According to The Royal Horticultural Society, indoor plants improve your wellbeing and productivity.
I concur; I love my plants.
The trouble is, I am not exactly 'green-fingered'. It's not so much that I neglect my plants - more that I kill them with kindness (I am The Queen of Overwatering).
But, of course…
There’s an App For That
I decided to test two mobile apps to help me care for my indoor plants. Here’s how I got on:
Planta
The first app I tried was Planta (available for iPhone and Android); it's free with paid upgrades.
Planta is a fantastic app with many features (too many for me, if I am honest). However, it worked out to be a little more expensive than I wanted with the upgrade, so I tried a different app.
Blossom
Like Planta, Blossom is a free app with paid upgrades, available for iPhone and Android. It’s very beautiful, a little simpler than Planta, and a bit cheaper when you upgrade.
But something wasn’t working for me.
On Notifications
Here was the issue: both apps rely on notifications. Your mobile tells you when to water, mist or fertilise your plants.
While this sounds like what I needed, there was an issue - I detest mobile phone notifications. I like to use my mobile on my terms.
What to do?
Use Existing Tools and Systems
Thanks to Planta and Blossom, I had developed a good understanding of how to care for my indoor plants.
Instead of paying for a separate app to manage my plants, I decided to try using existing tools and systems, namely, my task manager, Todoist.
I set up a ‘Plants’ list under the ‘Personal’ category and then entered each plant as a recurring task. I included emojis as a simple visual key and photos of the plants inside each task.
My plant care duties are where they should be - my task list. And as a result, they are getting done. I’ve not overwatered a plant so far!
Final Thoughts
I’m a techie lass - I love that there is an app for everything. But, on this occasion, I already had the systems and tools I needed.
Is there anything you don’t add to your task list that perhaps you should? Let me know in the comments; I’d love to hear from you.
