Botanicalls technology sends Twitter updates to users when plants need water.

(Photo courtesy of Botanicalls)

Diggin’ It

Can gardening go digital?

Try as they might, some people are incapable of keeping a plant alive. As easy as maintaining a regular watering schedule, proper lighting and keeping pests away seems, these black thumbs, as they’ve been termed, can still turn the hardiest species into compost after a few weeks. Two recent gadgets give a leg up to gardeners who can’t quite get the swing and offer a chance to bring the power of networks and databases to everyday life.

May 1, 2009 Nick Parish