I’m not sure connected planters will ever succeed

I love all smart, connected planters because I can’t keep a living thing alive, but they also seem to keep failing. Parrot attempted a smart pot with its Parrot Pot, which was discontinued. Another company, Edyn, launched with a successful Kickstarter campaign and later a partnership with Home Depot, but it now appears to be struggling. Still, companies want to keep trying to make smart planters. Click & Grow sells a bunch of different indoor planters with timed lights and water reservoirs. Oh, and of course proprietary soil pods for users to plant. Remember this Circuit Breaker Live show?

Now, a company called Grow has announced its first product, the Grow Duo. It’s a large planter for outdoor use that comes with a companion iOS / Android app, a moisture sensor for the soil, temperature sensors for both the soil and outside air, and a light sensor for the sun. It hooks up to a user’s hose, so there’s no need to water the plants; its automated sprinklers take care of it. You can use your own seeds, although the company also sells “seed sheets” that eventually disintegrate. I walked Paul and Nilay through a whole demo on Circuit Breaker Live this week, so watch above to learn more. I love the idea of the Grow Duo; I just hope it can succeed in a business that hasn’t been previously successful.