Texas A&M AgriLife Water University – Partner Spotlight

At PlantTAGG, we’re driven by a passion for improving the success gardeners of all levels have with their plants through technological innovation. With so many variables to consider such as climate, environment, location and plant genetics, it’s a wonder anyone has success gardening.

The PlantTAGG system is a data and AI-driven platform comprising multiple sources such as the US Department of Agriculture, NOAA, Texas A&M AgriLife Water University, EagleView, and a wealth of global horticulture experts. Together, we’re building a world-changing platform that helps even the most novice gardener be successful. These partnerships help make sure we’re using the most up-to-date data to make informed decisions on personalizing your plant care tasks in the PlantTAGG app.

In our Partner Spotlight blog series, we’re giving you an inside look at some of our amazing partners. This week, we sat down with two of our advisors from Texas A&M AgriLife’s Water University program, Daniel Cunningham and Clint Wolfe, to learn more about what’s happening at Texas A&M AgriLife, the nation’s largest agriculture program.

What is Texas A&M AgriLife?

Texas A&M AgriLife is the largest comprehensive agriculture program nationally. It brings together a college and four state agencies focused on agriculture and life sciences within The Texas A&M University System. With more than 5,000 employees and a presence in every county across the state, Texas A&M AgriLife is uniquely positioned to improve lives, environments and the Texas economy through education, research, extension and service. The vision is to reach every Texan, making agriculture and life sciences relevant and meaningful in daily life.

How does the Water University program fit into that?

The Water University Team at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas is comprised of Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service personnel. To overcome the pressing issues related to water conservation and stormwater management, Water University’s expert horticulturists are also water resource professionals, conducting research and outreach programming on water quality, water use efficiency, and watershed planning. Because water is so often the most limiting factor to plant growth, the nexus at which water interacts with the landscape is extensive and diverse. The limitations of Texas’ water resources, paired with several of the nation’s most rapidly growing urban areas, provide unique challenges for the future of Texas landscapes. The mission is to help homeowners and businesses grow lush, vibrant landscapes, using practical and holistic approaches to managing natural resources. Water University has built strong working relationships and partnerships with local governments, state and federal agencies, and corporations to develop programs and educational classes to help people successfully grow plants despite Texas’ often harsh and unpredictable climate.

What’s at the core of the AgriLife and PlantTAGG partnership?

The AgriLife Water University and PlantTAGG partnership is centered on a shared philosophy that technology innovation can and will dramatically improve the way we garden and use water in our daily lives.

We have a shared goal to help gardeners become better-educated consumers; to make it easy for them to take the right steps for overwhelming success in their home landscapes. Water University plants the seed of knowledge for their class participants, and PlantTAGG maintains contact with invaluable electronic reminders providing the best management protocols and watering advice to achieve the garden of their dreams.

Any major initiatives on the horizon?

One of our most highly anticipated projects is the UPlantIt boxed garden available now! Everyone loves these boxes because they give people an easy way to create a beautiful garden space in their own yards and take the guesswork out of garden design, plant selection and maintenance.

This year’s UPlantIt “Pollinator Pack” boxes will help you find the right plant for the right spot with perfect plant combinations that both people and pollinators will enjoy! These custom-designed, water-saving gardens include easy-to-grow Texas-tough plants — hand-selected by Texas A&M AgriLife Water University Horticulturists to look great and give people the confidence to overcome many of gardening’s most common challenges.

This year’s UPlantIt boxes come with a FREE bonus: easy access to set up their new gardens through Water University’s partnership with PlantTAGG! PlantTAGG helps people maintain their UPlantIt gardens with ease. It’s free to use and offers the practical and timely care tip reminders on when to prune, water or fertilize to help the plants thrive once you get them home. If you haven’t gotten your UPlantIt garden yet — they are going fast, so reserve one today!

RESOURCES:

Follow Water University on Facebook for videos that include tips and tricks to get the most out of your landscape.

Order your UPlantIt “Pollinator Pack” here.

Sign up for Water University’s FREE virtual online gardening classes here.