How the Soil and Sun Probe Works

This Soil and Sun Probe has a reusable indoor/outdoor sensor to select plants for any location and to monitor your existing plants that may be ailing. The device logs environmental data — including light, temperature, humidity, and soil data — in any location it is placed.

The data collected by the sensor is uploaded to the website via a USB port on your computer. Certain algorithms then process the data sent by the sensor. The website takes into account your geography, the local weather conditions on the day(s) that the sensor was in use, and how weather is expected to be during different periods of the year. The plants that the sensor returns should thrive in the location where the sensor was placed.

From there you can filter the results to your particular needs. You can also program the sensor with an ailing plant. The sensor will monitor that plant's environment and let you know if anything is out of profile (i.e. over/under watering, too much light, etc.) This removes the mystery as to why a plant may not be faring so well.

The website also includes forums where you can learn and share information with other gardeners, document plants that you have or want to purchase, consult the plants database for growing instructions, and to look for product support.

Getting Started

1. Open a web browser and type in the address bar: beta2.plantsense.com/go and press the return key. Follow the steps on screen to register.
2. After registering, go to your email inbox & activate your account by clicking on the activation link in the email sent to you from the company. NOTE: If you don't see the email, look in your Junk Mail or Spam folder.
3. Click "click here" to download the Companion Software. A pop-up window will ask you to open PlantSenseSetup.exe. Click "save file".
4. When asked to Run, Open or Save the file, choose Run or Open if those options are offered. Your software will then install automatically. (If Save is your only option, choose Save, and save the file to your desktop. Then, click open to run the wizard.)
5. Install the battery into the collector as shown here. You should hear a chime to let you know the battery is installed correctly. NOTE: If you are using Windows, when you plug in your device into the USB port, you may get the "Found New Hardware" wizard. Follow the on-screen directions. You may also see this wizard again if you plug the device into a different USB port.
6. Insert your sensor into the USB port on your computer and input your login credentials when prompted.

You are now ready to start using the Soil and Sun Probe. In the future, when you insert your probe into the USB port, you will be launched and logged into the website automatically.

Quick Tips:

The following are a few recommendations for getting the best results when using the Soil and Sun Probe:

• When placing the device in the dirt near a plant or within a container plant, make sure that there is nothing blocking the top of the device — For example, make sure leaves of a plant are not covering the de-vice and blocking the sunlight it is trying to measure
• When placing the device into soil, especially outdoors, you may need to loosen the soil if the soil sensor cannot be placed in the soil easily: Also, the soil sensor needs to be placed all the way into the soil so you cannot see the green board on the soil sensor
• If you don't have easy access to the USB port on your computer, plug the USB extension cable into the port, and then plug your sensor's USB controller into the USB extension cable

Recommended Setup:

To get an accurate plant recommendation, your sensor needs to record 24 hours of environmental data from the location where you would like to place a plant. Follow these steps:

1. Log in to beta2.plantsense.com: or plug your sensor into the USB port and it will automatically log you in and take you to the My PlantSense Dashboard page.
2. Click on the "Recommend" button to set your device to Recommend Mode. When you switch into Recommendation Mode, the GardenGro sensor's memory is cleared and it is now ready to take a 24 hour reading for a new recommendation. NOTE: If you haven't already, insert your GardenGro sensor into a USB port on your computer.
3. When instructed, remove the sensor and do one of the following:
   1. Press the Start Button on the sensor to start the collection. The sensor light will blink 5 times green and the sensor will make a three ascending tone to let you know the data collection has started.
   2. Place the Collector in the stand & place it where you want to plant.
   3. Put the sensor and soil attachment together & place the devise in the ground where you want to plant.After 24 hours, press the Start/Stop Button on the sensor and plug the sensor into your USB port.
   4. The web site auto-launches to the recommendation tab within My Readings.
   5. Name the location where you had the sensor (such as front window or left corner of front planter.) This information helps you keep track of where you have placed the sensor.
   6. Optionally, you can upload a photo of the location.
   7. Click the Save button.
4. The website will return the total number of plants that will thrive in the location where the sensor was placed. The web site runs algorithms that interpret the logged data, correct for any weather conditions, and take into consideration where you live. On additional tabs, you can view the environmental data graphs and add notes on the location.
5. You can narrow the results by choosing plant characteristics that are interesting to you. For example, specific plant color, bloom time, etc. will help narrow the plant recommendation results for you. (Note: The plant recommendations will change on-the-fly as you change your plant characteristic preferences.)
6. Click on any of the plants of interest to learn more about the plant.
7. When you find a plant you would like to add to your garden, click on the "Add to my Plants" button to keep a database of plants so that you can reference later for Plant Care Instruction and Plant Monitoring.

