7 Highly-Rated Gadgets To Help Keep Your Indoor Plants Thriving This Winter

There's something magical about the winter season — cold weather, cozy fireplace, seasonal menus, and the possibility of a blanket of snow enveloping your town. But you know who definitely hates this time of the year the most? Plants. For eons, plants have been at the mercy of the seasons. But these days, there are tons of different kinds of technology that we can use to help plants not just survive the season but thrive. 

From making sure they're not freezing to having the right amount of moisture, there are endless ways to spoil our plant babies. To give you an idea of what options you have, we've rounded up some of the most highly rated plant gadgets that you can buy today. To bring this list together, we've considered everything from the needs of plants at different stages to remote access via apps and gadgets that will work with different budgets. We also looked into the possible needs of indoor gardeners who may be looking to care for decorative plants, vegetables, or flowers.

So, if you're ready to spend some cash on your indoor plants for the winter season, here are some popular gadgets out there that you should consider before the cold sets in. To learn more about our selection process, you can go to the end of the article, where we discuss methodology.

When it comes to seedlings, they require more stability than a fully grown plant because they're more sensitive to temperature changes. With VIVOSUN's Heating Mat, you can keep your propagating seedlings toasty. Designed to improve germination rates, the mat itself comes with a 5.9-ft power cord and a carrying bag. Aside from being treated with flame-retardant, it also has insulated layers to make sure that the heat is evenly distributed, and that roots aren't damaged in the process. 

Even if you accidentally spill water on it while watering your plants, it has an IP67 rating, which makes it waterproof, too. But while this means you can easily clean it, VIVOSUN mentions that it's still designed primarily for indoor use. For the heating mat itself, you'll be looking at $14.99 for the 10" x 20.57" model, but there is an ongoing deal wherein it's only $11.99. 

For reference, VIVOSUN shares that this is the recommended size for the standard trays. Depending on your nursery size, you might want to consider some of its other variants as well, such as the 3" x 20", 20" x 20.75", or 48" x 20.75". Apart from helping your plants grow, the VIVOSUN Heating Mat can also be repurposed for other things during the warmer months of the year, such as being used to keep reptile terrariums warm or work with your home brewing experiments.

Making sure that your plant's soil is moist enough is an age-old problem — some plants like it wet, others prefer it really dry, and the rest like it in between. For seasoned plant parents, you can sometimes tell simply by looking or shoving your fingers into the soil. For the rest of us, we need a little more help to make sure we don't over- or underwater our plants with tools like the XLUX Soil Moisture Meter. 

For this to work, all you have to do is insert the probe into the soil. Next, wait until it rates the overall moisture from dry (1 to 3), to moist (4 to 7), to wet (8 to 10). If you're not sure what the ideal moisture zone for your specific plant is, the box comes with a nifty plant-watering guide for your reference. And the best part? No need for batteries.

On Amazon, you can get one soil moisture meter that is 26cm in length for $12.98 (or a pack of two for $19.99), which more than 59,400 gardeners have given 4.4 stars. For indoor gardeners with deep pots, there's also a 40cm version that costs $14.99. That said, if you find keeping your plant's soil hard to keep at the right moisture levels, you have the option to get plants that can survive without soil at all, like air plants or pothos vines that have the ability to grow comfortably even with only water.

We've known for years that LED lights can make it possible for plants to grow better indoors. In fact, it's also part of how astronauts can grow crops on the International Space Station (ISS). In recent times, there have been tons of commercial LED grow lights in the market that you can choose from. One popular grow light on Amazon is the clippable GooingTop LED Grow Light with two tubes, adjustable brightness levels, and a flexible gooseneck. Plus, there are three settings for timers (4 hours, 8 hours, and 12 hours). As of this writing, more than 19,000 indoor gardeners have rated it 4.5 stars on average.

With all the same features, you can choose from two voltage options for the GooingTop LED Grow Light: 50W or 100W. You can get the 50W for $34.99, which happens to be on sale now for $22.39. Made with iron and plastic, the 50W version has 10 red and 74 white LEDs that are meant to simulate the noontime sun. On the other hand, the 100W goes for $36.99 and uses more durable carbon steel and PVC materials. Designed to simulate full spectrum noontime sunlight, it has 144 white and 10 red LED lights. Because both designs are efficient, GooingTop mentions that you can expect to pay only an additional $2 monthly, even if you leave it on for half a day. You'll have the option to plug it in via USB or power plug.

For large rooms with tons of indoor plants to manage, the LEVOIT Smart Humidifier can be your best friend in keeping them healthy. While the $79.99 price tag isn't something to laugh about, it is currently on sale for $63.95 and offers a lot of unique features that cheaper models don't have, such as a built-in humidity sensor, smart app, and voice control. Designed to cover 505 square feet, it has four key modes: aromatherapy, auto mode, sleep mode, and of course, plant health mode. Out of 27,000 people who left a review for it on Amazon, most of them found it worthwhile and gave it an average of 4.4 stars.

