Hello world! As I continue in my journey to learning more about tech and creating my own apps and websites, I want to document what I learn and my process to creating a plant care app, called Foliage. This first part will be documenting the features I want to add and the research I conducted on the current market to list each app's strengths and weaknesses.

As a busy university student, I barely have time to remember the watering, pruning, fertilizing, etc, etc, schedules of all of my plants. Thus, I want to create a completely free app which has easy navigation and uses AI or API's to suggest care schedules.

The primary target audience for Foliage is at home plant keepers, botanists, and amateurs who need a bit more organization in their plant keeping.

Features

I want to fulfill each plant carer's basic needs while implementing unique features I would appreciate if an app had them.

Core Features

I first determined the core functionalities I wanted my app to have. These should fulfil what basic plant care apps do. Moreover, after research from existing plant care apps, I have added certain features that users recommended the apps add.

• User authentication: Secure login and sign up system to keep track of the users

• Dashboard: Gives an overview of the daily schedule of the plants and recent activities

• Plant Profiles: Detailed pages for each plant which includes species, last watered, last fertilized, etc, date acquired, and care instructions

• Activity Log: Possibly a calendar to keep track of care activities

• Reminders: Set customizable, various reminders for care activities

• Search and Filter: Can find plants and/or care activities with filters

• Mobile and Desktop Functionality: Compatible on every screen

• Variety of Care Reminders: Watering, mist, fertilizer, pruning, sowing, harvesting, soil change, caring if sick, blooming, applying pesticides times

• Ability to Snooze Care Activity: Snoozing and then the app automatically updates for the next possible time to have the reminder - does not cancel the reminder

• Logging Current Condition: Can see progress of plant over time

• Error fixing: If user makes a mistake in selecting care activity, can change it

Unique Features

These are features that are additional and are a bit wild to add creativity and uniqueness into the app. Some of these are already integrated in existing apps and for others, users have complained of not having.

• Plant Health Analytics: Showcase plant health trends with graphs, charts, and give recommendation for plants to recover if sick

• Community Page: Allow others to share tips, plants, care instructions, and ask for help from other plant experts

• AR/Photo Plant Identifier: I already have a Plant Identification website which uses PlantNet's API to identify unknown plants. However, it would be interesting to integrate AR for more accuracy

• Weather/Location Integration: Tailored care advice

• Voice Commands: Easier navigation and accessibility

• Virtual Garden Planner: Drag and drop interface to plan and visualize garden layouts

• Eco-Friendly Tips: Gardening tips and sustainable practices

  • Natural Fertilizer Options

• Grouping Plants By Room: Easier organizing

• Detailed Watering Methods: Based on each plant, decide if water over coil, bottom watering, water back, etc.

• Seasonal Changes: Overwintering, summer watering changes

• Ability to Add Variety Light Sources: Different options for sunlight/UV/lights

• Custom Issue: Ability to write custom issue instead of giving only couple of options

• Custom Fertilizer/Soil Options: User can write custom fertilizer/soil mix instead of selecting from pre-determined ones (still give this option)

• Upload Progress Pictures: Changes cover for plant and see progress

• Light Reader from Camera: Can detect light levels or have plant quiz (Florish) to determine light levels

• Detail Common Issues with Plants: Might need another API to understand common issues

• Explore Page: Featured writers have small articles to explore new plants/care tips

• Growing, Propagating Tips and Potting Instructions

• Minimum temperature for survival

• Ability to Add Custom Reminder: for whatever user wants

• AI/Chat Bot for Care Tips

Research

My research was vital in determining which features users enjoyed most and which features they wish they had. The following apps have been mentioned quite a lot within plant-care app articles.

Planta

Arguably one of the most popular apps in terms of plant care, the app shines out from the rest of the ones on the market due to its relaxing design, variety of plant care reminder options, and good UI/UX. However, the app is limited in its free plan and a user needs the premium version to access a lot of helpful features.

Strengths

• Variety of care reminders: water, mist, fertilizer, pruning, soil change

• Illness identification

• Plant identification

• Overwintering instructions

• Light meter

• Community

• Grouping plants by room

• Detailed watering methods

Weaknesses

• No location specific instructions

• No confidence in AI illness diagnosis

• Snoozing care reminder does not update watering schedule

• No questioning of current condition of plant

• No way of changing plant's type if user makes error

• No different care when plant diagnosed as sick

• Harder to navigate to have customizable reminder times

• No custom fertilizer/soil change options

• Uploading picture does not change cover of plant

• No undoing task you marked as completed accidentally

Florish

Strengths

• Light meter

• Light quiz

• Details common issues with plants

Weaknesses

• Not too detailed

Blossom

Strengths

• Explore page

• Detailing how to grow certain plants

• Propagating tips

• Customizable reminders

• Potting instructions

Weaknesses

• Crashes often according to users

• Too geared toward house or container plant maintenance

• Does not allow to upload more photos of plants

Gardenia

Strengths

• Gives options for lots of unique care reminders: blooming, harvesting, pesticides, sowing, custom

• Gives info on minimum temperature for survival

Weaknesses

• No identification API

• Very much, find the schedule yourself

Conclusion for now...

Thanks for reading! This is only the beginning stages for the app but I think it was vital I documented this, mainly for myself, to understand how the design and implementation stages work for apps and websites.

To whoever made it this far, stay tuned for Part 2... :)