Are you in your garden and suddenly notice a beautiful new flower that has appeared somewhere - take it or leave it?
Or maybe an unknown garden pest has destroyed your tomato plants.
Or you may see a gray crusty blob in your seed starter tray.
Where do you go for help when you travel? Technology, of course.
The latest garden care and smartphone apps provide expert guidance on garden planning and planting, pest and disease treatment, real-time plant and pest detection, and embedded artificial intelligence and augmented reality.
The trusted free apps below will provide you with lots of useful (green) information
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Search on iNaturalist
Developed in collaboration with the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society, this multi-source image recognition app is hands-on. Take a photo or point the camera at a plant, insect, animal or fungus - and find out its taxonomy (species kingdom), common name, season, number of recorded observations. The application and a brief description are usually taken from Wikipedia.
The results are based on visually similar images submitted by users around the world, and if the app can't identify your image, it will ask for another user's ID.
You can also find a list of plants, insects and animals in your area, add your notes and contact an expert.
And if you like playing games, you can earn badges to watch different genres and take part in challenges. You can find it on Apple App Store and Google Play. for free
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From seed to spoon
Browse the list of fruits and vegetables displayed and add the ones you want to grow to a virtual "seed box." Then adjust the sowing, planting and harvesting dates for that crop to your GPS-estimated location.
The free version of the app provides information on frost tolerance and sun requirements, water and fertilizer for each plant, seed saving instructions, planting tips, common pests (including organic pesticide recommendations), links to recipes and video tips.
Each plant profile screen contains links to recommended products sold by Park Seeds by the app owner A premium upgrade ($4.99 per month or $46.99 per year) provides real-time answers to your questions with AI "Growbot", custom planting schedules and more. You can find it on the Apple App Store, Google Play and app.seedtospoon.net. Free with optional paid options.
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This is the picture
Take a photo, and the app will identify your plant and provide tons of information about it. You'll instantly see health ratings, scientific classification, worldwide distribution, common uses, harvest time (if applicable), propagation methods, and sunlight, soil, water, and fertilizer requirements. You'll also get answers to common plant questions, and share photos and descriptions of your plants with friends via text message.
Once you've used up your first allotment of free IDs, you'll be prompted to view ads or share apps to earn more, unless you upgrade to the premium version ($29.99 per year). Worried about sick plants? Take a picture, and the free version will tell you what's wrong. You need a premium to view recommended treatments. Updates include comprehensive plant care instructions, 24/7 access to a team of expert botanists, and unlimited plant labels. You can find it on Apple App Store and Google Play. Free with optional paid options.
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Google Lens
It uses image recognition technology to quickly and easily identify plants, trees, shrubs, animals and insects. It also pulls Google search results on the topic.
Access it directly from the Google app or through the Google search bar in your mobile browser on Android and Apple devices Then tap the camera icon to the right of the search field, take a photo with your phone's camera, or select a photo from your photo library. Lenses can be used to identify objects, places and even online shopping products. for free
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Apple Watch Optical
This AI-powered feature for iPhone and iPad detects plants, flowers, weeds, insects, birds and other animals in any photo. On an Apple device running iOS16 or iPadOS16, you can access the feature by tapping a photo in your Photo Library, then tapping the info button below (in the circle with a star above the "i").
The tool works directly from the Mail, Messages and Notes apps (tap the image to open it, then the star "i") and the Safari browser (tap and hold any image). The app displays details of the photo, including a "view" option with a fingerprint, fingerprint or error code detected by the device (other categories include art, symbols and books).
Click the Siri Knowledge icon to find details about the topic and similar images found online (if there is no star above the info button, visual search for the image is not available). for free
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Jessica Damiano writes a regular column on gardening for the Associated Press. Publishes our award-winning weekly newsletter. Sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.
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For more AP stories about gardening, visit https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.
