
A Poinsettia is not just for Christmas
02.12.2014Top tips for keeping that much loved Christmas plant alive. We've tested a plant sensor and mixed it up with some good old gardening knowledge...
by robin | 02.12.2014 | christmas , koubachi , plant sensor , poinsettia | 0 comments | Rating: votes
Poinsettias are the ideal indoor plant to brighten up any home over Christmas. However, its brightly coloured bracts (leaves) can be sensitive to some bitterly cold festive weather, and when given as a gift, the plant is often overlooked and left in a dark corner to fend for itself. When this happens, the plant starts to loose its vibrant rosy glow, and gets thrown out with the used wrapping paper and left over sprouts. It is a sad situation, but one that can be changed with just a little love.
If taken care of properly, that much loved Christmas plant can be enjoyed all year, and to say ‘thank you’ it will colour up its leaves and show off its cheerful redness for yet another joyful season.
To make sure this happens, we've teamed up with a young startup from Zurich named Koubachi. They developed a plant sensor that tracks vital information of your plant. Here are their top tips for keeping poinsettias fit and healthy:
To help with the top tips above, Koubachi’s range of plant sensors have been designed to help gardeners accurately determine the health of plants. We've tested it and loved it. So here's a little marketing text from Koubachi, worth reading: Working with the free iOS and Android compatible Koubachi App, the Indoor and Outdoor plant sensors identify the plant’s needs and send care instructions to the gardener’s smartphone, tablet or computer at the right time to let them know when the plant needs watering, fertilising or more light. Users can also identify hundreds of plant species using the app. Once the plant has been selected, the sensors will monitor soil moisture, air and soil temperature, natural and artificial light for the specific plant, and integrates the weather forecast.
Fun fact: Although we think poinsettias are only available in red, according to the University of Illinois Extension, over 100 colours of the plant are available. Poinsettias can be cultivated in various shades including white, salmon, gold, cream, pink and burgundy.
About Koubachi: Based in Zurich, the Swiss company has been developing the Koubachi Wi-Fi Plant Sensors and compatible apps for gardeners worldwide since 2009. The products provide users with valuable information for the maintenance of plants. The Koubachi App was launched in 2010, with the first Wi-Fi Plant Sensor launched in 2012. Previously part of ETH Zurich, the company now has ten employees.