S.I.P. (Self-Irrigating Plant)

Project S.I.P. is a great introduction to Arduino programming with a green twist. This tutorial will go through the process for making an automated self-irrigating plant which defaults to a satisfying fountain during the times when the plant is properly hydrated.

This project helps introduce programming, specifically with an Arduino, hydraulics, and plant care to curious engineers in the making who are looking for a fun challenge to automate and brighten up their living space.

• Atmega 2560 [1] or any Arduino family of microcontrollers - $20.99
• SG90 Servo Motor [2] - $6.99
• 10k Ohm Potentiometer [3] - $1.40
• Push button [4] - $1.95
• LM393 Soil Moisture Sensor [5] - $5.01
• Submersible 3VDC Water Pump - 1 Meter Vertical Type [6] - $2.95
• Tubing for Submersible Pumps – PVC 6mm ID – 1 Meter Long [7] - $1.50
• Large Plastic Bowl [8] - $4.99
• 3 LEDs (1 green - 1 yellow - 1 red) [9] - $2.28
• 220 Ohm and 68 Ohm resistor [10] - $4.08
• 9V battery with 2 Wire Clip-on Adapter [11] - $3.67
• 5 VDC Wall Wart [12] - $3.00
• Zip ties [13] - $4.99
• Wooden Cooking Spears or Sticks [14] - $5.50
• Breadboard [15] - $6.69
• Small Plastic Tupperware [16] - $6.95
• Rocks
• Tape
• Plant

Total Cost: $82.94 ~ before shipping

• Gather the necessary components and tools within your workspace. Start off by filling the large bowl with rocks in an orientation that creates a cascading effect when water is poured on it.
• Place your plant in the fountain reservoir in whatever orientation you wish, as long as the rocks balance onto each other and within a 90 degree turn radius for the servo to douse both.
• With all the rocks and plant in place, fill the reservoir roughly 1/3 with water to provide the submersible pump with enough water to pump water through the fountain as well as provide water to the plant when necessary.

• If you don’t already have the Arduino Integrated Developer Environment, download it from www.arduino.cc. Open the IDE, and from there navigate to the library manager and download the library: <Servo.h>.
• Following these steps, copy and paste the code from the .c file and then compile and upload it to your Atmega 2560 or Arduino development board of choice. 

• Connect the electronic components according to the schematic above.

• Neatly bundle any loose wires and tape them together.
• Cover any electronics near the fountain with tape to avoid water intrusion and shorts.

• Place tubing on top of servo and secure with zip ties.
• Insert the two wooden spears into the two holes on the side of the servo motor.
• Make sure the wires are not in the way of the motor. You may use the tape to manage the wires as well.
• Using the metal clips, clip the spears to the side of the bowl in such a way that the water that will flow out of the tubing reaches the fountain and the plant. This may need some adjusting after power is applied and water is flowing. 

• Submerge the pump in the water. Be gentle with this process, ensuring that water does not splash or overflow.
• Once the pump is powered, water should flow through the pipe. This is when you may want to adjust the tubing, servo or wooden spears to achieve the ideal flow path. 

• Your project is now complete. The only work left is to watch it at work, as well as conduct regular maintenance for the plant.
• NOTE: To control the servo manually, press the button while adjusting the potentiometer. Be careful, as the potentiometer may be in a position that changes the direction of the servo as soon as the button is pressed. For this reason, familiarize yourself with the functionality first without the pump on. 

[1] “ELEGOO MEGA R3 Board ATmega 2560 + USB Cable Compatible with Arduino IDE Projects RoHS Compliant.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-ATmega2560-ATMEGA16U2-Projects-Compliant/dp/B01H4ZLZLQ/ref=asc_df_B01H4ZLZLQ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309743296044&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8540774337323241530&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016722&hvtargid=pla-490931309987&th=1+12VDC+32-Step+1%2F16+Gearing+Stepper+Motor+-+https%3A%2F%2Fwww.adafruit.com%2Fproduct%2F918

[2] “BETU SG90 Micro Servos, 2PCS Mini Servo for Robot Helicopter Airplane RC Car Boat and Other Models.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/BETU-Servos-Helicopter-Airplane-Models/dp/B0BF8L2G2D/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=SG90%2Bservo&qid=1682692278&sr=8-8&th=1

