The Stock Market Plant – A Gardening Automation Experiment
By Tim the Techno-Gardener
Stock Market Plant
I love the stock market almost as much as I love gardening—and that inspired my latest project: the Stock Market Plant.
I wanted a visual way to reflect the daily performance of the stock market. The idea is simple: if the stock market goes up on a given day, the plant gets watered. If the market goes down, it doesn’t. It's a bit tough on the plant given today’s market volatility, but it makes for a fascinating automation project.
For this experiment, I chose a root-bound lily, which is perfect because it wilts quickly without water—making it an excellent daily indicator of market health.
Who Am I?
I'm Tim, an electrical engineer who loves applying engineering principles to gardening. If you're into automated growing systems and science-backed garden tech, this project might be just your thing.
The Hardware Setup
To bring the idea to life, I used a Vegetronix VegeHub and a peristaltic pump. The VegeHub is an internet-connected controller that not only reads sensors but can also fetch live data from web APIs.
For stock market data, I used FinancialModelingPrep.com—a great free resource (despite the long name). After registering, I received an API key that lets me retrieve the daily change in the S&P 500 index.
Automation Logic
The VegeHub allows me to specify a URL and a JSON parameter to monitor. At Vegetronix, we provide a tool that helps determine the path to the specific JSON value. The system treats this value like any other sensor input—if the number is positive, the VegeHub powers the pump and waters the plant for 3 minutes.
Inside the VegeHub is a latching relay that I wired to draw power from the hub and supply it to the pump only when activated. This setup minimizes energy use while providing complete automation.
Time-Lapse Monitoring
To document the results, I added a Raspberry Pi with a webcam. It takes photos every hour and uploads them to Vegetronix.com. Now you can check in on the plant and see how it's doing in real-time—as a proxy for the stock market!
Conclusion
This project is a fun intersection of finance, automation, and gardening. Whether you're a plant lover, an engineer, or a stock market enthusiast, there's something here to inspire your next experiment.
If you love gardening and technology, be sure to check out more ideas at Vegetronix.com and subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Thanks for reading!
