In many parts of the country, spring is in the air, which means it’s time to start attending to your lawn and garden. This can be a chore, but when you use the latest lawn-care tech, it doesn’t have to be. With the help of your smartphone, the internet and a handful of smart gear, you can get a green thumb… without lifting a finger.
From a robotic lawn mower, to a sprinkler system that knows when to water your lawn, the latest outdoor tech can make your outdoor living space more enjoyable and efficient to maintain.
To learn about more products you can use in and around your home to make life easier — and save you money — be sure to check out all of our ongoing home, kitchen and outdoor guides, as well as our relentlessly fresh consumer tech coverage.
Our favorite smart lawn and outdoor living gadgets
Our in-house team of tech experts have curated this roundup of the best smart lawn care technology you can use to spend more time enjoying the outdoors — instead of working in it.
Best smart lawn mower: Segway Navimow H800N-VF
You could spend your Sunday afternoons mowing the lawn, or spend that precious time basking in the sunshine and lying in your hammock. The Segway Navimow H800N-VF robotic lawn mower is wire-free and designed to keep your lawn nicely trimmed with a few taps on your smartphone.
With the H800N-VF, there are no perimeter wires. The mower and the accompanying smartphone app use AI-assisted mapping technology to avoid trees and more than 20 other types of obstacles. Once the robotic mower starts working, your phone will get progress updates. There’s even an anti-theft device built into the mower to protect your investment.
Even if your lawn isn’t flat, that’s not a problem. The Navimow handles up 16-degree slopes. The battery powered motor generates less than 54dB of noise and automatically stops mowing if the weather gets bad. Depending on the model you choose, it can handle mowing between 0.20 and 0.74 acres.
Best smart sprinkler: Irrigreen standard system
The Irrigreen standard system does much more than just operate your garden hoses with a phone app. This is a complete, in-ground lawn irrigation system that’ll cover up to 2,000 square feet.
The Irrigreen system’s smart technology lets a homeowner remotely set schedules and timers or just activate the system. While using up to 50% less water, achieves the same results as watering your lawn with traditional garden hoses and sprinklers. Irrigreen droplets mimic rainfall, so they saturate the ground deeper than other sprinkler systems that use more water.
Based on the size of your lawn, this system could pay for itself in three to five years, based on the money you’ll save on your water bill. Irrigreen comes with everything needed to do the installation yourself. This includes inputs for up to 12 zones.
Best smart sprinkler controller: Rachio 3 four-zone sprinkler controller
If you use already have sprinklers, this Rachio 3 device lets can use a smartphone app to remotely turn them on or off. You also can schedule when and how long the sprinklers operate. The system automatically checks the weather forecast, so it knows not to operate if rain is expected.
Using the Rachio 3, you can create up to four zones, each with its own customized schedule. However, you can also rely on the Rachio app to use create a schedule that’s optimized for your yard, plant types and geographic location.
Best smart sprinkler timer: Dilvoo Wi-Fi sprinkler timer
Multiple sprinklers can be controlled remotely from a smartphone with the help of this smart timer. Use it to remotely turn the sprinklers on and off, as well as set a schedule or a timer from virtually anywhere.
This device manages two hose-connected sprinklers at once. Using the app, you can also control the sprinklers using Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa voice commands. The Wi-Fi irrigation timer features a rain delay function, so it’ll skip watering for between one and seven days based on the weather. This can help to save water — not to mention money.
The Dilvoo Wi-Fi sprinkler timer is easy to set up and use. It works with any standard garden hoses with your own sprinklers attached to them.
Best plant soil monitor: Wanfei plant monitor soil test kit
Grow spring flowers and vegetables by planting seeds in flower pots before replanting them in a garden. This plant monitor and soil test kit device will help you know exactly when to water and fertilize each plant to achieve the best growing results.
This set includes two monitors. Each can intelligently track light, moisture, temperature and soil fertility. The app identifies more then 6,000 plants and then uses the data collected by the sensors to tell users exactly how to care for each plant.
Planting seeds and getting them to sprout quickly, and keeping your house plants in perfect health, has never been easier.
What to consider when choosing smart lawn care products
First, focus on compatibility. All of the equipment featured in this roundup offers a mobile app for Apple iPhone or Android smartphones, but you want to pay attention to compatibility with other smart gear already installed in your home, as well as the digital assistant the new equipment supports.
Make sure your gadget can accommodate changing weather conditions where you live. You also need to make sure that your home’s Wi-Fi signal can reach throughout your outdoor space. This might require investing in a more powerful internet router or optional signal extenders.
Finally, consider how each smart device is powered. If a device needs to be plugged into an outlet, ensure your home has an outdoor outlet nearby. If the device is battery powered, consider how long the battery lasts and where and when you’ll recharge it.
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