Plant Experts and Apps Help Make Plant Parenting Easier 

Plant Experts and Apps Make Plant Parenting Easier 

Don’t know how to start with new plants…. Why not ask the experts?

In every plant parent’s journey, there’s always a rocky and confusing start. Which plant should you bring, how should you care for it, and what is not? 

At times like these, even YouTube doesn’t help much. Maybe the video was too hard to understand or it doesn’t apply to your particular location/ country. I see so many tutorials but they don’t seem to work in an Indian environment or even cover local varieties. 

With a wonky journey coming after killing numerous plants, and blowing out our money on trying different sources, and substrates, we can finally call ourselves ‘plant parents’. I love this name as it describes us so well. Taking care of plants is like taking care of a child. And it’s not easy. 

And it has become so trendy! I think it’s the next thing after ‘cat parents’ and we’re all totally in it!

But the problems are never-ending, even an experienced plant parent faces problems. Communities do help but there are times when any of us know how to care about that particular moss or hibiscus cuttings. 

Most plant parents don’t trust garden Maalis. And I agree with them to a certain extent. Gardening is not their hobby and they don’t see plants like we do. For them, it’s a means of earning. Not that they are to blame, but there’s a difference in their work and care. 

But what if there was a plant expert who knew everything about our local varieties? 

Yes, there are government officers for rural areas but what about urban cities and their plants…

Like someone for local plants in Mumbai or Raipur? And what if they’re just one click away from us? 

Like an app.   

Struggles of plant parenting: 

• Every plant is unique: 

Each kind needs its own amount of water, sunlight, and fertilizer. Shopkeepers often fool newbies into buying something not ideal for them or their house. They end up overwatering or underwatering just to figure out how to take care of that plant exactly, sometimes killing it along the way. 

• Not everyone has time: 

Countless people could never grow their gardens or plants just because they didn’t have time. Be it kids, office, or college work, yes, plant hobbies can be time-consuming for some, as can remembering when to fertilize plants or to repot them.  

• Common issues are not so commonly known: 

Beginners facing pests or stunted growth find it difficult to diagnose the problem. Only experience builds this diagnostic ability. Throughout this journey, we try and learn from our mistakes but it also affects the plants. This often leads to stress and frustration. 

• The perfect plant not growing perfectly: 

A pretty plant at the nursery can be very tempting. Even the shopkeepers support you to buy it. And once you get it home it either starts wilting or stops growing. It’s either the light or humidity issue. And not a lot of people are aware of these conditions. 

After facing such issues, disheartened, we giveaway or remove these plants and continue only dreaming about growing them. 

So how to avoid this? 

Seeking genuine advice: 

• Experts help: 

We often rely on random bits of advice on the internet like adding potato water to the plant or adding egg shells to the soil can give enormous growth. But have you ever wondered how genuine it is? Is it even approved by an expert or even by science? 

Instead, we should seek advice from experts who have experience, they can make our work 100 times easier and less frustrating. Experts can help us by understanding our needs and providing us custom tailored solutions. 

• Gardening is also a science: 

Yes, as fun as it sounds gardening requires knowledge of botany, a bit of geography and also environmental science. Of course, one can’t do a course in these subjects just to grow plants right? Experts come in here. They not only give us scientific knowledge but also simplify it for our understanding. 

I can already sense the question you might be asking right now, “where can we find such an expert??”

Worry not, we’ve got you. 

We’re here to disclose our little secret to you.  

A plant expert app!

• How does it work: 

The app provides us information about that local plant and also its care instructions based upon your location’s climatic conditions and your plant care schedule. 

• Experts available at your fingertips:

The app has a chat section where one can chat with our plant experts who will help you with your plant queries and also provide solutions for that same. Be any pest attack, fungus issue, stunted plant growth or rotting roots, I can assure you our experts can help you! 

• Plant care reminders: 

Our app also reminds you when to add fertilizer based on your regular logging. This helps in keeping track of those monthly fertilisations that one often forgets about. 

• Plant care services: 

Due to time constraints or any other problem if you are not able to maintain your lovely garden, worry not. We have our Maalis that can provide you with excellent service. And they care for plants just like us:) From repotting plants to fertilizing and pruning them, we handle plants with care and love. 

• Give extra plants back to our community: 

At times when there’s immense growth of our plants, throwing them out feels like an injustice to their beauty. However, the app helps us by swapping plants amongst the plant parents in our locality. This way you can get a new plant for your old one.

Or you can even sell them! Anyone near your locality can check from the photos you’ve uploaded of your plants can buy them.

The App can connect users with other plant parents, creating a supportive community for sharing tips and experiences. 

Community support can inspire users to stay committed to plant care.