From the Department of Incredibly Cool Things

From the department of incredibly cool things comes EasyBloom, which is both a plant sensor system and a web site that acts as your personal botanist, making recommendations for your garden.

The EasyBloom gadget is a plant sensor system that you stick into the ground, either in a place where you want to plant something or next to an existing plant that isn't thriving the way you imagined. You leave EasyBloom in place for 24 hours to gather information on the soil's moisture, sunlight intensity, humidity, etc. The next day, remove the sensor from the ground and plug it directly into the USB port on your computer (the sensor head is removable so your not stuffing soil into the port) and upload the data captured in it's memory to the EasyBloom web site where it can be analyzed depending upon your needs.

In 'Recommend Mode', EasyBloom sifts the data it collects from your soil along with georaphic and climate information it gathers from the web, and then suggests plants that would do well in your garden.

In 'Monitor Mode', EasyBloom analyzes the information gathered from your ailing plant and makes a diagnosis and perscribes a remedy.

The EasyBloom web site allows you to create a customized database of all your plants and keep a record of thier health and growth over time. And here lies one of the most intersting features of EasyBloom, which is that it turns information into something tangible you can use, and then creates a virtual tool kit to help you be a better gardener. The EasyBloom on-line plant encyclopedia is worth using even without buying the product. You can register for free and use many of EasyBloom's web features, but having the gadget with all its bells and whistles is a lot more fun, not to mention better for your plants.