Tag Archives: plant

This compostable iPhone case can be potted to grow plants and flowers

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Although smartphone manufacturers design their phones to be durable and resilient, a lot of owners still fret over the safety of their expensive purchases. Phone cases are a dime a dozen, but while that might be good for variety and choice, it’s terrible for the planet. These accessories are almost all made from some form of plastic or another, and they get discarded left and right the moment they become discolored or damaged. Very few manufacturers pay close attention to this aspect because of how protective cases have to be made cheap and plenty. Fortunately, there is a number that does take that responsibility quite seriously, producing this revolutionary iPhone case that you can plant in the soil after it has reached its end of life to watch it grow into new life as plants and flowers.

Designer: iGreen

There’s no rule that phone cases have to be made from plastic or plastic-like materials, they just happen to be cheap, durable, and long-lasting. They’re not immortal, of course, and once cases break or get discolored over time, they’re completely useless and have to be thrown out. That’s not even considering perfectly usable cases that are disposed of simply because they are no longer attractive or match the owner’s interests. Some manufacturers do have programs for recycling the plastics in these cases to make new cases, but iGreen Gadgets actually has an even more creative use for these discarded accessories.

For starters, the case is 100% compostable, so it will decay and dissolve into the earth when buried. The material is based on cornstarch, a very common biodegradable substance that’s also used in many plastic alternatives. Even the powder used to produce colors is also naturally based. Despite its completely biodegradable nature, the cases still provide the necessary protection your iPhone needs to survive accidents and avoid an early retirement in landfills.

The difference from other bioplastic cases is that each iGreen Cover case contains living seeds protected by a special water-soluble film inside the cover. Once the case has served its purpose, you simply have to plant it in a pot at a 30-degree angle with the inside of the cover facing up. You cover it with soil while leaving the upper half of the case exposed, water it, and expose it to sunlight, and within a few weeks, you will be able to witness your phone case transforming into plants.

Different case colors hold different kinds of seeds. Green will grow basil, yellow for daisies, and light blue for Forget-me-nots. The case itself, specifically the cornstarch, contains everything the seeds need to survive inside the case and then grow once planted. The plants that grow won’t be that practical. The flowers are mostly decorative, though basil can probably be used for cooking. Still, it’s a rather ingenious and creative way to reuse a product that’s often discarded mindlessly, turning a planet-killer into a plant-grower.

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3D printed plant sculptures act as air purifiers for your indoor space

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Actual, living plants can absorb air toxins when placed inside the house and that is one of the many reasons why people have been adding plants to their decoration indoors. But not everyone is capable of taking care of these plants. I am one of those people. I even managed to kill tiny cactus plants that can supposedly live longer. So no plants for me in my small apartment. But what if there were plant-like things that can serve as both decoration and air purifier?

Designer: External Reference

A Barcelona-based company has created these plant-looking sculptures called Pure Plants through 3D printing and they are more than just decorative items for your space. They actually use Pure.Tech technology to turn these “plants” into air purifiers that are able to absorb and neutralize carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other volatile organic compounds. Basically, these 3D-printed plants serve as air purifiers to make the indoor air you breathe a little bit healthier.

The sculptures use various geometric patterns and parametric systems that try to resemble plants or at least cactus and other desert looking creatures. They look pretty nice and can also be good conversation starters once people figure out it’s not a real plant. It is made from the Pure.Tech biomaterial which is made up of the tech and PLA, a bioplastic that is made from corn dextrose. This has been turned into a 100% natural mineral compound so the material used to create the living sculptures are also sustainable.

This project was actually launched back in 2020 but at that time, a Christmas tree was the only design. Now they are able to add more items in different colors, species, and formats so you can have a variety of “plants” in your home that will not die and will also prolong your life as you breathe in air that has been purified.

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Furniture project makes use of morning glory to create decorative and functional chair

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Not all plants are meant to be grown and taken care of. There are certain stubborn ones that are considered “invasive” and can in fact cause harm to the ecosystems and even run over infrastructure. There are those looking for ways to use the adaptive properties of these plants and use their life cycle for something more useful and even decorative.

Designer: Franklin St. Studio

Once such Vancouver-based furniture and material design studio came up with the Good Morning Glory project which seeks to “tame” the plant for which is named after. For this design experiment, they harvested the morning glory roots which are easily found in the area. They were able to train the vines through winding and tying techniques and made it part of the metal chair with its grid-like woven pattern, specifically the main seat and back support.

The morning glory flowers actually just last for one day after they open up with the sun so you get some decorations in the morning. But their leaves actually become a source of food for some insects like the convolvulus hawk moths. The project actually prevented the seed pods from forming and the roots were removed and thrown away once the cycle is complete.

