So I have a funny situation thinking there may be an automation opportunity. I have a poinsettia that I keep in the basement in the dark and bring up to the light every day. By cycling it at a specific time each day the leaves change back to red. So I have Alexa that tells me at 6:30AM each morning to bring up the plant, and at 4:30PM to bring the plant back into the basement. Works good most of the time but sometimes you forget to bring it up or sleep thru the alert or at 4:30PM aren’t home and forget to put it downstairs when you do get home. Any ideas how to identify with HA where the plant currently is and alert you if you haven’t brought it up or brought it down after set times have passed?
Could use a contact sensor for this. Put the magnet on the bottom of the planter and the sensor right by where you put the plant. Then you could create a reminder automation if the plant isn’t where it’s supposed to be. Janky, but it would work. Doesn’t tell you where it’s at though, just that it’s not where it’s supposed to be.
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Or put an automated grow lamp in the basement so you don’t have to carry the thing twice a day?
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Thanks folks. Was thinking about a sensor. For me the reality is if it’s not in the basement then it’s in the kitchen so that may be OK. Is there an actual sensor that could go on the bottom of the planter or is the assumption it’s raised on the bottom?
With a grow lamp, that would be a good idea but people want to see the plant so it’s my life to bring it up and down everyday.
Tell them to bring the plant up and down every day. Boom, automated.
A door/window open/close sensor would do it. Zigbee or zwave if you have it, or need battery power. Or simple to rig up with an esp8266 and use Wi-fi if you have a handy power source.
Is there some other action that you would be easier track and can be associated with “going to the basement to get / leave the plant”?
I mean, if you don’t usually go to the basement for other reasons other than to get the plant, you could associate the basement door opening (or a -very easy to install- sonoff slampher on the basement light) and check if this has happened in the time you want.
A sonoff on the basement fixture would be easier to install and more permanent against battery operated sensors.
That way you could check if the basement door has opened or the light has been on and see if you forgot to go get the plant.
Lastly, would it be possible to build a cover for the plant and quit moving it around? like a cardboard box to block the sun during the times you want? 
Well my basement consistants of a staircase going downstairs. All light switches are Z-Wave and in HA individually. I call them “Basement Stairs” going into the basement, and where the plant is, called “Crawlspace Light”. Or how I tell Alexa to turn them on and off, not the entity name obviously. In theory here’s the challenge:
- Alexa tells us to get the plant at 6:30AM daily
- We may go down earlier to get it as I get up at 5:30AM so depending on what time I get downstairs may beat Alexa to getting the plant.
- When I go down I turn on the basement lights, usually both of the above plus a couple others.
- When I have the plant I turn off all the lights
Similar scenario at 4:30PM but may not happen right away because I may not be home at 4:30PM some days.
So would need to be able to know that it’s hit 6:30AM but maybe we already have the plant upstairs, or it’s 4:30PM and it’s time to bring the plant down but we haven’t done that yet because we are out so can’t do it yet.
But do you often visit the basement for other reasons?
If not, you could create a a history statistics, count sensor that would check if and how many times you have switched the basement lights on and off, from 5-7AM and from 4-7PM.
If the count is zero, it can send you a second reminder at 7am and 7pm to re-remind you to go do your plant stuff
I have a reminder that tells us to put the bin out every 30 minutes until someone presses a switch in lovelace to say it’s been done. It does need you to trust everyone not to press the switch without doing the task. But has worked well so far.