Plantagotchi – AI Smart Planter

Pot is cute, animation is cute, even the small cup to out the plant in is adorable as long as you can find a small plant.

Here’s the issue: I had put in succulents (stonecrop).
- Water: It ran out and needed to be refilled the first 5 hours. Then had to be refilled everyday. Soil is extremely moist…but succulents don’t need much water so why do I need to keep refilling it?
- Lighting: I have it placed in the brightest room and is getting indirect light. However, it keeps telling me that lighting is insufficient. When it’s night time and it’s dark in the room, it the. Tells me that the lighting is acceptable. I don’t understand?
- Battery life: this is the biggest issue. The app says I have 36 hours battery life left. However, in 5 hours, the battery is dead and needed to be charged. I even have sleep mode enabled which should extend the battery life but it appears it shortens it?

This is why I’m only giving it 3 out of 5 stars.

The Smart Pet Planter is definitely cute, making it a nice addition to the counter. However, it doesn’t hold a charge for long unless it’s plugged in, and the tray for the plant itself is surprisingly small.

Looked very cute. Downloaded the app but couldn’t connect through WiFi so I had to return. The app has a lot of products so it’s hard to navigate and connect.

This animated planter is unique and different and can be fun. I feel like it's in the early stages and still needs some improvements. If purchased full price it's pricey for what it is (almost $90). It did go on significant sale a couple of times, of course after I purchased it as a gift.

I wish this held a charge longer. I gave this as a gift to one of my adult kids, it does make a fun gift (include some potting soil and plant if possible). It reminds us all of the Eve robot in the movie Wall-E.

My daughter jokes she can't keep plants alive, so the point is this planter lets the owner know exactly what the plant needs (water, sun, etc). Also she likes these types of quirky animated type things. Mostly though it's my young grandkids that are the ones getting a kick out of it.

The wide eyed and blinking faces the planter makes are robot-like and there's quite a variety - helps to keep the instruction sheet with the face meanings out until all of them can be learned (faces it makes when the plant needs more sunlight, is too dry, etc).

PROS:
- It's fun and different. Kids will get a kick out of it, adults too. It's a conversation piece.
- There's an App that works in conjunction with the planter.
- Fun little item for someone who doesn't have a lot of other plants or just wants a unique interactive planter to keep on their desk, sink, nightstand, or counter - as long as there's enough light.

Cons:
- Cost. This little item is pricey when purchased full price at current point of over $80.
- Low charging power. This doesn't hold a charge for very long at all, so it needs to be frequently recharged OR left plugged in - which then means it needs to be near an outlet, which might not be the best location for the plant. The constant need to recharge this is THE biggest drawback as it affects its location and honestly it just becomes a hassle.
- The actual planter space is very very small. It will work for small plants, cacti, and succulents, that don't require a lot of root room. It includes some decorative rocks - however by the time enough soil is added for the roots there isn't room for the rocks.

I thought this was a cute idea, but it does not know how to properly detect anything. I out 50 ml of water and it says that there was 89ml even though it was empty before. Then it will say it has 1ml and jump back and forth. I have yet to get it to actually show the animation.

Update 09/12: I was able to figure out the water issue, I had to find a work around in making ivy sense the plant. Onee that happened, I was given access to all settings in the app. I did upgrade to a 3 out of 5, but it would take a lot to get me to update to 5 out of 5. Also, if you want some judgment in your life, Ivy will judge you all day.

I am not the best at taking care of plants. The only thing that has survived in my house are three Pothos plants. So naturally I was taken by the cute emoji pot that will help me keep plants alive.

To start, you will need to download an app (Tuya Smart) on your phone and connect the pot via Bluetooth. I've seen other products also use this app, I think it's in the same vein as SmartThings and SmartLife.

From the app, you can select from a list of recommended plants. The list has about 43 different plants to choose from at the moment, but I'm not sure if that list will gro. The pot setup is easy enough. Fill the base with water, plant the plant in the tiny pot, put the pot in the base.

The unfortunate part is that the battery only lasts about 24hrs before you need to charge it again. It's a bit disappointing, but I've resigned to keeping it in a window next to a plug.

Overall, it's very cute, but I'll see how it goes in the next few months.