A WARNING system that tweets its owner when a plant requires swift re-leaf from lack of watering or sunlight, has been developed by three students at Glasgow Caledonian University.

The setup was created by third-year BEng Computer and Electronic Systems Engineering students Greg Larkin, Kieran Small and Scott Cairns, who decided to branch out to revolutionise the way plants are looked after.

Not only does the system provide water and artificial sunlight when required, it then tells the owner what it has done, and warns if it cannot carry out tasks.

The students were tasked to design something 'useful or helpful to people in the home' as part of a programme project, before bedding in the Automatic Plant Care System that uses sensors to monitor and maintain ideal conditions for plants.

Mr Larkin said: "We thought about what happens to house plants when the owner goes on holiday, or even if they're busy at work. A lot of plants just don't get watered or they wilt in the shade."

The system prototype houses the plant or plants in a wooden unit, which also contains water storage, a multi-spectrum light and a web cam.

Mr Larkin added: "Sensors tell the system when action needs to be taken."

He said that it is possible for the sensors to be placed in an ordinary house plant pot, which can tweet when watering or sunlight is needed.