Core Concepts - How PlantKeeper Works

🎯 What You'll Learn

• Data model - How PlantKeeper organizes information
• Core entities - Plants, reminders, diary, growth
• Relationships - How features connect
• Workflows - Common usage patterns
• Philosophy - Design principles behind the system

⚡ Quick Start

PlantKeeper in 3 Concepts:

1. Plants - Your collection (central entity)
2. Care Activities - What you do (water, fertilize, prune)
3. Automatic Tracking - System logs everything for you

That's It! Everything else builds on this foundation.

📚 Complete Guide

The Plant Entity

Central to Everything

What Is a Plant?

A Plant Record Contains:

Identity

• Name (your custom name)
• Species (scientific + common name)
• Nickname (optional, personal)

Physical Attributes

• Current height
• Leaf count
• Pot size
• Soil type

Location & Environment

• Room location
• Light exposure
• Temperature range
• Humidity level

History

• Acquisition date
• Source (where you got it)
• Purchase price
• Time in your collection

Media

• Multiple photos
• Primary photo for display
• Progress photos over time

Plant = Complete Profile of your plant's identity, environment, and history.

Plant as Central Hub

All Features Connect to Plants:

         🌱 PLANT
            │
    ┌───────┼───────┐
    │       │       │
    ⏰      📔      📈
Reminders  Diary   Growth
    │       │       │
    └───────┴───────┘
         🤖
    Plant Doctor

Everything Links Back: Every reminder, diary entry, measurement, and consultation belongs to a plant.

The Care Activity System

What You Do to Plants

Activity Types

Core Care Activities:

💧 Watering

• Most frequent activity
• Can be scheduled or on-demand
• Records amount (optional)
• Creates diary entry automatically

🌱 Fertilizing

• Scheduled activity
• Records fertilizer type
• Tracks NPK ratio
• Creates diary entry

✂️ Pruning

• Occasional activity
• Records what was pruned (leaves, stems, roots)
• Tracks before/after photos
• Creates diary entry

🔄 Repotting

• Infrequent activity (every 1-2 years)
• Records pot size change
• Tracks soil type change
• Resets growth baseline (optional)

🐛 Pest Treatment

• Reactive activity
• Records pest type
• Tracks treatment method
• Follow-up reminders
• Creates diary entry with photos

📝 Observation

• General notes
• No action required
• Documents plant changes
• Creates diary entry

Activity Lifecycle

How Activities Flow Through System:

1. Trigger

• Scheduled: Reminder fires → notification
• Manual: You decide it's time
• Reactive: Notice problem → take action

2. Action

• Click "Complete" on reminder
• Or use quick action button
• Or add diary entry manually

3. Recording

• System creates diary entry
• Logs date/time
• Captures notes (optional)
• Links to plant

4. Next Cycle

• If recurring: Schedule next occurrence
• Update plant's "Last [Activity]" timestamp
• Recalculate health score

The Reminder System

Proactive Care Scheduling

Reminder Concept

What Is a Reminder?

A scheduled prompt to perform a care activity on a specific plant at a future date/time.

Key Attributes:

• Plant - Which plant
• Activity Type - What to do (water, fertilize, etc.)
• Frequency - How often (recurring)
• Next Due - When it's due next
• Notifications - How to remind you (push, email)

Reminder Types

Recurring Reminders

Most Common:

• Repeat on schedule (every X days/weeks)
• Auto-reschedule when completed
• Examples: Watering every 7 days, fertilizing monthly

One-Time Reminders

Occasional:

• Fire once, then done
• Don't auto-reschedule
• Examples: Repot in spring, prune this weekend

Conditional Reminders (Future)

Smart Reminders:

• Based on conditions (temperature, season, growth stage)
• Coming in future updates

Reminder States

Active

• Scheduled, will fire at due date/time
• Shows in reminder list
• Sends notifications

Paused

• Temporarily disabled (e.g., winter dormancy)
• Doesn't send notifications
• Can be resumed anytime

Completed

• Historical record
• Action was performed
• Archived (doesn't show in active list)

Smart Rescheduling

System Learns Your Patterns:

Scenario: Water every 7 days

• Reminder Due: Monday 9 AM
• You Water: Tuesday 3 PM (1 day late)
• Next Reminder: Tuesday (7 days from actual watering, not original due date)

Philosophy: Schedule from actual action, not original reminder.

