About Planta's watering schedule

Planta’s watering schedule is calculated based on a set of designated algorithms. These algorithms take into account a number of different factors. As a result, each of your plants is then automatically given a unique schedule of tasks to best help it thrive.

Our database includes thousands of plants, each with different care needs. The parameters that we use to determine your individual plant’s needs include: 

1. The type of plant – each plant has a specific environment to which they are most suited, such as tropical or arid etc. As such, they develop to suit their environment, meaning that they can each have very different watering needs. For instance, desert plants need far less frequent watering than a tropical plant, as they are accustomed to drier weather conditions. Additionally, the plant’s hardiness zone is also considered here.  
2. Location – your geographic location/local climate also affects how often your plant needs watering. 
3. Current season – for many plants, the required frequency of watering changes over the course of a year based upon whether it is the warm season or cold season. As such, the watering schedule adjusts to compensate for this.
4. Live weather - Planta will notify you when it has rained in your location and has an easy way to mark all plants in a site as watered, Planta will also notify you when the weather is too hot, too cold, a storm is coming, there’s heavy rain, or a low amount of sunlight - whenever your plants might need extra care. 
5. Temperature at site – each individual site where you keep your plants may have different temperature levels, especially when comparing indoor and outdoor sites. This also has an impact on your watering schedule.
6. Hours of daylight exposure (per day) – how much daylight your plant is exposed to on a daily basis is important when determining how much water it needs.
7. Pot type – Planta also takes into account the size of the pot and the type of pot that your plant is in, such as the material that the pot is made from and whether the pot has holes in the bottom. Porous materials such as terracotta allow for the soil to ‘breathe’, whereas non-porous materials, like plastic, trap moisture and will therefore require less frequent watering. Having holes in the bottom of the pot will allow for improved drainage, as there is an outlet for excess water to escape the pot. If there aren’t holes in the pot, your plant is more susceptible to root rot.
8. Pot size - When determining how much water your plants need it's important to know how big the pot is.
9. Soil type - To optimize and make the care schedule more accurate we need to know what type of soil the plant has been potted in
10. Humidity of the site – each of your sites may have different humidity needs, which will also impact your plant’s watering requirements. Therefore, we take into account whether the air is dry, normal, or if you have a high humidity level.
11. Light conditions at the site - each site (room) in your home may have varying light conditions which impact a plant's watering need. For example, plants situated in full sun will require a different amount of water to those placed in shadow. 
12. Grow lights - For each plant you have the option under plant settings to select if your plant is under a grow light. Planta will take into account that you are using grow lights when creating a care schedule.  
13. Heater/AC - Air conditioning and heaters can affect the care and health of your plants

At Planta, we are constantly working to update and improve our algorithms, which is why we always welcome feedback.