Hey Cali...You are correct in saying that the EasyBloom sensor does not just detect "random" light. The EasyBloom sensor detects Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR), which is the spectrum of light that is important to the plant. It is within this spectrum of light that the plant will absorb the energy needed to drive photosynthesis. Thanks for the inquiry. --Robby

Hey Cheryl...The EasyBloom sensor measures and records volumetric water content of the soil. When the data are uploaded to the website, the algorithms will do the rest; however, the consumer will be able to see in graphical form the level of moisture in the soil. The watering recommendations in our algorithms are derived from scientific literature. In these papers, the watering thresholds recommended are used to promote vigorous plant growth. To address the issue of measuring pH in the soil: a decision had to be made about what to measure in the soil at any one given time. The argument for soil moisture is a strong one. When you consider most plants' demands for water are exponentially larger than any other nutrient (nitrogen, potassium, etc.), water is the most important nutrient. Additionally, improper watering is one of the primary reasons why plants will suffer by the hand of the home gardener. Since water in the soil is so very important for the well being of the plant and that is so easily adjusted by the home gardener, the EasyBloom sensor measures, records and monitors volumetric water content in the soil. Thanks as always. --Robby

Hey Cheryl...My name is Robby and I am one of the in house horticulturalists working for PlantSense. Great questions by the way. I have a heavy ecological background and also am interested in local and native plants. To answer your first question about sorting plants by zone: in order to do this on our website, you would have to upload a recommendation reading from an EasyBloom sensor. The algorithms that provide a list of plants that would thrive in the reading's location take into account your ZIP code. You would not be recommended plants that are way out of your zone. As for your second question concerning native plants: We presently have this in our database, but it is not implemented on the website. The level of resolution is whether or not the plant is a North American Native or not. In our database we have this information keyed to ZIP codes as well, and we will be implementing this in time. As of now our plant database was provided by our partners such as Ball Horticulture and Burpee. Both of these companies provide great cultural information about how to grow the most popular horticultural plants (your petunias, marigolds, vegetable and fruit crops, etc.). Many of the popular horticultural plants are native to places other than the United States; however, it is our intention to continue expanding the list of plants in our database to be a very comprehensive list of plants. I am continuing to build our database by adding new plants, many of which are natives to various regions and our database reflects that. Since I control the plants that are added to our database and if you would like to suggest any plants, I would be more than willing to research the cultural needs for those plants for implementation into our database. Thank you for your feedback as it helps us to better serve our customers. --Robby