Whatsapp Notifications For Soil Moisture Information In An Automatic Plant Watering System Using A Soil Moisture Sensor

Abstract

Manual plant watering has several limitations because soil moisture conditions cannot be continuously monitored, which may result in delayed or excessive watering. These conditions can inhibit plant growth because each plant requires an appropriate amount of water based on its soil moisture level. Therefore, an automatic plant watering system capable of operating automatically and providing real-time information on soil moisture conditions is required. This study aims to design an automatic plant watering system using a soil moisture sensor and ESP32 with WhatsApp as a notification medium for soil moisture conditions. The research employed the prototype method, which consisted of literature review, system design, system testing, data analysis, and conclusion drawing. The developed system utilizes a soil moisture sensor to detect soil moisture levels and an ESP32 microcontroller to process sensor data and automatically control the water pump. In addition, WhatsApp is used as a notification service to deliver information to users. The system operates by periodically reading soil moisture values using the soil moisture sensor. The collected data are then processed by the ESP32 to determine the soil condition based on a predefined threshold value. When the soil is detected as dry, the water pump is automatically activated to irrigate the plants. Conversely, when the soil reaches the required moisture level, the water pump is automatically turned off. Furthermore, the system sends notifications via WhatsApp, allowing users to monitor soil moisture conditions and the watering status without directly inspecting the plants. The results showed that the system was able to distinguish between dry and wet soil conditions using a threshold value of 2500. The sensor reading for dry soil was 4095, while the reading for wet soil was 1383. The system also successfully controlled the water pump automatically and sent WhatsApp notifications with an average delay of approximately 5 seconds. Based on the testing results, the system was able to monitor soil moisture and provide users with information through WhatsApp.