plantu, the facts
What the app does, how it works, and what it costs.
The app
What is plantu?
A gardening app for iPhone. It tells you what your garden needs today: which plants want water and how much, what a plant is, and what is wrong with one that is struggling. You lay out your garden in plots and beds, put your plants in them, and plantu keeps track from there.
When can I get it?
plantu is coming to the App Store soon, on iPhone first. Join the waitlist and we will send you one email on the day it arrives.
Which plants does it know?
155 species: vegetables, herbs, fruit trees, cacti, flowers and native plants. Each page covers when and how to plant it, how far apart, how deep its roots go, how much sun and salt it takes, and what tends to go wrong. You can search the list on the home page, and if something you grow is missing, ask for it; more are added all the time.
Does it work without internet?
Yes. Your garden, the plant pages and the watering figures all live on your phone. Only the camera (identifying and diagnosing), sign-in and sync need a connection, and the app tells you which one is missing.
Do I need an account?
No. You can use plantu without signing in. Sign in with Apple or Google only if you want your garden on more than one device, or kept safe if you change phones.
Identifying a plant
How does identifying a plant work?
Open the camera and photograph a leaf, a flower or the whole plant. plantu tells you what it is, with its common and Latin names and how sure it is. If it is one of the 155 plants in the app, one tap adds it to your garden with its watering already worked out. If it is not, you still get a description and how to plant and care for it.
How do I get a good result?
- Fill the frame with the plant, in daylight, not backlit.
- A clear leaf or flower beats a far-away bush.
- If plantu is unsure, it says so and suggests a better photo, rather than guessing.
Diagnosing a problem
What does a diagnosis tell me?
Photograph the part that looks wrong: spotted, yellow, curled, chewed or wilting. plantu answers with:
- Up to three likely causes, the most likely first: fungus, bacteria, virus, insects, mites, animals, nutrients, too much or too little water, sun or heat, salt, wind, or damage.
- How serious it is and how soon to act: today, this week, or keep watching.
- What to do now, starting with the gentlest fix.
- What to check to tell the causes apart, and how to keep it from coming back.
If the plant looks healthy, it says that too.
Can I trust a diagnosis?
Treat it as a good first opinion. One photo rarely settles a diagnosis, which is why plantu gives possible causes and things to check rather than a single verdict. For anything serious, or for plants you eat, it will tell you when to ask a local nursery or agricultural service.
Can I keep a diagnosis with my plant?
Yes. Save a health check to one of your plants and it becomes part of that plant's history in your garden.
Watering
Where do the watering numbers come from?
From the plant, not from a calendar. plantu works out each plant's root zone, canopy and soil, and how much water it uses at its stage of growth, following FAO-56, the UN's irrigation standard. You get litres per plant, not a vague "water twice a week".
What about the weather?
plantu warns you when it turns hot or dry, using the weather where your garden is. It never overrules the soil in front of you: if the ground is still wet, trust the ground.
Will it remind me?
Yes, if you allow notifications. Home and lock screen widgets show what is due without opening the app, and "Water all" logs every plant that is due with one tap.
Pricing and photos
| Basic | Free. Up to 3 plants and 1 plot, with daily watering, every plant page, the whole log, reminders and medals. No photos included. |
|---|---|
| Pro monthly | $6.99 a month, with a 7-day free trial (10 photos during the trial). Unlimited plants and plots, and 100 photos every month. |
| Pro yearly | $49.99 a year, about $4.17 a month and 40% less than monthly. Unlimited plants and plots, and 100 photos every month. |
| 100 photos | $4.99, one-time. 100 identifications or diagnoses that never expire. No subscription needed. |
What counts as a photo?
Each identification and each diagnosis uses one photo. Pro includes 100 a month, and the count starts again on the day of the month you subscribed, so you can use them all in one busy Saturday.
What is the 100-photo pack for?
Two kinds of gardener. Someone on Basic who only wants to name or check a few plants can buy photos without a subscription. And a Pro gardener who has used the month's 100 can buy more instead of waiting. A pack never expires and never renews; buy another whenever you need it.
What happens if Pro ends?
Nothing is deleted. Your first three plants stay open, and the rest wait, visible but locked, until you come back to Pro. Your log and your history are kept.
How do I cancel?
In the App Store under your Apple ID → Subscriptions, or in the app from Pro → Manage. Pro renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period, and stays on until the time you paid for runs out. Prices are in US dollars; the App Store shows the price for your country.
Privacy
What happens to my photos?
A photo leaves your phone only when you tap to identify or diagnose it. It is shrunk first, answered, and not stored on any server. The AI that answers it does not use it to train models. The photo and its answer stay in the gallery on your phone until you delete them.
Are there ads, or tracking?
No ads, and plantu does not sell your data or build a profile of you. The privacy policy lists exactly what is collected and why.