Most houseplants aren’t overly difficult to maintain, but sometimes you forget. First it’s two days without watering, then a week, then two weeks, and by that time anything but a cactus is pretty much done for. Oops. But there’s good news. Researchers at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program have developed a small, leaf-shaped device called a Botanicalls that will make sure you never forget your precious plants. 

"Don't you love me, Seymour?"

Absent-minded green thumbs can insert a Botanicalls into the soil of a plant, and, using two metal rods as conductors, the little leaf will measure the moisture content of the soil based on its ability to conduct electricity (more moisture means more conductivity). When the plant is feeling a little parched, the Botanicalls notifies the world via Twitter. 

The tweets are pretty mundane – “Water me please,” your plant might say, or “You didn’t water me enough” – but it is possible to modify the default tweets. A Little Shop of Horrors theme seems appropriate. You can’t buy an assembled Botanicalls just yet, but technophiles can buy kits online (intricate assembly required) for about $100. For more information check out www.botanicalls.com.