Lua Planter pot tells you when plant needs water, sunlight, shade

It’s an experience most of us are all too familiar with – but one company has come up with a solution to the frustrating plant problem.

If you’ve ever brought home a plant from the nursery, tenderly watered it week after week only to have it inexplicably die on you, then this invention might be for you.

A tech start-up based in Luxembourg has come up with a smart pot that will tell you exactly how your plant is feeling – well, sort of.

The Lua planter uses an app to communicate how it is feeling so all you have to do is bring your plant home and place it in the company’s pot to let it do all the hard work.

The pot’s ‘face’ tells you if your plant is thirsty and needs water. Picture: Instagram.

Then you just link your pot to Lua’s free app and select what type of plant you have in the settings.

From there the ‘face’ on the front of the Lua pot will tell you how the plant is doing, from squinting because of too much sun or turning into a vampire because of not enough light.

It also lets plant owners known if the plant is thirsty and when it is sick from too much water.

When the plant is in good shape it will sport a happy face and its motion tracking technology means its eyes will follow if something walks in front of it.

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The planter also ‘smiles’ when it is happy and healthy.

While Lua was first released last year, its creators revealed that COVID-19 had delayed the second release of the planter.

So far more than $569,000 has been raised on Indiegogo to fund the project and anyone keen to get their hands on the planter can sign up to a preorder list via their website.

Lua can be shipped to most countries, however, the planter’s creators say that if it is not able to be shipped to the customer’s country they will receive a refund.

The Lua has got a cult following online, with plant lovers saying they are “so in love” with the product.

“How can I get this?” one person wrote on Instagram.

“Wait is this real?” another commented.

“Can‘t wait till they have all the funding to launch this amazing product, I’ll be here waiting,” another said.

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Bunnings offers refunds on plants that die within 12 months of purchase. Picture: Rebecca LeMay/NCA NewsWire

But until we can all get our hands on the Lua, Bunnings have come up with the next best thing by offering a “Perfect Plant Promise” to their customers.

It means that most plants can be returned to the store for a refund or exchange within the first 12 months if they die.

Bunnings’ policy doesn’t apply to flower and vegetable seedlings as well as potted colours (bloomers), which are short-lived plants that are not expected to live for more than three to five months.

To claim, all you have to do is bring your plant into a store with its receipt to be assessed by a gardening professional, who will then determine if you’re eligible for a refund or exchange.

Originally published as Lua Planter pot tells you when plant needs water, sunlight, shade