Knowledge base
Learn the why behind the numbers
Straight explanations of the things that decide yield — written from what our sensors and farms have taught us.
Irrigation · 5 min
Blossom end rot is a watering fault, not a calcium shortage
Why tomato and capsicum fruit rot at the tip, why calcium sprays usually fail to fix it, and how steady root-zone moisture does.
ReadIrrigation · 6 min
How big can an irrigation zone be? Sizing zones on one main
Worked example: how much water a 1¼-inch main carries, why zones must run one at a time, and how to size zones for a greenhouse or block.
ReadTechnology · 3 min
Why every automatic irrigation valve should be normally closed
Normally open versus normally closed solenoid valves, and why the wrong choice floods your farm on every power cut.
ReadSoil · 6 min
Reading soil moisture: what the numbers mean and when to water
How soil moisture sensors work, what a percentage reading means, how dry and wet thresholds are set, and why sensor placement matters.
ReadSoil · 5 min
Soil pH: why acid soil wastes the fertiliser you already bought
How soil pH controls nutrient availability, why acid soils lock up phosphorus, and when liming pays in Kenya.
ReadSoil · 5 min
A field is never one thing: the case for mapping your soil
Why a single composite soil sample hides the variation that decides yield, and how NPK, pH and EC maps change fertiliser decisions.
ReadGreenhouse · 4 min
CO₂: the growth limiter in your greenhouse that nobody measures
How a sealed greenhouse runs short of CO₂ on bright days, why it stalls growth, and how extraction and ventilation fix it.
ReadWeather · 4 min
Why your farm needs its own weather station
Regional forecasts are made for towns. What an on-farm weather station measures, and the decisions it improves.
ReadTechnology · 4 min
Honest data: why a missing reading beats a wrong one
The engineering rules that stop farm sensors from reporting comfortable numbers that are not real — and why that matters for decisions and records.
ReadGreenhouse · 4 min
Shade nets and net houses: managing the microclimate under the net
What shade and insect nets do to temperature, humidity and airflow, and how to monitor and manage a net house in Kenya.
ReadHydroponics · 5 min
Hydroponics basics: EC, pH, oxygen and temperature
The four numbers that decide a hydroponic crop, target ranges for leafy greens and fruiting crops, and why automation matters without soil.
ReadFarm business · 4 min
Buy, lease or PAYGo: paying for farm technology
How the three ways to pay for smart farming equipment compare — outright purchase, leasing and PAYGo by M-Pesa — and which suits which farm.
ReadCrop guides
Start with a walk around your farm.
The first conversation is a site visit: we walk the farm with you and understand what you grow or keep and what is going wrong. No cost, no commitment. Buy outright, lease, or pay as you go by M-Pesa.