With the arrival of spring we witness the awakening of nature, even inside the house. Anyone who has plants to care for knows that now is the time to prepare the green corner for the season of light and maximum growth. However, we do not always have clear ideas about how to proceed, also because caring for a cactus is not the same as caring for an orchid. In fact, each plant has different needs for light, water, soil and temperatures.
The good news is that there has been an explosion of plant care apps in recent years. These software not only allow you to recognize the different types of species, but also guide the most inexperienced by giving them suggestions to avoid mistakes, with detailed advice on pruning, diseases, irrigation, soil type and information on the climate. This allows users to select the plants that best fit their home environment and provide them with appropriate care.
One of the most appreciated functions of these applications is image recognition. Simply take a photo and the software can indicate the name and main characteristics of the species. In case of illness, they identify the cause and find the appropriate solution. There are apps designed to satisfy even the most specific passions such as bonsai.
Let's look at some of these applications for gardening and plant care, perfect for both experts and beginners, at home or in small gardens and orchards, and available for the main operating systems.
A project promoted by an international consortium with the aim of creating an extensive botanical database continuously updated thanks to the contributions of users. The application is free and allows you to identify plants and flowers, of which the characteristics are provided, using the camera of the user's device or by selecting a photo from the gallery. The recognition system is excellent, to achieve the best results it is preferable to concentrate the photos on organs, leaves and other specific parts of the plants.
This application also uses photographs to immediately recognize flowers and plants, but also mushrooms and other vegetables. The database can contain almost 600,000 detailed and always updated records, with more than 2,000 different species added every month. It also allows you to consult the identifications made by other users. It's free, but offers paid options to remove ads and unlock additional features.
There are many applications capable of recognizing plants, thanks to large databases and artificial intelligence. Among others, LeafSnap, NatureID or iNaturalist stand out for their exhaustiveness. On the other hand, Flora Incognita, developed in collaboration with the Technical University Ilmenau and the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry Jena, focuses on a small number of species, but is very precise and has the advantage of working even with previously taken photographs, storing the history without asking for user registration.
Completely free, this application has a very updated database (with more than 90,000 species) and many curiosities about plants and flowers of all kinds. It is perfect for both beginners and those who already have good experience with the plant world. It is especially suitable for the care of indoor plants, but it also has a weather section with all the necessary information: expected temperature, humidity level and risk of rain.
This application is presented as a kind of social network for gardening lovers, who here can share photographs, follow other gardeners in search of inspiration and ask for advice from the most experienced growers. It also allows you to search and learn about new species through labels, as well as catalog all domestic plants with personalized labels and access all the information related to each specimen. Like other platforms, it offers additional paid functions, such as the ability to watch tutorials or control the pruning schedule.
The application allows you to configure personalized alerts related to fertilization, irrigation and other essential activities to preserve the health of the garden. To keep track of all the interventions carried out, it is possible to create a diary, accompanied by photographs and notes, which is updated based on the growth of the plants. Thus, those people who want to show off their results will be able to share photographs or ask advice from community members. It also allows you to search for florists in your area of residence.
A perfect app for those who, busy with a thousand commitments, forget to water their green corner. It is enough to take a photo of the plants, report where it is and set how often it should be watered to receive notifications at the right time. In addition to water, it is possible to request that the app notify when the plant needs fertilizer. The version for Android devices is called Waterbot but it has almost the same features as WaterMe, available exclusively for iOS.
With this application we enter the field of garden care. Among the main characteristics is the lunar calendar for planting different vegetables. Provides detailed descriptions of more than 50 vegetables, including information on fertilization, intercropping (good and bad neighbors), and row spacing. The application also provides information on irrigation, diseases and pests, as well as site-specific advice and weather forecasts, allowing activities to be planned based on the expected weather.
The app is designed for people interested in biodynamic farming methods. For each day of the month, the most suitable type of crop is indicated based on the lunar phases. For example, selecting April 30 we discovered that it is favorable for planting fruit trees, strawberries and zucchini, but it is advisable to avoid sowing and grafting. Another useful feature of the app is the forum, where users can exchange tips and opinions. The application also offers the possibility of creating a virtual garden. Using a grid you can mark the crops planted and track them over time.
We could say that Home Design 3D Outdoor Garden is the version for garden lovers of the legendary video game The Sims: it allows us to design and visualize our future garden in 3D by entering the exact dimensions and delimiting the spaces on the land. As a complement, iSpace suggests design and decoration elements after uploading the image of the garden. Finally, before planting, it is useful to consult MySoil, the app that analyzes the soil to determine its conditions and offers advice on the most suitable plants for that terrain.
