Plantobelly lets trees speak
Drought, heat, compacted soil: the urban tree is struggling. And they usually fight in silence. The company Plantobelly from Bad Schwartau wants to change that with a smart moisture monitoring system that shows cities in real time which tree needs water and when. Hamburg and Darmstadt are already using the solution. A look at a technology that no longer wants to turn urban greenery into a matter of luck.
If you walk through a city centre in a hot German summer, you will soon see it: trees with yellow leaves in August, dry branches, sunken tree grates. What looks like an aesthetic problem is actually one of the most pressing ecological issues in urban areas. Hot summers like 2018, 2019 and 2022 have taken a massive toll on urban greenery. In German cities, thousands of trees die every year from drought stress and the damage is not always immediately apparent. Trees often die gradually, over several seasons, before anyone intervenes. Until now, the response of many cities has been the same: send out watering lorries, water according to experience and gut feeling. And then hope.
Bastian Klemke and his team at Plantobelly believe this is the wrong approach. Their solution: give trees a measurable voice.
When the soil dries before you realise it
At the heart of Plantobelly are soil moisture sensors that are inserted into the soil around the tree and continuously measure the moisture at various depths. This is because moisture in the soil is anything but evenly distributed. What appears moist on the surface can be critical at root depth. The data is transmitted in real time and visualised on a platform that can be used directly by green space authorities. The result is a clear picture of how the tree is really doing, based on facts rather than feelings.
That sounds like a small step. But it is not. If you know which trees currently need water and which are well supplied, you can plan watering tours in a targeted manner instead of travelling all over the place and following a standard pattern. This saves water, time and fuel. And above all, it saves trees that would otherwise go unnoticed into drought stress.
Hamburg, Darmstadt - and the trust of local authorities
The fact that the concept not only works in theory is evident in practice. Cities such as Hamburg and Darmstadt already rely on Plantobelly. Hamburg looks after over 230,000 street trees - keeping track of which of them need water and when has been one of the biggest logistical challenges for the city gardening department to date. Darmstadt is struggling with a different but similarly familiar problem: increasing heat islands, shrinking budgets and a growing number of tree failures due to persistent drought.
Municipalities need quick decisions here, which is precisely why the references are meaningful. When cities of this size introduce a system, they have taken a close look at the technical, organisational and economic aspects. The feedback from the field speaks for itself: fewer tree failures, more efficient deployment planning, much more targeted use of water.
Data that can do more than just measure
What sets Plantobelly apart from a simple measuring device is the analytical approach behind it. The data collected shows how soil moisture develops at a location over time, depending on precipitation, soil type, degree of sealing and tree species. This is not only relevant for the next watering cycle. It helps cities to understand where structural problems lie: Where does rainwater hardly seep away? Where is the soil so compacted that moisture does not even reach the roots? Which locations are particularly challenging for new plantings?
In the long term, Plantobelly sees itself as part of a larger system, networked with weather data, other smart city applications and, in the long term, with automatic irrigation systems. The urban tree of the future will be managed in the same data-based way as any other critical infrastructure.
From Bad Schwartau to the cities of the Republic
Plantobelly comes from Bad Schwartau, a small town in Schleswig-Holstein that would not necessarily be on the radar as a location for an AgriTech company. The idea arose from a very specific observation: during periods of drought, trees were dying even though cities were investing considerable resources in irrigation. The money and water flowed, but often in the wrong place and at the wrong time. This initially turned into a development project and is now a company with real city references and a clear growth path.
Saving the tree is always the smarter decision
Climate change not only makes Plantobelly's work more relevant, it makes it more urgent. Summers are getting hotter, dry spells longer and the pressure on urban greenery is steadily increasing. Not all trees in German cities today will survive the next 20 years - at least not without targeted support. A dead tree not only costs the city the cost of planting a replacement. It also costs two decades of growth, years in which a young tree can barely provide cooling, shade or air filtration. Preserving the existing tree is therefore always the more favourable and ecologically sensible decision.
Plantobelly provides the basis for this: not a gut feeling, not an estimate, but the knowledge that cities need to act at the right moment. Before it's too late.
You can find out more about Plantobelly and smart tree care at: plantobelly.de
Cover picture: Giuseppe de Bergolis / Pexels
Patrick Morda has gained extensive experience in senior editorial positions since 2009. He has served as editor-in-chief on several occasions and was responsible for developing new business areas in the media sector, with a particular focus on topics such as new mobility. His expertise extends to the strategic management of editorial teams and working on special interest magazines.