That said, the best humidifier for your home will also depend on the size of the area you're looking to manage. These days, there are tons of affordable humidifier brands in the market, which can keep your indoor plants happy during winter (without breaking the bank). Depending on your preference, there are humidifiers that have timers, can run up to half a day with a single tank, or even be battery-powered. Apart from keeping indoor plants happy during winter, humidifiers can also be a godsend for you and your family's health. Not only can it prevent a host of medical issues, such as allergy-like symptoms, skin problems, and communicable diseases, but it can also prevent expensive wood-based furniture from damage.

Despite the winter season rolling in, there are still events and reasons to be outside of the house. Unfortunately, this can mean not being able to water your plants at the right time and coming home to dying leaves (or entire plants). To keep this from happening, you might want to invest in the Vanavazon Self Water Pots. These self-watering pots have an extra compartment where you can add water. Next, one end of the cotton wick will be attached to the upper layer, where the plant is located. At only 6 inches in height, it's the perfect size for indoor gardeners who love plants by the window sill or in little hard-to-reach corners of the house. 

Coming in a set of three, Vanavazon's pots are available in three colors (black, grey, and white), and over 3,000 indoor gardeners thought it was useful and gave it 4.5 stars. Usually, these pots retail for $21.99 on Amazon, but they are currently on sale for $16.99 today. That said, if your home is already a jungle, it may not be possible for all of the plants to be shoved into self-watering pots. Not to mention, some pots can add a lot of decorative flair to your home, so you may prefer a different design. Thankfully, there are other ways to keep your plants from getting thirsty.

With an irrigation kit, like the Moistenland Automatic Plant Waterer, you don't have to worry about getting snowed in or being away for the holidays and from your plants for days at a time. In its accompanying app, which works on both iOS and Android, you can set automatic watering schedules for up to 15 plants if you give it permission. It will also send a notification when the water tank is running low. As long as the plant waterer is connected to Wi-Fi, you can control and track the irrigation system for up to a week. Not to mention you can set the watering time to release in seconds, which is perfect for small plants or those that need time to absorb the water. You can also grant access to roommates or family members so they can monitor the plants alongside you.

Measuring 4.53" x 3.13" x 1.57", the unit itself is pretty compact. Out of the box, it comes with tubes, a plug adapter, a USB cable, filters, hooks, drippers, and the different tube ends and joints meant to connect the whole thing together. So far, more than 4,000 indoor farmers appear satisfied with their purchase and have given this Wi-Fi-enabled irrigation system an average of 4 stars. Although the $45.99 price tag can make your eye water a little bit, anyone with an expensive luxury plant will tell you that it can definitely be worth it.

In some cases, you might feel like having a little indoor garden during the winter time, but in a much more controlled setting. Not to mention, not everyone is a fan of having soil inside their home, especially if you have small pets that might make a mess of it or you just don't like dirt. Thankfully, it's now possible to have a hydroponic growing system, like the ones from the iDOO store. With a 4.5L water tank, iDOO shares that it can last up to two weeks without a refill. Additionally, it includes a 22W LED that makes your plants feel like they're looking at the sun, even if it's nowhere in sight. They even included different light settings for vegetables and flowers, too. 

The iDOO store offers several iterations of the hydroponics systems from 8 pods to 15 pods and models that have Wi-Fi integration (or not). They are also available in two colors: black and white. Depending on which one you choose, their list prices range from $69.99 to $159.99 when they're not on sale. On Amazon, more than 6,500 people think the system is worth it and give it 4.5 stars on average. But if you're not sold yet, you can check out the rest of our other recommendations for indoor smart gardens under $200 as well. And with companies like Samsung releasing indoor gardening appliances, we're probably going to get more options in the future.

As any plant lover will tell you, plants are fickle. Sometimes, it can be easy to figure out why they're not doing so well. Other times, it can feel like a game of trial and error. Personally, I was never a person with a green thumb. But like many people who stayed home during the pandemic, I was knee-deep into indoor gardening. Thankfully, I was able to keep several plants alive in my tiny apartment with the help of several gadgets. However, I know first-hand that as our priorities change, so does the amount of time we can spend caring for our plants, especially during the hectic winter seasons.

In this list, we've considered the different lifestyles of plant parents, whether you're a dedicated plant parent with a jungle in your living room, someone who was gifted a cactus and doesn't know what to do with it, or inspired by a TikTok video to start growing herbs. And of course, if you ever decide that indoor gardening is no longer for you, we've also included several multipurpose gadgets that won't be wasted and can be used for other things. These items are well-rated and priced.