IoT-Based Automatic Plant Watering System with the Blynk

Application

Syafriadi Kurnia Parma, Yogi Alfian, Elyezer M. Manurung and Choirul Mufit

Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Jakarta, Jl. Sunter Permai Raya, RT.11/RW.6, Sunter Agung, Kec. Tj. Priok, DKI,

Jakarta, Indonesia

Faculty of Engineering and Informatics, Universitas 17 Agustus 1945, Jakarta, Indonesia

Keywords: DHT 11, Moisture Sensor, Blink IoT.

Abstract: Agriculture is one of the main products in Indonesia. Based on this issue, the process of automatic monitoring

and watering can utilize automatic microcontrollers. Therefore, a monitoring system for watering plant seeds

by monitoring the condition of flowing water can be implemented. In addition to monitoring the watering

conditions, it is essential to monitor soil moisture. This monitoring is necessary to trigger the right time for

the watering process so that it can run automatically. The test results indicate that the IoT-based greenhouse

system successfully controls the temperature and humidity of plants effectively. With a temperature condition

above 34°C, the pump is on, and below 34°C, the pump is off. For humidity below 50%, the pump is on, and

above 50%, the pump is off, monitored using Android through the Internet of Things (IoT) technology with

the Blynk framework. After testing this tool, the room temperature or ambient temperature is also considered.

With this system, it is expected to improve the efficiency of plant production and environmental control, thus

enhancing the quality of plant growth.

INTRODUCTION

Agriculture is one of the primary products in

Indonesia. Therefore, Indonesia is recognized as an

agrarian country, a nation that possesses agricultural

commodities.

In addition to the water flow process, another

issue concerns the determination of an appropriate

watering schedule for plants. The timing of irrigation

is influenced by several factors, including soil

humidity, air humidity, light intensity, and air

temperature in a specific area. In the research

location, the control of air temperature and humidity

already employs automation and control systems.

However, determining soil humidity still relies on an

observation system, resulting in a watering process

based solely on a fixed schedule, typically in the

morning and evening, rather than being responsive to

actual soil moisture levels. This practice renders

seedlings highly sensitive to soil moisture content

(Putri et al., 2019).

To address this issue, an automated monitoring

and watering process can be implemented using

automatic microcontrollers. Therefore, a system for

monitoring seedling irrigation, which monitors the

flow of water, can be established. Additionally,

monitoring soil humidity is crucial. This monitoring

is necessary to trigger the precise timing of the

watering process, enabling it to be carried out

automatically. The conditions within the greenhouse

will be monitored using Android devices through IoT

technology with the Blynk framework (Tullah et al.,

2019).

LITERATUR REVIEW

In the first research conducted by Astriana Rahma

Putri, Suroso, and Nasron is about the "Design of an

Automatic Plant Watering Device in an IoT-Based

Miniature Greenhouse." The authors utilized Arduino

Uno, ESP8266 Module, DHT11, Moisture Sensor,

Water Pump, Relay, and a Web Server for monitoring

purposes. This research serves as an initial phase

before conducting testing to ensure that the device

aligns with the expected outcomes. The design of the

automatic plant watering device in the IoT-based

miniature greenhouse aims to simplify the task of

farmers in managing the irrigation system for

greenhouse plants (Putri et al., 2019).

Parma, S., Alﬁan, Y., Manurung, E. and Muﬁt, C.

IoT-Based Automatic Plant Watering System with the Blynk Application.

DOI: 10.5220/0012584100003821

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 4th International Seminar and Call for Paper (ISCP UTA ’45 JAKARTA 2023), pages 427-431

ISBN: 978-989-758-691-0; ISSN: 2828-853X

427

In the second research conducted by Zaini Nadizf,

Ucuk Darrusalam, and Agus Iskandar. The study is

about the "Design and Construction of an Automatic

Watering System for Ornamental Plants Based on the

ESP8266 Microcontroller." In this research, the

authors used ESP8266, RTC DS3231, Moisture

Sensor, and a Servo Motor. Based on the testing of

the automatic watering system for ornamental plants,

it can be concluded that this system can facilitate

users in watering their ornamental plants according to

a schedule that can be customized by the user. This

customization involves setting the watering time and

humidity level suitable for the respective ornamental

plants (Nadizf et al., 2021).

