In this video, Busy states, “I don’t irrigate blindly,” and presents a collaboration with the company Plantae to show how technology can help farmers use water better, save costs, and better understand what happens beneath the soil surface.
I don’t water blindly
The main idea is simple: farmers often irrigate based on experience or what they observe with the naked eye, but they don’t know what’s really happening in the layers where the roots are growing.
Irrigating by guesswork can cause:
Water waste, leading to waterlogging and runoff.
Growth problems, water stress in the plant that disrupts its development.
And reduced crop efficiency; the fruit suffers alterations in quality and quantity.
To solve this, Plantae installs a sensor system connected to a solar-powered station.
The sensors allow the following parameters to be measured in real time:
- Soil moisture.
- Soil temperature.
- Electrical conductivity (related to the presence of salts and nutrients).
- The actual amount of water circulating through the irrigation system.
One of the most interesting aspects is that the sensors are placed at different depths, specifically 15, 30, 60, and even 90 centimeters. This allows farmers to confidently say, “I don’t irrigate blindly.”
It lets them know how water behaves in different soil zones, and they can easily move the sensors to monitor different parts of their land:
- At 15 cm, the surface layer is observed, where evaporation is highest.
- At 30 cm, the zone where many active roots tend to develop is monitored, depending on the type of crop.
- At depths of 60 or 90 cm, we measure the depth of fruit trees, almond trees, olive trees, pistachio trees, etc.
I don’t irrigate by guesswork. Do you?
Thanks to this data, BusY tells us in his video, the farmer can know if he’s irrigating too much, too little, or at the wrong time.
He can also detect water loss, differences between plots, and problems with salinity or soil compaction.
BusY explains that he’s using the system on a new plot of land that he still doesn’t know well. Although he already suspected that some areas performed better than others, the sensors are allowing him to confirm these differences with objective data. For example, he’s discovered high levels of salinity and different performance patterns between sections of the same field. The sensors can be easily moved from one place to another, allowing measurements to be taken from different strategic points.
Plantae’s work process includes:
- Installation of the sensors by a technician.
- Continuous monitoring for approximately 15 days.
- Analysis of the collected data.
- Personalized consultation via video call to optimize irrigation and crop management.
As Busy explains in the video, the goal is not only to produce more, but to do so more sustainably, using only the necessary water and improving soil health.
He also emphasizes that these systems are not limited to vegetable gardens. They can be adapted to fruit tree crops, citrus, avocados, and other agricultural operations of varying sizes.
Key takeaway from the video “I Don’t Irrigate Blindly”
Modern agriculture no longer relies solely on the farmer’s experience. The combination of sensors, data analysis, and technical advice allows for a better understanding of how the soil works and more precise decision-making. This can translate into water savings, reduced costs, and healthier crops—something especially important in a context of droughts and increasing water scarcity.
Busy’s words: Today on Garden from Zero, I’m showing you one of the most interesting tools I’ve tried lately for better understanding the soil, optimizing irrigation, and truly saving water: the Plantae sensor system…
Watch the full video
Sources for the article: Plantae agro
