have a idea to modify it to add water to my aquarium. Just need to replace the water sensor for a float gauge. A Madison M8000 Liquid Level Sensor should work. Thanks Chris for this wonderful weekend project.

[@16mmDJ]

Awesome project and bid, Chris! Very inspirational

[@dougr.8653]

And I thought that Skynet would bring us destruction, but in the end it was only to help with our gardening. Everything was better than expected. 😂😂

[@Chris.Brisson]

When the Pi's camera sees that you are about to pick its precious crop, look out, because that's when it will enable its plant preservation mode.

[@maxgood42]

T1000> "Come with me if you want to garden" 🤣

[@cyberp0et]

@@maxgood42 I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Dave" :))

[@maxgood42]

@@cyberp0et Marvin> " why does Pi get the cool jobs all I do is open the door...I'm so depressed"

[@ezzeldin101]

Sir, Your project made my day

[@ExplainingComputers]

Excellent. Great emoji! :)

[@ronsonwagner]

This video was very informative. I am thinking of doing this minus the camera at the end of the winter season to start a bunch of seeds for my mother to plant outside. I was also thinking about using a 5 gallon home improvement store bucket and using a submersible pump and some tubing instead of the valve. I've even seen a separate project that used an ultrasonic proximity sensor pointed down from the top of the bucket to sense when the water reserves were getting low.

[@amk8411]

I thought I'd have a *Robby the Robot* who could just be told to look after the plants by now... ...but this is great in its own way!

[@s9550110]

Great video, just realised I need a pump rather than a solenoid because my water source is below my plants 😬

[@robertlackey7212]

This is what I got into micro controllers for , would love to see a Adafruit micro controller controlling a entire hydroponic green house . Super video keep up the good work !

[@plica06]

That was so much work. Brilliant Christopher!

[@robinbrowne5419]

My wife has an automatic plant waterer. It's called me. She also has an automatic dish washer :-)

[@adistef]

I am familiar with that model. I know it also works with voice commands.

[@robinbrowne5419]

@@adistef Yes, it does work with voice commands. Lol :-)

[@chriswalford4161]

Do either of those systems have any reliability problems? Stars out of 5, and an outline of any glaring issues, to help the rest of the community ~ thanks.

[@robinbrowne5419]

@@adistef Ha ha. True :-)

[@gregjones3660]

Also you?

[@ingog.8424]

The ZeroCam packaging is like a meme.

[@zackaboy1236]

I’ve been wondering about this and you’ve released a very good quality video about it!!! Thank you!!!😊

[@rolandssavdons7993]

I must say, you're a great gardener! Great job👍!

[@trevorford8332]

I was thinking it was a overkill to use a pi, then I remembered your videos are about Raspberry Pi's. 😊 Another interesting project and excellent video.

[@tseawell90]

the pi zero is inexpensive and works well. not overkill at all

[@rv6amark]

"I suspect it is already a better gardener than I am." 😃😃😃👍👍👍

[@wrxs1781]

Great video Chris, a good real life application for the Pi, you must have had great fun on this project. I can only presume some of your "herb" farming viewers might find this very useful.

[@sbrazenor2]

"It's not the best time lapse video in the world." Well, it's the best time lapse video I've seen today, so that's something. I guess that's akin to a participation trophy in a film contest, but at least it's a small vote of confidence in your creative endeavors. This is also a great science experiment for a parent to do with their child on the growth of plants. 😁👍

[@ericm7759]

Thanks again for another PI video--always interesting and inspired me to a just confirmed purchase of a PI Zero W starter kit. Thanks again, look forward to next Sunday's video--keep up the good work!

[@chriholt]

Brilliant Chris! I really enjoyed this!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks Chris.

[@oceania68]

That was brilliant. A few more of these types of builds would be great addition utilising other SBCs (if able) to see how they fare.

[@Psyt0s]

How would other SBCs fare differently? The PiZero here is just running a script. Nothing other sbcs would do differently.

[@clintonscott9623]

This video would be perfect for someone interested in D I Y aquaponics. It simplifies the process by more efficiently automating the process.. Now I've run out of excuses...

[@perrymcclusky4695]

Wonderful video. Very interesting indeed! Looking forward to your next Pi time lapse video, when you make it. Can’t wait to see what you have for us next week! I appreciate all the work you put into your videos.

[@GustavoMsTrashCan]

Pleasing to watch as always. Nicely done.

[@PlayingGilly]

What a fantastic little project.

[@Scottjcpp]

Well done!! Perhaps perhaps add a photo sensor so it does not take pictures under certain light levels? Sorry if 5,387 people already made the same suggestion 😇

[@ssenssel]

This robot presenter is very human like. Almost had me fooled. Kudos to its creator.

[@paulj2383]

Thank you for a excellent explanation. Working on the intermediate steps helps.