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Card 483 of 9992026-09-02 issue

Observed arrival · 2026-09-02

Maali, the Gardener in the Box

maali.garden Observed source
Editorial interest 88/100 Selection signal · not a rating of the site

An offline irrigation controller that waters according to soil thirst, explains its decisions in plain English, and charges no subscription.

Landing page captured for the 2026-09-02 issue.

Field notes

Maali represents each bed as a water tub and uses a water-balance model to decide when a valve should run. Its example replays Sacramento weather from 5–25 July 2024: a loam lawn with 1.20 inches of holding capacity receives water at a 0.60-inch deficit, across eight runs totaling 356 minutes. The interface also exposes skipped runs and the rule behind each decision, rather than reducing the system to an unexplained schedule.

Observed signals

Read the marks

Editorial observations of this landing page, not a rating.

OpenPublic substance visible
PrettyNotable craft visible
ProPolished or operationally mature
NicheUnusually specific use

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maali.garden

Landing page observed 2026-09-02. The live site may have changed.