Plant Monitoring System

Introducing the Plant Monitoring System—a smart, real-time solution that helps you keep track of your plant’s health, whether you’re at home, at work, or even on vacation.

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Inspiration

With increasing urbanization, many people struggle to maintain healthy plants due to busy schedules, lack of knowledge, or limited access to real-time monitoring. Water conservation is also a growing concern, making it crucial to optimize plant care without overwatering. This project was inspired by the need for an affordable, automated solution that helps urban gardeners, homeowners, and farmers monitor their plants remotely and efficiently.

What it does

The ESP32 Plant Monitoring System continuously tracks temperature, humidity, and soil moisture. It displays real-time data on a web dashboard and a TFT display. If the soil moisture drops below 60%, the system sends an email alert, notifying the user to water the plant. The web interface also logs the last 10 sensor readings, includes a progress bar for moisture levels, and allows users to download logs as a text file for further analysis.

How we built it

ESP32 handles all processing, WiFi communication, and web hosting. AHT10 sensor measures temperature and humidity. KS0049 soil moisture sensor detects soil hydration levels. ST7735 TFT display shows real-time sensor readings. A web server built into the ESP32 provides remote monitoring. ESP32 Mail Client sends automated alerts via email. HTML, CSS, and JavaScript create an interactive web dashboard.

Challenges we ran into

Power fluctuations affected sensor readings and display brightness. We solved this by optimizing power distribution and ensuring stable voltage levels. ESP32 WiFi authentication issues caused connection failures on some networks, requiring troubleshooting of network settings and authentication methods. Email sending limitations due to SMTP security restrictions, which required configuring Gmail App Passwords for authentication. Logging data efficiently without causing memory overflow, which was solved by storing only the last 10 readings in a circular buffer.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully integrated live sensor monitoring, web logging, and email alerts into a single ESP32-based system. Developed a modern, user-friendly web interface with a progress bar, dark mode toggle, and log download feature. Optimized data logging and email notifications to prevent redundant alerts and excessive data storage. Created a scalable and cost-effective solution that can be expanded for smart irrigation, hydroponics, and urban farming applications.

What we learned

How to implement real-time IoT monitoring with ESP32 and sensors. Optimizing ESP32 power consumption and sensor accuracy in long-term monitoring applications. Working with Gmail’s SMTP service and handling email security constraints. Improving user experience in IoT dashboards with JavaScript-based interactions like downloading logs and toggling themes. How urban gardening challenges can be addressed with IoT and automation.

What's next for Plant Monitoring System

Automated watering system that controls a servo valve based on soil moisture. Cloud integration to store long-term data in Firebase or Google Sheets. Mobile app support for real-time notifications and remote access. Machine learning-based plant care predictions, analyzing trends in temperature, humidity, and soil moisture. Battery and solar-powered version for outdoor use in urban gardens and farms.

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