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I’m proud to say that I’m a plant mom, albeit not a very good one.

The 2OV team watched on in horror as the cactus on my desk at work slowly died.

The palm in my living room suffered a similar fate, as did the herb garden on my balcony.

I have managed to keep a few alive, including a hardy ficus that I’ve named Jerry. He survived two moves and the time (okay, it was more than just the one time) that I spilt wine on him. His leaves did take on a red hue for a while.

If, like me, you don’t have a green thumb but want to keep up with the indoor plant trend, there are a few apps out there that make it a little easier to keep them healthy.

Mashable did the work of rounding them up, so that you don’t have to.

Best App Overall: Planta

Image: Planta

Planta will take care of all your plant problems, but only if you upgrade to Planta Premium.

Still, there’s plenty to love about what the app offers for free: You can log the different species of plants you have at home, manually keep track of the light intensity of the room in which they’re placed, and get push notifications about when you should water them based on the weather in your area.

The app’s best free feature? Detailed instructions about different watering methods — water over the soil, bottom watering, or water bath — based on your baby’s needs.

If you upgrade to Premium, you’ll get fertilising, misting, repotting, and pruning instructions and reminders.

For those of you out there who have become serial plant killers, it might not be a bad idea to invest in keeping the remaining plants alive.

Best Free App: Florish

Image: Florish

There’s nothing better than a free app, and while Florish doesn’t have as many features as Planta, it has a lot going for it.

Manually enter your plant babies’ species into the app, and you’ll get a brief description of what your plants should look like when they’re healthy, care instructions with their water and light preferences, and a list of common issues that cause them to fall ill. But the app doesn’t just tell you what your plants need; it also teaches you to fulfil those needs with watering reminders and plant care tips.

Another cool feature uses your phone camera to measure the light intensity of different areas in your home so that you can find the perfect spot for your plant.

Most Informative: Blossom

Image: Blossom

If you’ve tried to Google information about your plant, you’ve probably found an overwhelming number of articles by smug horticulturalists that you don’t understand.

[Blossom] is split into four bottom tabs: a “search” tab that functions like a library for detailed plant descriptions and care tips, an “explore” tab for discovering new plants, a “reminders” tab for setting up push notifications for watering, fertilizing, and repotting, and a “my garden” tab designed for quick access to information about your plants.

Sure, it doesn’t have fancy features like light measurement, but it will tell you everything that you need to know about your plant.

Best For Saving Sick Plants: PictureThis

Image: PictureThis

Remember that deceased palm I told you about earlier? The cause of death was mealybugs. They’re tiny, disgusting, parasitic bugs that suck the vital nutrients out of your plant. I know this because I downloaded PictureThis.

Like many other apps on the list, PictureThis comes with a camera-enabled plant identifier and detailed plant care guides. But once you upgrade to either the gold or premium membership, the app will also let you access tools that no other app offers: an AI that diagnoses your sick plants, as well as a community forum for troubleshooting and sharing tips.

You have to pay to upgrade, but if you’re plagued by sick plants, it’s worth it.

Keeping Track Of Progress: ThePlantMe

Image: ThePlantMe

The clean, simple design makes it easy for you to identify and keep track of your plants.

To start, search for your babies in the app’s database and add them to your list. Toggle one tab over to “your plants,” and you’ll see a lineup of plants you’ve added. Think of them as Pokémon cards for plants. Open up the card for a description of the plant’s needs and to set up schedules and reminders for watering and fertilizing.

With the ‘history’ feature, you can upload a picture of your plant every now and then, giving you a visual record of the progress you’ve made in keeping it alive.

This is particularly great if you’re growing something from scratch.

To all the struggling plant moms out there: keep going, there’s hope!

Jerry just sprouted a new leaf.

[source:mashable]