If you knew what your houseplants were thinking, they probably wouldn’t die. Or is that just an excuse? A new Raspberry Pi Pico W project that turns houseplants into texting addicts, providing the perfect way to test your green thumb and moral fortitude.

This project was developed by Sandeep Mistry, the Principal Software Engineer at ARM. It’s very in-depth and requires a number of components, but at the end of the journey, you’ll have a houseplant with a personality. And it will text you like crazy—it’ll ask for water, wish you goodnight, and express its passion for living.

Using a Raspberry Pi Pico W and Pimoroni’s Grow Kit, Sandeep Mistry can track the moisture level in Mark the Plant’s pot. The Pico W can then text this information to Sandeep’s phone through Twilio, using some colorful pre-programmed language, of course.

So, while Mark the Plant can’t say “I need more light,” or “the cat is eating me,” it can warn Sandeep when the soil is too dry or wet. It can also send routine messages throughout the day at semi-random intervals. You know, to give it a better sense of personality.

I guess that Mark the Plant isn’t really alive. But adding just a touch of personality to your house plant could, in theory, make you a more loving and responsible plant owner. If you’d like to try this project for yourself, visit Sandeep Mistry’s instructions on Hacker.io. You can also check the engineer’s profile for more exciting Raspberry Pi projects.

Source: Sandeep Mistry (Hacker.io) via The Raspberry Pi Foundation