The first thing Sneha does after getting up in the morning is spending some quiet time in her small garden. Routine tasks like watering the plants and turning the pots so they get sunlight uniformly make her feel so good that she forgets all her worries.
Spending time in the lap of nature is often therapeutic. Nature has a soothing effect and increases mental well-being.
Today we live in a world where there is a mobile application for everything. In other words, there is a solution to all your problems at your fingertips.
If you are a person who loves gardening but doesn’t know how to go aboutit, there are apps to give you all the gardening tips you will need.
Mitrabinda Misra, a Bangalore based IT professional, finds that gardening is a stress buster and she can spend hours working in her cosy little garden. She talks about the benefits that these gardening apps offer.
“A lot of us are budding home gardeners butmay have very little knowledge about gardening. By using these gardening apps, one can get plant care advice and tips from fellow gardeners in the community. The appsalso allow you to keep a check on the watering and fertilising schedule. A most beneficial one is the plant identification app where you just post a picture of the plant and in seconds you get all the details about it.”
Mitrabinda adds that these apps are user-friendly and they havea huge community of fellow gardeners and gardening enthusiasts, who share their queries, gardening experiences and useful tips.
Elsie Gabriel’s attributes her interest in nature to her father. Her parents were professors in West Bengal, and every morning, they used to water the plants that they nurtured. But today, she says, the kids do not know where wheat flour comes from, or where popcorn comes from. It’s very important for parents to inculcate in their children an interest in gardening.
A resident of Mumbai, Elsie feels that gardening apps are very useful, especially for those who do not have a green thumb. The apps providemany details about gardening like where to plant, in which season and thekind of soil that is suitable for a plant.
“The apps measure the progress in farming, gardening, flowering, and also save you from losing plants. Your grandparents, friends and family are not always available to assist you or guide you so the apps come in handy,” she adds.
Elsie has written a book ‘Get Out Get Going’ which is about spending some time with nature asa perfect detox. “Ecology is very healing. It’s an outdoor physical activity which enriches us as our plants grow and give fruits or flowers. It’s the right activity to getyou away from the mobile and TV,” she says.
Dr Amrita BasuMisra, Clinical Tutor ENT and Head-Neck Surgery from Malda, is of the opinion that gardening apps canbe helpful but they must be customised according to location, soil and weather. “Gardening has been a favouritepastime for me for the last couple of years as it promotes physical and mental wellbeing. The probiotic organisms living with plants are said to be inhaled by gardeners and have the mysterious effect of making gardeners happier. Apps are also helping children to appreciate nature. Green plants help improve the recovery rate even in hospitals.
Gardening apps
Want to have a garden of your own?Here are some apps that will surely come inuseful:
Garden Answers
One of the most useful tools for any gardener is a plant identifier. It helps identify any garden plant species, you just have to take a snap of the plant you want to identify, press ‘submit,’ and it will give you the answer.
SmartPlant
Not only does the SmartPlant app help you identify plants but it also provides a ‘Digital Care Calendar’ to reveal everything your garden, and the plants within it, need.
Gardening Companion
The Gardening Companion app can help you track your garden’s progress, help you care for your plants and give you access to a wealth of gardening knowledge.
My Soil
My soil is all about soil. It enables you to check the soil in your local area, in terms of soil type, depth, pH, soil temperature and organic matter content.
Plantifier
Plantifier helps with plant recognition. All you have to do is upload a photo of the unknown plant, and other users on the app can help you work out its identity. The app can also assist with caring for your garden, while tracking the growth of your flowers and plants.
Shabiha Nur Khatoon, OP