Plant Pal — ESP32 Smart Watering
Plant Pal — ESP32 Smart Watering
Keep your plants alive without thinking about it. Soil-moisture-triggered watering, no app required.
Step 1 Unbox & Check the BOM
Verify every part against the Bill of Materials on the right. The ESP32-C3 arrives pre-flashed with the Plant Pal firmware.
Step 2 Wiring
Insert the capacitive sensor into the soil up to the line marked on the probe. Connect the pump to the relay output.
Step 3 Flash Firmware (already done)
Pre-flashed with the ESPHome config below. The pump triggers when moisture < 30% and stops at 60% to avoid overwatering.
sensor: - platform: adc pin: A0 name: Soil Moisture filters: median switch: - platform: gpio pin: 5 name: Water Pump
Step 4 Mount & Calibrate
Place the reservoir next to the pot. Run the config's calibration step once with dry soil to set your 0% reference, then with a fully-wet sample for 100%.
Step 5 Connect to Home Assistant
HA auto-discovers the moisture sensor and pump switch. Add a gauge card for moisture and a button for manual watering. Set an automation to alert you when the reservoir runs low.
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Readings drift over a few days
Capacitive sensors don't corrode but the soil-air boundary moves. Re-run calibration every 2 weeks, or move the probe 1cm deeper.
Pump never triggers
Check the 30% threshold matches your soil type — sandy soil dries faster, raise the threshold to 40% in the YAML.
Can it run on batteries?
Yes — deep-sleep between reads draws <100µA. A single 18650 cell lasts ~3 months between charges.
Plant Pal Kit
$24.99
| Part | Model | Qty | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microcontroller | ESP32-C3 | 1 | $6.99 | In Stock |
| Moisture sensor | CAP-SMS-01 | 1 | $4.00 | In Stock |
| Mini pump | MP-3V-120 | 1 | $3.00 | In Stock |
| Relay | SRD-05VDC | 1 | $3.00 | In Stock |
| Silicone tube | ST-6mm-1m | 1 | $2.00 | In Stock |
| USB-C cable | USB-C 1m | 1 | $6.00 | In Stock |
| Kit Total | $24.99 | |||