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Looking for the best plant care app for your collection? Here are our favorites

Stacey Nguyen
By

Tending after houseplants might offer you a reprieve from digital screens, but plant apps can actually be helpful resources for foliage enthusiasts. You’ve probably Googled a plant question and found yourself on a gardening subreddit before, but did you know that there are excellent plant apps out there that can help you troubleshoot plant problems and identify new plants? From PictureThis to Gardenia, find the best plant care app to take care of your green collection. 

Taking picture of plants

PictureThis 

When you’re browsing plants at your local nursery, PictureThis will help you identify that mysterious houseplant labeled “tropical foliage.” After you snap a picture of your plant and upload it onto the app, you’ll get an ID as well as care tips. The app can diagnose plant problems and give you suggestions for treatments, too. You’ll also have the opportunity to browse through helpful plant guides and consult the app’s team of botanists for questions you might have. And, of course, you’ll be able to set reminders for watering, fertilizing, and other plant-related chores. 

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Where to download: App Store, Google Play

watering plants

Planta 

It happens to even the most diligent plant lovers: the days pass by, and your droopy plant on the brink of death reminds you that it desperately needs water. The Planta app might be your remedy if you worry about neglecting your plants. It allows you to set reminders for watering, fertilizing, cleaning, and repotting so that you’ll never forget about your plants again. The care recommendations, of course, differ based on where you live and the time of year. You can also upload pictures of your plants over time to track their growth. 

Where to download: App Store, Google Play

Person with plants

PlantSnap

It doesn’t get any more intuitive than PlantSnap, which is perfect for identifying plants when you’re out and about. The name says it all: You snap a picture of your plant, and you’ll get the intel you need. As soon as you load up the app, it takes you straight to a camera where you can take a photo of the plant you’re trying to identify. There are 600,000 plants in its database, and the app can identify up to 90 percent of known plant species. Once it identifies the plant, it’ll show you the name as well as a link to Earth.com with information about it. PlantSnap also lists places where you can shop the plant online!

Where to download: App Store, Google Play

benefits of gardening

Gardenia 

Gardeners can use the Gardenia app to explore the watering, fertilizing, and potting requirements their plants need. While you can use the app for your indoor plants, it’s primarily a helpful tool for outdoor gardeners. It has a charming interface with a garden manager that you can use to set task reminders. Gardenia also has useful gardening tips for thousands of plants, too. Don’t forget to take advantage of the weather monitor, which uses your location to give you customized gardening information based on your temperature, humidity, and rain levels. 

Where to download: App Store, Google Play 

Person planting petunias

Vera 

Bloomscape’s Vera offers a clean, easy-to-navigate interface for documenting all your houseplants. Using Vera is like keeping a plant journal where you can write out your thoughts about your foliage and document photos of them. When you click into your plant pages, you can do all of this on top of customizing schedules for watering, fertilizing, and more. Each page also comes with easy-to-follow guides from Bloomscape’s in-house experts for keeping your green friends healthy. 

Where to download: Google Play, App Store

Bouquet of tulips

Florish 

New houseplant collectors will definitely find a use for Florish. Growing houseplants can be intimidating at first, so begin your houseplant journey by taking quizzes from Florish to figure out which plants will work for your space. If you’ve already got a few plants, browse through the app for information on keeping them alive. Florish also features a light meter to help you understand what kind of plants will work for your lighting situation. Florish’s “Discover” section is also handy for tips and design trends to help you properly situate your houseplants. Just keep in mind that this app is currently only available through the App Store. 

Where to download: App Store

Using apps can feel counterintuitive for an earthy hobby like gardening, but many offer helpful information and systems to help you stay on track of your plant care routine. The larger your plant collection becomes, the more you’ll want a way to catalog them and set care reminders. Whether you’re looking to identify strange new plants or want to maintain a consistent plant-tending schedule, there’s an app out there that will cater to your foliage-related needs! 

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Stacey Nguyen
Stacey Nguyen
Contributor
Stacey's work has appeared on sites such as POPSUGAR, HelloGiggles, Buzzfeed, The Balance, TripSavvy, and more. When she's…
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