Benefit: Reminders stay realistic to your actual care patterns.

The Diary System

Automatic Activity Log

Diary Concept

What Is the Diary?

An automatic timeline of everything that happens to your plants.

Two Entry Types:

1. Auto-Created: System generates when you complete actions
2. Manual: You add observations, notes, photos

Auto-Created Entries

System Logs These Automatically:

Care Activities

• ✅ Watered (from completing reminder or quick action)
• ✅ Fertilized
• ✅ Pruned
• ✅ Repotted
• ✅ Treated for pests

System Events

• 🌱 Plant added to collection
• ✏️ Plant information edited
• 📷 New photos uploaded
• 📍 Location changed
• 🤖 Plant Doctor consultation

You Don't Need to Remember: System tracks everything.

Manual Entries

You Can Add:

Observations

• "New leaf unfurling! 🎉"
• "Leaves look a bit droopy today"
• "Beautiful variegation on latest leaf"

Problems Noticed

• "Found spider mites on underside of leaves"
• "Brown tips on several leaves"
• "Soil staying wet too long"

Experiments

• "Moved to brighter location to test"
• "Started using rainwater instead of tap"
• "Reduced watering frequency"

Progress Notes

• "Plant has doubled in size since spring!"
• "First flowers appeared today!"
• "Cutting has rooted successfully"

Diary Entry Structure

Every Entry Has:

Required

• Date/Time - When it happened (default: now)
• Entry Type - Category (watered, observation, etc.)
• Plant(s) - Which plant(s) affected

Optional

• Notes - Text description
• Photos - Visual documentation
• Tags - Keywords for filtering (#firstflower, #propagation)
• Measurements - If recording growth

Diary as Timeline

Chronological History:

Oct 24, 2025 - 3:15 PM
💧 Watered
Notes: "Soil was dry 2 inches down"

Oct 22, 2025 - 10:30 AM  
📝 Observation
Notes: "New leaf unfurling, looks healthy"
Photos: [new-leaf.jpg]

Oct 17, 2025 - 9:00 AM
💧 Watered

Oct 10, 2025 - 9:00 AM
💧 Watered
🌱 Fertilized (half strength)

Visual History: See care patterns, frequency, progress over time.

Growth Tracking System

Quantitative Progress

Growth Concept

What Is Growth Tracking?

Periodic measurements of quantifiable plant attributes to track progress over time.

Two Approaches:

1. Structured Measurements - Height, leaf count (quantitative)
2. Visual Progress - Photos over time (qualitative)

Measurable Attributes

Height (Most Common)

• Measure from soil surface to highest point
• Record in cm or inches
• Track over time → growth rate

Leaf Count

• Count all healthy leaves
• Exclude dying/dead leaves
• Track over time → leaf production rate

Spread/Width (Optional)

• Widest point of plant
• Useful for bushy plants (pothos, ferns)

Stem Count (Optional)

• For multi-stem plants
• Tracks branching

Custom Measurements (Premium)

• Trunk diameter (trees)
• Flower count
• Fruit production
• Any numeric metric

Growth Data Over Time

Creates Charts:

Height Chart 📏

• X-axis: Time (days/months)
• Y-axis: Height (cm)
• Shows: Growth curve

Leaf Count Chart 🍃

• X-axis: Time
• Y-axis: Leaf count
• Shows: Leaf production rate

Growth Rate

• Calculated automatically
• "2.5 cm/month average"
• Identifies growth spurts or stalls

