Paul-Tech’s soil stations, which have long helped farmers make smarter, data-driven decisions, have now found their way into a brand new environment — the city. In early May, we installed three stations in Tallinn to monitor soil conditions around newly planted urban trees in real time.
“I’m pleased to see Paul-Tech expanding into a completely new field — urban landscaping,” said Mikk Plakk, CEO of Paul-Tech. “While our system has proven its value many times over in agriculture, there is still a lack of reliable real-time data in cities. Our technology helps bridge that gap.
According to Plakk, many new landscaping projects are established on artificial soils, which are not always ideal for plant growth. “We often see areas where trees or plants struggle to thrive. Our system can help identify the causes — and even prevent such problems before they arise.”
In many cities, watering is carried out according to a fixed schedule, without accounting for actual soil moisture or changing weather conditions. Paul-Tech’s technology enables demand-based irrigation, helping to save both water and labour. “At the moment, landscaping crews spend hours each week moving from site to site to manually check soil moisture. Our solution allows them to do this remotely and in real time, making the process much faster and more efficient,” Plakk explained.
One of the newly installed stations also stands out for its design — it is Paul-Tech’s first soil station housed in a vandal-resistant casing. “When you live in a city, your shell needs to be a little tougher,” Plakk added.
This project marks a significant step forward for Paul-Tech, demonstrating that smart soil monitoring isn’t just for fields. Real-time soil data empowers better, more informed decisions in urban settings as well — supporting plant health and making landscaping work more effective and sustainable.