In the third research conducted by Daffa Eka

Nadindra and Joko Christian Chandra. The study is

about the "IoT-Based Automatic Plant Watering

System Using Arduino with Telegram Control." The

authors utilized Arduino UNO, ESP8266 Module,

DHT11, Soil Moisture Sensor, Water Pump, LCD

16x2, Relay, and Telegram for monitoring. Based on

the design, implementation, and testing, it can be

concluded that this system can serve as a solution to

help automate plant watering based on sensor data

and, if necessary, water the plants based on

commands sent via the Telegram application

(Nadindra & Chandra, 2022).

1) ESP8266

ESP8266 is a Wi-Fi module used as an extension for

microcontrollers like Arduino to enable direct

connection to Wi-Fi networks and establish

connections. This module requires a voltage of

approximately 3.3V and has three Wi-Fi modes:

Station Mode, Access Point Mode, and Both Mode.

The module is also equipped with a processor,

memory, and GPIO pins, and the number of available

pins depends on the type of ESP8266 used. Therefore,

this module can function independently without

requiring an additional microcontroller because it

already has components equivalent to a

microcontroller (Widiyaman, 2023).

Figure 1: Module NodeMCU ESP8266.

2) Soil Moisture Sensor

The Soil Moisture sensor is used to measure soil

volumetric water content or moisture loss due to

evaporation and plant uptake. For the survival of a

plant, water is the most crucial factor. This soil

moisture sensor determines the amount of water

required for plant irrigation (Kodali & Sahu, 2016).

Figure 2: Soil Moisture sensor.

3) DHT 11 Sensor

This module features a humidity and temperature

complex with a calibrated digital signal output means

DHT11 sensor module is a combined module for

sensing humidity and temperature which gives a

calibrated digital output signal. DHT11 gives us very

precise value of humidity and temperature and

ensures high reliability and long-term stability. This

sensor has a resistive type humidity measurement

component and NTC type temperature measurement

component with an 8-bit microcontroller inbuilt

which has a fast response and cost effective and

available in 4-pin single row package (Srivastava et

al., 2020)

Figure 3: DHT 11 Sensor.

4) Relay Module

A relay module is one of the devices that operates

based on electromagnetic principles to actuate a

contactor, moving it from an ON to OFF position, or

vice versa, by utilizing electrical energy. The closing

and opening of this contactor occur due to the

magnetic induction effect generated by the electric

induction coil (Widyanto & Erlansyah, 2014).

Figure 4: Relay module.

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METHODS

This research was conducted at several locations,

including the electrical laboratory of University 17

August 1945 Jakarta.

3.1 System Block Diagram Design Tool

The following describes the hardware block diagram

planning in this study:

The research design consists of several components

divided into three parts: input, process, and output. In

the input section, there are power supplies, soil

moisture sensors, and DHT11 sensors. The process is

carried out by the NodeMcu Esp8266

microcontroller. The outputs include a relay to

activate the pump, and the final output is the

monitoring system provided by the Bylink 2.0

application.

3.2 The Workflow of the Device

The flowchart outlining the functionality of this

research tool is designed to offer a comprehensive

visualization of its operational procedure, ensuring

clarity, and understanding for the readers. The

flowchart illustrating the research tool's workflow is

available for viewing and explanation in the

accompanying image.

When the ESP8266 is activated or turned ON, it

will wait to connect to a Wi-Fi network or a mobile

hotspot. Once it is connected to the Wi-Fi network,

the Soil Moisture sensor and DHT22 sensor will start

working and detect the plant conditions.

The Soil Moisture sensor will detect the soil

humidity conditions. When the condition is >50%, the

pump will be turned off; conversely, when the soil

moisture is detected as <50%, pump will be turned on.