Growth Milestones

System Detects:

Size Milestones

• 🎉 Doubled in height (from baseline)
• 🎉 Doubled leaf count
• 🎉 Reached [X] cm tall

Time Milestones

• 🎂 1 month in collection
• 🎂 6 months in collection
• 🎂 1 year anniversary

Achievement Milestones (Premium)

• 🏆 Fastest growing plant (in your collection)
• 🏆 Most leaves produced (this month)
• 🏆 Biggest growth spurt (X cm in 1 week)

Notifications: Celebrate progress! 🎉

Growth Context

Correlate with Care:

Diary + Growth

• See care activities on growth chart
• Identify: Did repotting cause growth spurt?
• Correlate: More fertilizer = faster growth?

Environment + Growth

• Track: Does location change affect growth?
• Compare: Plants in bright light vs low light

Insight: Understand what helps your plants thrive.

Plant Doctor AI

Expert Consultation System

Plant Doctor Concept

What Is Plant Doctor?

An AI-powered plant care consultant that provides:

• Plant identification
• Health diagnosis
• Care advice
• Treatment plans

Think of it as: A botanist available 24/7 for your plant questions.

How Plant Doctor Fits

Complements Other Features:

Identification → Add Plant

1. Upload photo to Plant Doctor
2. AI identifies species
3. Use species to add plant with correct care info

Diagnosis → Treatment Plan

1. Notice problem (brown leaves)
2. Ask Plant Doctor with photos
3. Get diagnosis + treatment
4. Create reminders for treatment
5. Track progress in diary

Care Questions → Better Care

1. Ask species-specific question
2. Get expert advice
3. Adjust care schedule
4. Document changes in diary

Plant Doctor Data Integration

Consultations Link to Plants:

Auto-Link

• Upload photo → AI detects plant → Links to your plant record
• Or manually select plant from your collection

Consultation History

• Saved per plant
• View past consultations in Plant Details
• Track: What advice was given? Did it work?

Progress Tracking

• "Report back" feature
• Tell AI if treatment worked
• Refines future advice

Data Relationships

How Everything Connects

Plant → Features (One-to-Many)

One Plant Has:

• Multiple reminders (water, fertilize, prune)
• Multiple diary entries (care log)
• Multiple growth measurements (timeline)
• Multiple photos (gallery)
• Multiple consultations (Plant Doctor history)

Feature → Plant (Many-to-One)

Each Feature Links Back:

• Reminder → belongs to one plant
• Diary Entry → belongs to one plant (or multiple if bulk action)
• Growth Measurement → belongs to one plant
• Photo → belongs to one plant
• Consultation → belongs to one plant

Cross-Feature Relationships

Features Interact:

Reminder + Diary

• Complete reminder → auto-creates diary entry
• Diary shows all completed reminders

Diary + Growth

• Recording growth → creates diary entry
• Growth chart shows diary events

Plant Doctor + Diary

• Consultation saved → creates diary entry
• Diary shows when you consulted AI

Plant Doctor + Reminders

• Treatment plan → suggests reminders
• Follow-up care → creates reminder

Data Flow Example

Complete Workflow:

1. Reminder fires: "Water Monstera" (9 AM)
   ↓
2. You complete reminder (click ✅)
   ↓
3. System creates diary entry: "Watered" (auto)
   ↓
4. Plant's "Last Watered" updates (now)
   ↓
5. Next reminder scheduled (7 days from now)
   ↓
6. Health score recalculates (watered on time = healthy)
   ↓
7. Dashboard updates (task removed from "Today")

Cascading Updates: One action triggers multiple system updates.

Core Workflows

Common Usage Patterns

Workflow 1: Daily Care Routine

Morning Check (2 minutes):

1. Open PlantKeeper → Dashboard
2. Check "Today's Tasks" (3 tasks)
3. Complete each task:
   • Water 2 plants (quick action)
   • Fertilize 1 plant
4. System auto-logs all activities
5. Dashboard now shows 0 tasks 🎉

Result: Plants cared for, everything logged, zero manual entry.

