CES 2025: This Smart Planter Will Take Care of Your Indoor Plants While You’re Away
There are endless clever ways to water your plants while you’re away from home: you can drain water jugs, flip wine bottles into pots, or simply pay your neighbor’s kid to come over. The problem is that all of these methods are imperfect, and all too often you come home with plants that are over-watered, under-watered, or completely ignored. This week at CES, LeafyPod introduced smart flower pots that don’t just store a month’s supply of water—they promise to take better care of your plants than a babysitter.
Self-watering planters have been helping plants for the last few years by storing water in a reservoir at the bottom of the planter, allowing the plant to consume what it needs, but this is also limited – usually watering only lasts a few weeks. LeafyPods can hold water for up to a month, and instead of letting the plant slowly absorb water on its own, the planters use sensors that monitor humidity, light, and temperature, then water your plant exactly as much as it needs. If you’re concerned about cords, the LeafyPod is cordless and cordless. The battery promises to last six months and charges via USB-C.
LeafyPod uses artificial intelligence (of course it does) and will spend a few weeks learning your plant’s habits and needs before taking control. While at home, you work in tandem with LeafyPod. The app will identify the type of plant and then give you specific recommendations for that particular plant, whether it needs more light or humidity, or whether it’s too cold.
Each plant under my guidance has specific needs and is accustomed to the way I water. I know the signs of trouble in each of them, and I have never been able to find a caregiver to replace me. I always assume I’m coming home with a few dead plants, and I’m rarely wrong, no matter how friendly people are. In my opinion, LeafyPod has a lot of potential. It also has some obvious limitations.
Firstly, this is the price. Each LeafyPod costs about $75, and you’ll need a LeafyPod Bridge (also about $75) for your group of pods. Secondly, pots only come in one size: small. The LeafyPod’s internal dimensions are 5.1 by 4.1 inches, meaning even medium-sized plants are out of luck. Lastly, the LeafyPod has a very modern look, so you’ll want all those white pots to match your aesthetic.
However, I can see the benefits of trusting especially expensive houseplants to LeafyPod rather than risking it with a housekeeper. Even if you’re at home, I like the idea of something keeping an eye on my plants and picking up on things I’m not doing, like light needs and temperature issues.
LeafyPod is available for pre-order , with delivery scheduled for April 2025. One planter plus bridge costs $148, two planters and bridge cost $228, and three planters plus bridge cost $308.