We developed a self-contained automated indoor plant-watering system designed to support up to eight plants with minimal user intervention. The system uses a 12-gallon reservoir, four pump zones, and eight independently controlled irrigation lines, each regulated by a solenoid valve. A microcontroller-based control algorithm monitors soil moisture, plant status, reservoir level, flow behavior, and battery state to determine when watering is needed and whether the system can operate safely. Watering behavior is customized per plant through adjustable dryness thresholds, pot diameter, and volumetric discharge limits. This design addresses the need for more consistent indoor plant care for users with busy or irregular schedules. Unlike timer-based systems, the controller waters according to measured soil conditions and delivers controlled volumes based on estimated pot/soil volume and user-selected discharge percentage. Each irrigation line delivers approximately 0.3–0.4 L/min and can service plants located up to 1.5 m vertically and 6 m horizontally from the reservoir. The system also tracks plant connection state, detects sensor and flow faults, and provides maintenance tools for isolated pump and volumetric testing. The unit is powered by a rechargeable 12 V, 15 Ah lithium-ion NMC battery for portable operation without continuous reliance on external power. The software supports configurable check schedules, editable sleep windows, daytime low-power operation, nonvolatile storage of user preferences and system states, and interruption recovery after power loss or unexpected shutdowns. A touchscreen dashboard and mobile app provide local and remote monitoring, manual control, plant configuration, maintenance tools, activity logging, and system-status feedback. Testing and iterative refinement validated controlled volumetric discharge, hydraulic capacity, electrical operation, software reliability, and user-interface functionality needed for moisture-based watering, state-aware control, and multi-week standalone performance.
