This smart flower pot waters your plant for you

Sensors in the pot measure light, moisture, temperature, and the level of fertiliser to determine whether your plant are getting proper amounts of each to flourish. And if the plant needs something, the pot sends an alert to your smartphone.

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Paris-based technology company Parrot has a smart flower pot that not only detects whether your plant has enough light and fertiliser -- it even waters it for you.

A Parrot 'smart pot' is heading for global release this year at a price yet to be revealed by the company known for drones and in-car communications and audio.

Sensors in the pot measure light, moisture, temperature, and the level of fertiliser to determine whether your plant are getting proper amounts of each to flourish, said Parrot's Vanessa Loury at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. 'There is also water in the pot so it will water the plants for you,' Loury said. Each pot holds enough water to irrigate a plant for several weeks to a month, depending on the type.

If plants need more light or fertilizer, alerts are fired off through free Flower Power applications available for iOS, Android and Windows devices.A database compiled with help from scientists boasts a catalogue of more than 7,000 plants from herbs, to flowers, to teas to Cannabis.

The smart pot builds on technology in a sensor released about two years ago for use with plants in old-fashioned dumb pots.

'This is not a crazy idea,' Loury said. 'This is something we are really interested in.' Parrot also works with farmers to survey crops with drones equipped with cameras that scrutinize leaves to determine when fertilizer is needed, according to Loury. 'It is a green approach, and a cost saving for the farmer as well,' she said.