Plantobelly is a system for professional moisture monitoring of street trees and urban greenery, but it can also be used in fruit and tree nurseries, vineyards, and larger private gardens. Users receive a live view into the soil. They can water when necessary and save resources by eliminating the need to do the monitoring on-site.
“We let the trees speak,” says Bastian Klemke. The 46-year-old manages the Lübeck company Plantobelly together with his business partner Christian Hahn. “My colleague studied mathematics and physics; I have experience in sales and project management.” Bastian Klemke grew up in Lübeck and graduated from the local Technical University of Applied Sciences with a diploma in industrial engineering. He went on to work in healthcare, in aircraft construction and in logistics.
“We founded Plantobelly in 2021,” Bastian Klemke says. “But we already developed the first prototype in 2018 and tested it together with the greenery managers in Lübeck. We are becoming more and more known in the industry and would now like to expand into foreign markets. We have already secured first cooperation projects in Spain and Portugal. Sweden, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria und Slovakia should follow soon. We are also planning our market entry in the US.”
But what products does Plantobelly offer for monitoring the moisture? Bastian Klemke responds: “The Plantobelly sensors are available in two versions: On the one hand, there is Pantobelly L for integration into existing LoRaWAN wireless networks. Plantobelly N, on the other hand, uses NB-IoT technology for self-sufficient use, which is then possible independently of electricity and internet connection.” The Plantobelly sensor boxes measure 7 x 7 x 4 centimetres (2.8 x 2.8 x 1.6 inch). They are completely ready for installation – installing them in the ground only takes ten minutes. Each box contains a transmitter unit and a battery. Connected to it is a 60-centimetre-long probe cable (23.6 inch), at the end of which is the measuring probe. Because the product is completely covered with soil, it is optimally protected against vandalism.
And how does the data reach the greenery managers? Bastian Klemke explains: “Thanks to our Plantobelly web service, all measured data is available at any time. The humidity values are archived together with the local weather data. The progression of moisture changes is displayed graphically on the user’s computer. This allows users to plan the next watering in advance.”
Plantobelly is one of the exhibitors at the joint stand Young Innovators. This area is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and can be found in Hall 3C.
NürnbergMesse offers companies in the International StartUp Area special conditions for participating in GaLaBau, the leading International Trade Fair for Urban Green and Open Spaces (www.galabau-messe.com/en). The fair takes place from 11 – 14 September 2024.