Plant Monitor Setup:

To determine when to water your plant, the sensor must be programmed with the type of plant it will be monitoring. You then deploy the sensor in the soil near the plant. The sensor then monitors how well the soil holds its moisture and will alert you as to when to water your plant. Follow these steps:

1. Log in to beta2.plantsense.com: or plug your sensor into the USB port and it will automatically log you in and take you to the My PlantSense Dashboard page.
2. Click on the "Monitor" button to set your device to Monitor mode.
3. Find the type of plant that you would like to monitor. If it is a plant you previously saved to "My Plants", simply click on "My Plants" in the dialog box and select the plant you would like to monitor. If you do not know the exact name of the plant, but know a portion of the common name — that is fine (e.g. enter "fern" or "rose", etc.).
4. Once you have selected the plant, follow the directions on screen and click "yes" to program the specific plant data into the sensor and to put the sensor in monitor mode.
5. When the website instructs you, remove the sensor and do the following:
   • Put the sensor and sensor soil attachment together & place the device in the soil near the plant that you want to monitor
   • Water your plant well, allowing the probe to characterize how well your soil holds water over time
6. Press the Start Button on the sensor to start collecting data. The light on the sensor will blink 5 times green and the sensor will make 3 ascending tones to let you know the device is working.
7. The sensor needs a few days to gather soil moisture data to let you know when your plant needs watering. This is because the sensor is determining how well your soil holds water. We recommend that you go through one watering cycle which could last anywhere between 2 days to 3 weeks.
8. The sensor will give you sound feedback over time so that you know when your plant needs watering. There are 2 sounds:
   • Chirping sound — Water your plant when you hear this sound.
   • Warning sound — Your plant has too much water. Do not water it for awhile.
9. To learn more about your watering cycles, press the Stop Button and insert the collector into the USB port. (You can use the USB extension cable if needed.) The soil moisture chart shows how many days are optimal between waterings.

Website Tips

Keep track of all of the plants that you own or would like to own in the "My Plants" section of the website. Whenever you are in another section of the website and you choose "Save to My Plants", the plant will be added to your "My Plants" page. This is your own personal plant catalog. "My Plants" is also useful for when you choose to monitor a plant in your home or garden. You can simply select the plant from "My Plants" when asked to find the plant to monitor, and the sensor is programmed with the details about the plant.

My Readings is an area of the website that contains all the data for each reading you take in your home or garden. These readings are organized on two tabs — Recommendation and Monitoring — depending on what you were doing when gathering the data.

Care and Maintenance

Changing The Battery: If your sensor no longer has a blinking light or is not making sounds when you press the start or stop button, you probably need to change your battery. To change the battery, complete the following steps:

1. Pull open the battery compartment using the knob on the collector
2. Remove the depleted AAA battery
3. Insert the new AAA battery positive + side down toward the USB interface

Changing Petals: Remove the petal which is on your device by gently pulling it off of the Sensor Collector. Put another petal which came in your package on the top of the Sensor Collector and gently ease it over the top sensor until it falls in place. If you prefer, you can remove the petal and not use one at all.

• When not using the Soil and Sun Probe, make sure it is turned off to save battery power
• Do not submerge the probe in water: The device is waterproof to the extent that it can handle normal weather conditions including rain
• Do not leave your probe near a fire or open flames such as gas stove tops
• Do not use abrasive cleaners to clean your sensor: Wipe the product with a soft cloth and water
• Do not open the casing of your sensor: This will void your warranty.

Learn More About this Soil and Sun Probe

Grow a perfect garden without the guesswork. Instead of wondering which plants will thrive where, know for sure this Soil and Sun Probe. This ingenious in-ground sensor reads and analyzes growing conditions in specific spots inside your home or yard, including sunlight, temperature, humidity, soil moisture, and drainage. It even puts the same technology used on NASA's Mars mission to work in your own backyard for soil moisture measurements.

Plug this Soil and Sun Probe into your computer and watch as it turns readings into recommendations, listing plants sure to flourish in your exact environment. Narrow your search even more by specifying desired bloom color or season, plant height, drought tolerance, deer resistance and other features.

Put expert plant help in the palm of your hand with these benefits:

• Access the online database of 5,000+ plants (developed with the largest growers of plants and flowers)
• Find plants to thrive in every area of your home and garden, based on algorithms developed by leading plant horticulturalists and botanists
• End the discouraging cycle of trial-and-error planting
• Diagnose ailing plants and bring them back to health
• Keep inventory of your own plants for one-click plant care

This Soil and Sun Probe is like having your own personal team of botanists on-call around the clock. The result? You spend a lot less time working in your garden, and a lot more time enjoying it. A perfect gift for novices to experienced gardeners, this probe is completely reusable and works with PC and Mac.

Different locations in your garden experience different conditions based on how the sun moves through your yard throughout the day, how trees and plants shade areas of your garden, etc. The probe sensor looks at each location from a plant's perspective. The sensor and the website will assist you in choosing plants that will thrive in specific locations in your home or garden. We recommend that whenever you want to buy a plant for your yard or home, that you use your sensor first so that you can garden with confidence.