The DHT22 sensor will detect room temperature

and room humidity conditions. When the temperature

is <34°C, the pump will be turned off. Conversely,

when the temperature is detected as >34°C, pump will

be turned on.

3.3 Circuit Diagram

Here is the circuit diagram for this research.

Figure 5: Circuit Diagram.

Above is the circuit diagram of this project, which

consists of several components, particularly the

ESP8266 module, DHT11 sensor soil moisture

sensor, 5V relay, and a DC 5V pump.

IoT-Based Automatic Plant Watering System with the Blynk Application

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3.4 Formula for Converting ADC

Reading

In the soil moisture sensor, the output values for soil

moisture are in the form of analog numbers ranging

from 282 to 618. These values do not directly indicate

the percentage of soil moisture. Therefore, the

following formula is used:

Percent =

(𝑨𝑫𝑪_𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 − 𝑨𝑫𝑪_𝑴𝒊𝒏)

(𝑨𝑫𝑪_𝑴𝒂𝒙 − 𝑨𝑫𝑪_𝑴𝒊𝒏)

×100 (1)

Explanation of the Formula:

1) Percent:

represents the percentage value of soil

moisture.

2) ADC_Value:

indicates the recorded ADC value derived

from the soil moisture sensor.

3) ADC_Min:

corresponds to the ADC value when the soil is

extremely dry or at its minimum moisture

level.

4) ADC_Max:

corresponds to the ADC value when the soil is

highly saturated or at its maximum moisture

level.

By utilizing the formula provided, the ADC value

obtained from the soil moisture sensor can be

transformed into a soil moisture percentage,

facilitating comprehension and analysis.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Device Model

Here is the prototype device design in this research.

Figure 6: Design Prototype

Above is the design prototype image of a garden

that has been created and equipped with an automatic

plant watering system. In the prototype, there are

three black boxes, each of which will be filled with

soil/plant fertilizer under three conditions: dry soil,

moist soil, and wet soil.

Figure 7: The device circuit.

The image above is a view of the designed and

assembled device

Figure 8: The overall view of the device prototype.

The picture above shows the testing process of the

device, where the prototype has been provided with

soil/fertilizer under three soil conditions: dry soil,

moist soil, and wet soil.

4.2 Sensor Testing Results Data

4.2.1 Soil Moisture Sensor

Here are the results of the soil moisture sensor testing.

Table 1: The table of soil moisture sensor testing results.

Soil Moisture

Sensor

Description

530 (31%)

Dry Condition: Pump ON

432 (62%)

Normal Condition: Pump Off

368 (82%)

Wet Condition: Pump Off

In Table 1, data was collected under three soil

conditions: dry, normal, and wet. The table displays

the readings of the soil moisture sensor, and these

values have been converted using Formula 3.1.

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4.2.2 DHT 11 Sensor

Here are the results of the DHT11 sensor testing.

Table 2: The table of DHT11 sensor testing results.

DHT 11 Sensor

Description

> 34°C

High Temperature (Pump On)

< 34°C

Normal Temperature (Pump Off)

In Table 2, two temperature conditions are observed.

If the temperature is above 34°C, the pump will turn

on, and if it's below 34°C, the pump will turn off.

5 CONCLUSION AND

RECOMMENDATION

5.1 Conclusion

After testing the 'IoT-Based Automatic Plant

Watering System with Bylink,' several conclusions

can be drawn:

1) The system alleviates the workload of humans

in terms of plant watering and adapts the

watering process according to soil conditions,

ensuring that plants receive water as needed.

2) Room temperature or ambient temperature

also affects plant conditions. In this case, with

the DHT11 sensor, plants receive the required

temperature.

5.2 Recommendation

As for recommendations for this project, it is

suggested that the device be further developed to

include alerts or notifications regarding soil and

temperature conditions, without the need to open the

Bylink application first.

REFERENCES

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Penyiram Tanaman Otomatis pada Miniatur

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768

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