[3] “Longdex Potentiometer 3386MP-103 5PCS 10K Ohm 3386 Trimmer Potentiometer with Knob for Arduino.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/Longdex-Potentiometer-3386MP-103-Trimmer-Arduino/dp/B0819JS46M/ref=sr_1_9?crid=1I1DUATGIM2ZH&keywords=blue+10k+ohm+potentiometer&qid=1682692395&sprefix=blue+10kohm+potentiomete%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-9

[4] “On-Off Power Button / Pushbutton Toggle Switch.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.adafruit.com/product/1683

[5] “LM393 Soil Moisture Hygrometer Detection Humidity Sensor Module Development Board DIY Robot Smart Car for arduino.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/Moisture-Hygrometer-Detection-Humidity-Development/dp/B081JYPVXW/ref=sr_1_7?crid=3I0EWVN5EJWHD&keywords=LM393+soil+sensor&qid=1682692787&s=industrial&sprefix=lm393+soil+sensor%2Cindustrial%2C92&sr=1-7

[6] “Submersible 3V DC Water Pump - 1 Meter Vertical Type.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.adafruit.com/product/4547

[7] “Tubing for Submersible Pumps - PVC 6mm ID - 1 Meter Long.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.adafruit.com/product/4545

[8] “14" Plastic Garden Bowl Planter - Assorted Colors.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/planters-hanging-baskets/14-plastic-garden-bowl-planter-assorted-colors/gab14000a34/p-1444429211056-c-10138.htm?tid=c750a53d-fc3d-4a69-a9a8-721027720285&ipos=2&exp=false

[9] “100PC/Lot 3MM 5MM Led Kit Mixed Color Red Green Yellow Blue White Light Emitting Diode.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/100PC-Mixed-Color-Yellow-Emitting/dp/B07VB2VZ7C/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1HJVUZ2PDH7OR&keywords=LED+kit&qid=1682693050&sprefix=led+kit%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-6

[10] “1/4W Resistor, Resistors Assortment Kit Low Noise 30 Values Electronic Components High Accuracy ±1％ Tolerance 300Pcs for DIY Project Experiments.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/Resistors-Assortment-Electronic-Components-Experiments/dp/B09SFCF5XY/ref=sr_1_13?crid=241BW3SJTVX1V&keywords=resistor+kit&qid=1682693175&sprefix=resistor+kit%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-13

[11] “Parts Express 9V Battery Clip l Type (1).” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-Battery-Clip-Pack/dp/B01IFP0N3U/ref=sr_1_5?crid=302E1GWPS79IN&keywords=9V+battery+with+2+wire+clip+on+adapter&qid=1682693261&sprefix=9v+battery+with+2+wire+clip+on+adapter%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-5

[12] “Power Supply 5VDC 1.3MM X 3.5MM Center Plug Positive (5.33VDC) 2AMP 2 AMP Wall WART Style Regulated Output.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/Supply-Center-Positive-5-33VDC-Regulated/dp/B09DPC91QQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2AHUGGYJECBP5&keywords=5VDC+wall+wart&qid=1682693848&sprefix=5vdc+wall+wart%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-1

[13] “[50 Pieces] Reusable Cable Ties, Canwn Nylon Heavy Duty Zip Ties Mini Flexible Cable Tidies Slipknot Straps(Black).” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Reusable-Canwn-Flexible-Slipknot/dp/B078BDKKCC/ref=sr_1_18?crid=33OF7FA2BCGA5&keywords=zipties&qid=1682693923&sprefix=ziptie%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-18&th=1

[14] “Good Cook 12-inch Bamboo Skewers, 100 Count.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Cook-12-inch-Bamboo-Skewers/dp/B0028LRKJI/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2TFPCH07ZOI1S&keywords=wooden+cooking+spears&qid=1682694027&sprefix=wooden+cooking+spears%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-2

[15] “(4 Pcs) MCIGICM 400 Points Solderless Breadboard.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/Pcs-MCIGICM-Points-Solderless-Breadboard/dp/B07PCJP9DY/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3DSJMNJWH2ZUM&keywords=breadboard&qid=1682700990&sprefix=breadboar%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-4

[16] “Ziploc Twist N Loc Food Storage Meal Prep Containers Reusable for Kitchen Organization, Dishwasher Safe, Small Round, 6 Count.” Accessed: Apr. 27, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/Ziploc-Containers-Reusable-Organization-Dishwasher/dp/B081F84KMZ/ref=sr_1_13?crid=6Z1KQI0WOSRV&keywords=small+plastic+tupperware&qid=1682701343&sprefix=small+plastic+tupperware%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-13