With spring upon us, perhaps it’s time you plant a little tech to help your gardens grow.

In fact, selecting the right gardening gear can help spice up your front or backyard, whether it’s AI-powered soil sensors and autonomous weed whackers (that know to leave your precious crops alone) to robotic lawn mowers and smart sprinklers that water your garden.

There are also smartphone apps to help you get the most out of the garden season, too.

Here, a few ideas that may grow on you:

Robotic Weed Whacker

Now available in Canada, the Tertill Weeding Robot ($199.99) performs exactly as it sounds: place this autonomous “weed whacker” in a relatively flat garden – with a 4-inch or higher border, and about a foot between plants/rows – and this weatherproof ‘bot will get rid of those nasty weeds so you don’t need to.

But how does it know, you ask?   

It’s based on height. Anything tall enough to touch the front sensors of Tertill (pronounced “turtle”) is considered a plant and so it will leave it be, but if it passes underneath the device it’ll be cut (included plant guards protect desired seedlings not tall enough to be detected by Tertill).

From the inventor of the Roomba, Tertill is solar-powered so it never needs to be charged up. And it can maintain garden up to 200 square feet.

Smart Soil Tester

The aptly-named Multifuction Soil Tester ($32.99) from Yamron is essentially a “smart probe” with a screen on top.

Ideal for both indoor and outdoor use, insert this doohickey into the soil about 10 centimetres and it’ll quickly and accurately measure several variables – including the pH, moisture and temperature, sunlight and soil fertility – so that you know when to water, to control the pH and temperature acidity, and learn whether the plants have enough light for optimum growth.

The backlit LCD display, which is on a 45-degree rotation for added convenience (so you don’t need to bend over to read it), works in light or dark environments. An alert will let you know when it’s time to replace the four AAA batteries.

Indoor Lamp Garden

Don’t be fooled by its classic floor-standing lamp design: LG’s next indoor gardening appliance is packed with modern features.

While it doesn’t have an official name yet according to the company, it’ll produce fresh home-grown greens and other plants, herbs, flowers and fruits. It features a height-adjustable and downward-facing LED light to promote growth, a 1.5-gallon-capacity tank (about 5.7 litres) that automatically dispenses water (and/or seeds) based on the number and variety of plants being grown. LG says it can support up to 20 plants.

This condo-friendly appliance will also be app-supported, if you want to manage cultivation schedules, adjust lighting settings and monitor plant growth from any location.

Price and launch date are TBD.

Garden Watering

The Moen Smart Sprinkler Controller (from $249.99; for 8 zones) pairs with Moen’s Smart Wireless Soil Sensors (from $84.99) to water your lawn and garden – so you don’t need to do it manually.

Features include independent zone control and scheduling, automatic weather skip – if it’s raining, it won’t water the grass at that moment, for instance – as notified on the Moen Smart Water App. The solution was designed to help cut down on water usage, saving homeowners up to 30 percent more water (more than 56,000 litres annually, compared to clock-based controllers), says the company.

Wireless sensors monitor soil moisture and temperature at varying depths and will automatically adjust watering routines based on a zone’s specific needs.

Autonomous Lawn Bot

As the name suggests, the Husqvarna Automower “iQ” Series of robot lawnmowers are its smartest yet.

These wire-free models no longer require a perimeter wire professionally installed under your lawn to stay on your property (and out of areas you don’t want it in, like gardens and flowerbeds). Once you start it via an app or your voice with a smart speaker, it’ll quietly and accurately cut your grass (all types) on front lawns and backyards – up to 2 acres. Like its predecessors, this weatherproof widget can navigate around obstacles, handle slopes and, when it detects its battery running low, it navigates itself back to the base to charge up and continue the job.

Prices start at $4199.99 for the iQ Series – but there are less expensive models for smaller properties.

There’s an App for That

Free apps for your smartphone can also help you manage your garden.

A few of our favourites, for both iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android devices:

• LeafSnap – This plant-identifying app works like a charm. Just snap a photo of the plant, flower, or shrub you have questions about and LeafSnap will tell you all about it, including what’s wrong with it.
• Pl@ntNet — Another capable identification app, Pl@ntNet can help you better understand all kinds of plants: flowering plants, trees, grasses, conifers, ferns, vines, or even cacti!
• From Seed to Spoon – Focusing on consumables, this app makes is simple for you to successfully grow your own veggies, fruits and herbs. An AI chatbot helps you identify what you’re growing, offering personalized tips based on what the camera sees.
• Gardenize: Consider it a digital garden diary with a photographic memory! Using your camera and your words, take advantage of this free-to-start app to help overview, understand and develop your garden – and learn from other “Gardenizers,” too.
• What’s That Flower: As the name suggests, this app identifies flowers with a photo and lets you filter by colour, habitat, pedals, or region.