I don’t really know if I’d want to sit in the chair that is overrun with morning glory but it’s an interesting experiment to harness these invasive plants and still preserve their species. We’ll probably see more design projects like this until such time when they can actually be used for furniture commercially or at least have something a bit more decorative even if not highly functional.

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Planta lets you “converse” with your plants virtually

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There are a lot of devices, furniture, and accessories created for plant parents especially since the pandemic. These products help first-time and expert caretakers to maintain their green pets even when they are doing other things at home. Even though I know I probably will never have need for these things since plants die on me no matter what I do (or don’t do), I know a lot of people around me who would like to have additional help when taking care of their plants.

Designer: Doyeon Lee

Planta is a product concept for a planter that will let owners “interact” with their greens through virtual means. It will let you know the status or health condition of your plants through a “conversation” with the shadows from a beam projector. Of course, you can always just look at the plants themselves but if you’re new to taking care of plants then you may not recognize these things by sight. The device will help you know through other, virtual means.

The projector shows shadows that indicate your plant’s health. If there’s a low shadow then it means you need to water them. Then you’ll see the shadows become “vibrant” and even sway around to let you know they’re healthy. There is also an automatic motion sensor that will illuminate the plant side if it detects you’re there and then the projection plate slide when there’s no motion around it. You’ll also receive the remaining cultivation and harvest time through a graphic user interface.

There is of course a lamp in the device that can automatically turn on when it needs a light source. Underneath that is the space where you put your plants. There are six holes where you can plant them in and then harvest them later on. There is a wall at the back where the virtual shadows will be projected on and which will show you if your plants are happy with the way you’re taking care of them. This seems to be a pretty useful device for those who are new to being plant parents although this black thumb of mine will most likely still kill anything green that passes my way.

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LEGO launches its botanical collection to merge building blocks with gardening

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LEGO’s Botanical Collection marks the toy company’s latest effort in merging the joyful pastime of building blocks with the meditative work of gardening.

Two of the more popular pastimes to have gained traction during the pandemic have been gardening and building with LEGOs. It seems everyone is filling their homes with flower bouquets and greenery. While there’s no replacement for growing our own gardens, LEGO recently launched a collection of blocks that allow people to build their own bouquets and greenery with LEGO blocks. Dubbed the Botanical Collection, users will be able to replicate flowers like Birds of Paradise and orchids with corresponding LEGO blocks.

Designer: LEGO

Designed to provide users with a means for rest and relaxation, the Botanical Collection is like a sort of three-dimensional puzzle that merges the childhood joy of LEGO building blocks with the patient game of jigsaw puzzles. While children and adults enjoy collecting LEGO blocks and building microscopic cityscapes from that collection, the Botanical Collection marks a clear effort from the toy block’s company to ‘adultify’ their collection of LEGOs.

The Bird of Paradise collection features over 1,000 building blocks so users can take their time constructing artful three-dimensional replicas of bouquets and plant life. In addition to the Bird of Paradise option, the Botanical Collection includes pieces to build orchids, succulents, full bouquets, bonsai trees, and whatever else your imagination concocts.

On rainy days, when gardening isn’t an option, LEGO’s new Botanical Collection offers a moment of indoor respite for those of us with green-thumbed tendencies. Of the succulent collection, the designers at LEGO encourage adults to, “Discover the deeper virtues of our resilient friends. Venture into the plant kingdom and let your green fingers do what they do best, with this creative and relaxing build.”

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This tiny USB-C lamp’s sunlight-spectrum LEDs helps your plants grow indoors

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Designed to be more than just your average USB-powered work light, the Ocean Sun Plant Light, as its name quite aptly suggests, features a calibrated set of LEDs that emit light similar to the light from the sun. Made primarily for indoor plants that don’t receive too much natural light, the Ocean Sun Plant Light provides them with the right spectrum of light to enable photosynthesis and foster growth… and unlike the sun, it can fit in your palm.

Designer: Martin CS Tee

Click Here Buy Now: $49 $88 (56% off). Hurry, only 3/65 left!

The Ocean Sun sports a sleek, compact design with a precisely machined aluminum outer shell and a series of flicker-free LEDs that draw power from a USB-C port located on the back of the device. Each lamp comes along with its own adjustable USB-C stand cable that lets you position and angle the lamp however you want, although the Ocean Sun works with any third-party cable too, giving you the freedom to hook it up to your laptop, a power bank, or even a set of solar panels with a USB output!

High-end LEDs.

Easily adjustable stand cable.

Turn it up easily.

Convenient on/off switch.

The lamp works incredibly well with plants, with light that’s similar to the color temperature of the sun, but it could be used as a reading lamp or a tabletop work light too! Grab the Ocean Sun Plant Light for an early-bird price of $49 using the link below. The light ships globally beginning July 2022.

