Planta is a pricey, but detailed houseplant care iPhone app for indoor gardeners

Planta app screenshots
(Image credit: Apple)
Planta

Planta app icon

(Image credit: Apple)

iOS/ iPadOS (Free with IAP subscriptions)

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If you’re a fledgling indoor gardener or just one who can’t seem to keep their Peace Lily or Aloe Vera alive, then it might be time to check out one of the many plant care apps out there.

With over 6 million users now using it, Planta is by far one of the most popular, and with good reason.

A super useful tool for novice and more experienced houseplant owners alike, the app offers detailed care schedules tailored to each unique plant you own.

If you’ve been gifted a mysterious new potted creature, type in its name or take a quick snap with your phone’s camera and Planta’s built-in identifier will give you a near instant answer as to what it actually is, as well as provide you with easily understood instructions as to how to look after it based on where its positioned in your house.  

Premium subscription unlocks the app's most useful features

An on-hand diagnosis feature meanwhile gives you treatment advice for your sickly green buddies, a light meter can analyze environmental conditions, while there’s handy step-by-step guides for preparing plants for the different seasons and repotting.

All those features come at a price however, with a paid Planta Premium subscription needed for its most useful tools. It’s not exactly cheap either, with a one month sub priced at $7.99, although there are savings to be had if you go for the three month ($17.99) or one year ($35.99) options.

If you’re just straight up neglectful and just need a nudge to feed your plants, the free version still offers potentially life-saving watering reminder alerts.

Like many plant care apps, the more information you provide it with, the more accurate its care prompts and tips inevitably will be. There’s a fairly lengthy setup process for each of your plants, and that process can get become something of a chore if you have a large collection to catalogue, but once up and running, Planta is an undeniably a hugely useful means for keeping your window sill dwellers in tip top condition.


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Kevin Lynch
Contributor

Kevin Lynch is a London-born, Dublin-based writer and journalist. 

He started out as a music writer in the late 1990s, before moving to the Daily Mirror to become the newspaper’s technology editor, during which time he wrote a weekly column that saw him chart the boom of consumer tech and gaming as well as the resurrection and rise of Apple Inc. 

He has also served as editor of GuinnessWorldRecords.com and has been a member of the judging panel for the BAFTA British Academy Video Game Awards.

  • Annie_M
    I downloaded it and then deleted it when I saw the subscription fee. It's too bad, because it looked to be an awesome app!
    Reply
  • Lee_Bo
    $35.99/year to learn how to take care of your plants?

    YouTube is free.

    This whole tipping / subscription culture is getting way WAY out of control.
    Reply
  • Annie_M
    The one feature that attracted me was taking a picture of a plant that looks "unwell", and the app would then provide information on how to treat the plant. We've started growing herbs, and I thought it might be handy, but again, the subscription fee was/is too high.
    Reply