It’s not really a secret: I’m a plant killer. When green thumbs were handed out my mother got two, and I got none.

So when I was asked to review the Parrot Flower Power device, I was filled with excitement and doubt. Could I get a refund on my plant if it died, because yes, I would need to buy one for this experiment? I picked up a Gerbera daisy at Woolies and set out to stick the device in the potting soil.

It really is so simple: You download the free app to your phone (Android app still in the works), ensure your Flower Power has a fresh battery (AAA), and connect to it via your phone’s Bluetooth. Take a pic of your plant, find it in the extensive catalogue of plants, and you’re ready to grow stuff!

Now you can monitor the soil moisture and fertiliser levels in real-time. You can also monitor more than one plant per device, provided that they’re planted in the same pot/flower bed/patch and thus have the same conditions.

Gertjie (as you will see below) is absolutely thriving – possibly because it’s a hardy little guy, but probably thanks to the Parrot Flower Power.

The devices are available in three colours, and can be bought from Incredible Connection, Dion Wired, The Gadget Shop, and www.smac.co.za (you can also buy those awesome headphones from this site), and retails for R899.

Now that I’m doing the plant thing blind, I hope that Gertjie is up for the adventure that is a plant’s life in my care 🙂