Automatic greenhouse watering / Automatische Gewächshausbewässerung

For the vacation season, I thought about how I can ensure that my plants in my greenhouse can be watered when I am not at home.

The result is an automated irrigation based on Homebridge (interface to Apple's Homekit) a Raspberry Pi and the plant sensor from Xiaomi FlowerCare.

The exemplary process:

The plant sensor records values ​​for soil moisture, bond fertility, temperature and light intensity. These values ​​are queried in a 5-minute interval from the Homebridge, which runs on a Raspberry Pi.

As soon as the soil moisture drops below 30%, an automation system that is set up via Apple Homekit switches on a WiFi socket on which a water pump is attached, which transports the water for irrigation into the greenhouse.

The case for the Raspberry Pi and the ultrasonic sensor ist splitted into 2 parts to fit the 3D printers size.

So that the pump doesn't run dry, I connected an ultrasonic sensor to the Raspberry Pi, which checks every 5 minutes whether the water tank still contains enough water.

If this is not the case, the Raspberry sends a webhook to the Homebridge, which then sends a notification to Apple Homekit.

The rule for automation also checks in advance whether there is enough water in the tank.

I also printed a cover for the plant sensor so that it is not damaged when the irrigation is running in the greenhouse. So that the values ​​of the light intensity still fit reasonably, I printed the cover very thinly and with transparent filament.

Hardware:

• Xiaomi FlowerCare Sensor
• Waterpump
• 10 liter bucket
• Wifi socket
• Raspberry Pi
• Ultrasonic sensor
• PVC Tube 5 meters 16 millimeter diameter

Software:

• Homebridge Image
• Apple Homekit
• Python script for reading and calculating the water level

Printed Parts:

• Raspberry Pi Case / Ultrasonic case
• Tube Adapter
• Sprinkler