Are you the type that forgets to water your plants? Do you need a method to track when you last fertilized them? Do you want a faster method of identifying plants that DOESN’T involve Googling ambiguous descriptions in the hopes that maybe you will stumble across the right photo? Well, hopefully I can help you with all of these issues! In this post, I will provide a list of some very useful, free smartphone apps for gardeners and plant enthusiasts. I use many of these myself and I hope they will help you with all your plant care needs!
PlantNet Plant Identification
With the Pl@ntNet Plant Identification app, you can photograph a plant and submit it to the app’s database. It can recognize about 20,000 plants. Originally intended to identify plants in the wild, it can also identify many cultivated plants found in gardens or parks.
To test it out, I photographed my Philodendron gloriosum Verde.
Once the photo autoloads into the app, I select the “leaf” option. The app then searches the database for about 30 seconds, and presents a list of the closest possible matches.
In this case, the app has determined that the entry for Philodendron gloriosum has a 51% likelihood of matching my photo. From there, it suggests other species of plants with a lower percentage matches. The app may never officially tell you what your plant is exactly, but it will give you a percentage of confidence. From here, it’s up to you to do additional research and confirm the identity of your plant.
One thing is for certain, once you have this app on your phone, it’s so much fun to walk around taking pictures of all the plants around you! With over 10 million downloads and an average rating of 4.6/5 stars, you can’t go wrong with Pl@ntNet!
For more methods to help you care for your plants, check out these blog articles:
- If You Are Terrible At Watering Houseplants, You Need Plant Watering Spikes
- Tyler Thrasher “Grow A Damn” Plant Journal Review: Part I
- Tyler Thrasher “Grow A Damn” Plant Journal Review: Part II
Lux Meter
By now, you know very well that light is extremely important to healthy plants. But what humans perceive as “bright light” may actually not be enough (or a long enough duration) for your plants. This is where a light meter app will come in handy. I personally use Lux Meter. It allows you to toggle between footcandles (fc) and lux (l).
One thing that I like to do with a light meter is to measure the amount of light at the nurseries that I buy my plants from. Once I get an idea of how much light the plants are exposed to, I try to replicate the same at home. The only caveat is that this method does not measure the duration of the light exposure (which is also important), so you will have to estimate by considering the path of the sun throughout the day.
Note: I can’t seem to find this on the Apple app store, so you may have to search for it or use the alternate in the icon below.
From Seed to Spoon: Vegetable, Fruit & Herb Garden Planning Guides
For all you outdoor gardeners, this app is amazing! The colorful and comprehensive interface offers concise information about many different vegetables, fruits and herbs. The layout is intuitive and simple to navigate.
Let’s check out what the app says about growing apples!
The first row of colorful icons indicate the health benefits that you would receive from apples. From there, the app provides the information that you need to cultivate them.
In the “Types” tab, a list of apple varieties are available for purchase from Burpee, a well-known seed and plant vendor in the United States.
The app provides a list of all the companion plants that grow well with apple trees in the “Friends” tab.
In the “Pests” tab, the app provides a list of all the most common pests that afflict apple trees. The app does not provide any information about diseases, so that’s something to keep in mind.
If you need to do some research on the pests in your garden, the app will provide that information as well. The “Critters” tab contains information on pests and beneficial insects. Again, the app does not have any information about plant diseases. Bacterial, fungal and viral infections will need to be diagnosed via your own internet research or by consulting an experienced gardener.
This is only a small peek into the app! It contains much more information and functions that I haven’t covered. I highly recommend downloading it and exploring it yourself.
Plantnote
Plantnote is a must for gardeners and plant collectors that need a structured regimen for their plant care. This app allows you to do so much! It is highly-customizable and you can set reminders for any plant-related task that you want.
The layout is simple, clean and intuitive. You can add as many plants as you want (with photos) and add new tasks to your task list. You will be alerted when it’s time to perform your scheduled tasks.
Frankly, if you have this app for structuring your plant care duties, you really don’t need any others!
That being said, if you prefer something much simpler, keep reading on to the last app in this blog post.
Any Weather App
A weather app is a must for any gardener, especially if some of your plants live outside! In this case, any weather app will be suitable, as long as you have the location correct. If you’re not already using a weather app in your day-to-day life, you’ll need one to monitor weather conditions that may adversely affect your plants. Whether there’s a forecast for a hard freeze or blistering heat, you’ll want to know ahead of time so you can take the appropriate measures. I personally use Weather Underground.
One thing to remember: The area you live can have different microclimates, so you may want to consider this. Unless you have a weather station smack dab at your exact location, your conditions may vary from the readings collected from a weather station several miles away.
To choose a weather app, check out the Apple and Google App stores below:
Waterbot
Waterbot is another plant care app that will remind you when to water and fertilize your plants. Since it’s not as comprehensive as Plantnote, I would suggest using this app for plants that you might have in an office environment.
Currently, it does not allow you to add your own tasks, so it’s limited function may not be suitable for plant collectors with large (and expensive) plant collections. But if you have a small, low-maintenance plant collection, this app would probably be fine.
This app is not available on the Apple App store, and only on Google Play.
Bonus: **Govee Hygrometer
**Technically, this one isn’t exactly free. The app is free, but you need the hygrometer to go with it. Because of that, I’ve listed this app last.
If you have an indoor plant collection, particularly with rare plants, you will likely need a humidifier to keep them happy. A hygrometer is a must to monitor your humidity levels. If you need a hygrometer, I would recommend the Govee hygrometer.
Once you’ve installed batteries into your hygrometer, you can use Bluetooth to link it to your phone. You then download the app, install it, and the hygrometer will begin recording data.
A visual representation of humidity and temperature levels can help you determine the conditions that your plants are experiencing on different timescales. It’s quite fascinating to see the changes in humidity and temperature as the seasons pass.
The hygrometer can record quite a bit of information, and the data can be exported from the cloud whenever you please. Having this data available will then allow you to care for your plants in the most knowledgeable, informed manner possible.
This is definitely a great tool for the uber-geeky, scientifically-minded plant lovers out there!
Final Thoughts
There are many free smartphone apps for gardeners available today, and many of them are very useful and well-designed. While this list is by no means comprehensive, it is definitely a good start if you’re looking to enlist the help of technology to help your plants live their best life. Are their any apps that you would recommend that I haven’t covered? Feel free to drop your suggestions down in the comments to help the rest of the plant community!
Always Keep Growing,
Heather (a.k.a. The Botanical Chick)
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