Shortlist, narrowing as we go. Framing: Sprout is an ambient instrument — it narrates status, progress & history, and asks nothing of you but the occasional tank refill.
1 · Plant's POVit speaks for itself
yourname / sprout
Hi, I'm Monstera.
I drink about every 3 days. My human used to forget — now they don't.
## HOW I'M DOING
Monstera — “feeling great, thanks.”
Herb box — “frankly? parched.”
“I'm a little thirsty today.”
— Herb box, just now · 29%
Charming character voice · cream & rounded · the plants narrate everything.
2 · Field Journala naturalist's almanacALT · DEV JOURNAL
No. 01 — The Windowsill Survey
Sprout
A field guide to keeping four plants alive.
The capacitive probe, set two inches into the substrate, reports the soil's thirst four times each hour.
drinks more in summer ✓
Engraved diagrams · serif & ink · margin notes · a crafted artifact to read.
3 · Beautiful InstrumentEXCLUDED
Too dev/tech-forward — it centers the engineering, not the plant, and it's the default we're trying to escape. The rigor & technical precision stay as a quiet thread inside the winning direction, not the whole identity.
SPROUT // soil instrument
rev_C · 4ch · open hardware
the percentage was a guess.→ we publish raw counts + the band.
Blueprint grid · two-color riso · schematics & dry wit · proud of its rigor.
4 · Retro-FuturismEXCLUDED
Decorative without a reason — the era styling is a skin, not a faithful expression of what Sprout does or why. Kitsch for its own sake, so it's out.
SPROUT
SOIL MONITOR · CH-1
082%
● SYSTEM NOMINAL
AUTO-WATER
ON
TANK
78%
NEXT
~18H
Cassette-futurism · amber CRT & analog panels · “mission control” for your plants. Glanceable, no buttons to press — fits a hands-off system.
5 · Plant TamagotchiEXCLUDED
A pet that needs you is backwards for Sprout — there are no streaks, levels, or required actions. The system is ambient and hands-off, so the gamified premise doesn't fit.