International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer and Communication Engineering

Abstract: Excessive moisture, stemming from heavy rainfall or unintentional overwatering, is a primary and often overlooked contributor to significant plant distress, leading to common ailments such as root rot, fungal infections, and mildew. Conventional methods for managing this problem rely on manual intervention, such as moving pots or applying tarps, which are labor-intensive, unreliable, and impractical for users who are away. This project introduces the “Smart Plant Cover System,” an autonomous, intelligent, and low-cost mechatronic solution designed to proactively protect plants from excess water. The system is architecturally designed around five core conceptual units: an Environmental Data Acquisition Unit (Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor) to gather real-time data, a Decision Intelligence Unit (Microcontroller) to process this data, a Control Execution Unit (Servo Motor) to provide physical action, a Visualization & Feedback Unit (LCD Display) for status monitoring and calibration, and an Adaptive Response Unit (Hysteresis Logic) to ensure system stability. This report details the systematic process of the system's operation. The Decision Intelligence Unit continuously compares real-time moisture data against a user-defined, pre-calibrated "wet threshold." If the soil moisture level exceeds this critical point, the Control Execution Unit is automatically triggered, deploying a physical cover to shield the plant from further water saturation. Conversely, when the soil moisture level returns to an acceptable, pre-defined "dry threshold," the cover is automatically retracted, allowing the plant to resume normal respiration and photosynthesis. This paper presents the complete design, the critical methodology for sensor calibration, the modular architecture, and the successful implementation and testing of this responsive, standalone solution for intelligent plant protection.

Keywords: Plant cover, excessive moisture, soil moisture sensor, Microcontroller, Hysteresis Logic.

Downloads: | DOI: 10.17148/IJARCCE.2025.141161