Click Here Buy Now: $49 $88 (56% off). Hurry, only 3/65 left!

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Gremlins Gizmo Chia Pet: Should I Water This or Not?

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As we learned from the movie Gremlins, if you’re going to bring a mogwai into your house, there are three simple care instructions you must follow: “First of all, keep him out of the light, he hates bright light, especially sunlight, it’ll kill him. Second, don’t give him any water, not even to drink. But the most important rule, the rule you can never forget, no matter how much he cries, no matter how much he begs, never feed him after midnight.”

That all said, I’m not sure that this Gremlins Gizmo Chia Pet is a good idea. After all, you have to water it and give it sunlight if you want its greenery to grow.

Do the Chia Pet people want all hell to break loose? I mean all of a sudden, you’re gonna have tiny chia mogwai popping off of Gizmo’s back, and pretty soon you’ll have a hundred of these things taking over your kitchen. Perhaps it would be a better idea just to leave him sitting there looking cute and avoid the urge to use your green thumb. If you do by some chance decide to water your Gizmo Chia Pet, remember to keep him out of the direct sun or you’ll kill him in your efforts to make your plant grow. Did that rule ever make you wonder if mogwai were vampires? Can mogwai see their own reflections? Do they hate garlic?

And yes. Never, ever feed him after midnight, or your terracotta planter and its offspring will turn into evil gremlins and wreak havoc on your entire neighborhood. Though the idea of a striped gremlin with a chia plant mohawk does sound kind of cool.

This greenhouse-mimicking dome helps harvest rainwater and foster sapling-growth

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The Agrodome is environment friendly in more ways than you’d think. Sure, it creates a greenhouse-like environment for plants, enabling better growth, but it also comes made from recycled plastic waste! The Agrodome is made from PET sourced from recycled plastic bottles. The bottles are cleaned, pulverized, and remolded into these domes, which go on to help nurture plants by creating the perfect conditions required for plant-growth!

Outwardly, the dome looks a lot like a clear plastic umbrella. It comes with a dome that transforms inward into a long funnel-shaped structure. This structure is the Agrodome’s support system, and fits right into the soil, funneling water directly into the ground (whether it’s rainwater or artificially-controlled water). The rest of the dome helps mimic the effect of a greenhouse, trapping radiation from the sun to create a warmer environment on the inside, while perforations allow oxygen to vent out. The dome’s central support wedges right into the soil, and can be height-adjusted as the plant grows, creating the perfect outdoor environment for delicate saplings. This means saplings can be directly cultivated in the ground on-site, rather than being first germinated in a nursery before being transported and repotted. When the plants are all grown and self-sufficient, the Agrodomes neatly nest within each other, for easy transportation and storage!

Designer: NOS

This Saturn V Rocket Planter Is Ready to Lift Off

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There are lots of types of pots out there for planting things, but most of them are simply variants of the same basic shapes. I’d rather keep my plants in something a bit geekier, like this custom-built Saturn V rocket planter by SimonRob.

Simon created this awesome 3D-printed planter based on the main stage of NASA’s Saturn V rocket. He started out with a digital model by RealAbsurdity (which I now must absolutely print for myself.) After sanding and smoothing the printed parts, Simon panstakingly painted the rocket, and then added plastic flames that he embellished with markers. To complete the effect, he wired up three tiny LEDs inside of each nozzle, and then programmed an Arduino nano to make the lights flicker when switched on.

The finished piece looks amazing, and the little succulent that Simon planted on top looks like it’ll be very happy living there. If you want to build your own Saturn V rocket planter, you cage find all of the construction details over on Instructables. While you’re there, be sure to check out Simon’s nifty Space Shuttle model that he built using recycled circuit boards and electronic parts.

Venus Flytrap Hat Is More Like a Venus Humantrap

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I’ve never been a fly, so I don’t know what it’s like to be eaten by a carnivorous plant. Suffice it to say, I’m sure it’s rather unpleasant. Still, I’ve always been fascinated by these plants that can open and close to grab their lunch, and then digest them for nutrients. Now if you really, really like venus flytraps, then you might want to add this to your hat collection.

Created by Israel-based artist Maor Zabar as part of his Carnivorous Plants series, this headpiece looks just like a gigantic venus flytrap. The only difference is that it has a taste for human flesh instead of insects. Also, it costs $1700. For that price though, it is handcrafted using the finest materials like silk for its green exterior and red interior, and decorated with sparkly Swarovski crystals on the tips of its teeth. Yes, that’s the actual scientific term for those things on the outside of a venus fly trap.

Zabar’s venus flytrap hat is available for purchase over on the artist’s Etsy shop, where you can also find such creations as a hat that looks like McDonald’s french fries and ketchup, a slice of pizza, loaded with toppings, or a stack of delicious donuts.

[via SuperPunch]