Plants, like humans, need food, water, beer, and television. What better way to tell if your plant is hungry or thirsty (or bored) than a little nubbin that sits inside its pot and send you notifications when things are amiss. That’s why you need a HelloPlant.

The system lets you name your plants and then watch them as they grow. When the soil is too dry you get a notification and you can see where the plant is getting the best and most light. It modifies the notifications based on plant type so you won’t have to go digging in plant books for growing advice.

I had an early version of the nubbin and it worked well. However, it’s pretty much a plant notification system that could use a few more bells and whistles – maybe some sort of self-watering system so we can further ignore our chlorophylliac friends? That said at $26 for a single Wi-Fi connected unit you’re not paying too much for peace of mind. Soon maybe these things can deliver electrolytes – things that plants crave – right into the root bundle of your rhododendron.