Workflow 2: Adding New Plant

Complete Setup (5 minutes):

1. Purchase new plant
2. Open PlantKeeper → Add Plant
3. Fill details (name, species, location)
4. Take photo
5. Set watering reminder (every 7 days)
6. Save plant
7. Add diary entry: "Just brought home from nursery!"

Result: Plant in system, care scheduled, initial state documented.

Workflow 3: Investigating Problem

Diagnosis + Treatment (10 minutes):

1. Notice brown leaf tips on Monstera
2. Take photos of affected leaves
3. Open Plant Doctor → Upload photos
4. Ask: "Why does my Monstera have brown tips?"
5. AI diagnoses: Low humidity + salt buildup
6. Follow treatment plan:
   • Flush soil with water
   • Increase humidity (daily misting)
   • Use filtered water
7. Create reminder: "Mist leaves" (daily)
8. Add diary entry: "Started treatment for brown tips"
9. Set reminder: "Check if brown tips improved" (in 2 weeks)

Result: Problem diagnosed, treatment planned, tracking in place.

Workflow 4: Monthly Review

Track Progress (15 minutes):

1. Open Growth Tracking
2. Review growth charts (last 3 months)
3. Identify: Which plants grew fastest?
4. Open Diary → Filter last month
5. Review: Any patterns? (care frequency, problems, experiments)
6. Update care schedules if needed:
   • Increase watering for fast-growers
   • Adjust fertilizing frequency
7. Take progress photos (for next comparison)

Result: Understand trends, optimize care, prepare for next month.

Workflow 5: Seasonal Transition

Prepare for Winter (30 minutes):

1. Open My Plants → Select all plants
2. Bulk action: Reduce watering frequency (every 10 days instead of 7)
3. Pause fertilizing reminders (dormant season)
4. Add diary entry to all: "Winter care schedule started"
5. For tropical plants specifically:
   • Increase misting reminders
   • Move away from cold windows (update location)
6. Set reminder: "Resume spring care schedule" (March 1)

Result: All plants adjusted for season, reminders paused/modified.

System Philosophy

Design Principles

1. Automatic > Manual

System Does the Work:

• Complete reminder → auto-creates diary entry
• Quick action → auto-logs and reschedules
• Plant Doctor → auto-links to plant

You Focus On: Caring for plants, not data entry.

2. Flexible, Not Rigid

No Penalties:

• Miss a watering reminder? No problem, complete when ready
• Don't know exact date? Estimate is fine
• Skip optional fields? Totally okay

System Adapts: To your schedule and style.

3. Context-Aware

Smart Defaults:

• Species selected → care schedule auto-suggested
• Activity completed → relevant next steps shown
• Problem detected → Plant Doctor recommends solutions

Less Thinking: System suggests what to do next.

4. Connected, Not Siloed

Features Integrate:

• Reminders ↔ Diary ↔ Growth ↔ Plant Doctor
• Data flows between features
• Cross-references everywhere

Holistic View: See complete plant health picture.

5. Progressive Disclosure

Start Simple, Add Complexity:

• Day 1: Add plant, set watering reminder (2 fields)
• Week 1: Add more plants, explore diary (3 features)
• Month 1: Track growth, use Plant Doctor (5 features)
• Month 3+: Bulk actions, analytics, custom schedules (10+ features)

Learn Gradually: Never overwhelming, always discoverable.

💡 Tips & Tricks

Start with One Workflow

Master One Pattern First:

• Week 1: Daily care routine only
• Week 2: Add growth tracking
• Week 3: Use Plant Doctor for questions

Don't Try Everything: Build habits progressively.

Trust the System

Let Auto-Logging Work:

• Complete reminders normally (don't worry about diary)
• System creates entries automatically
• Check diary weekly to see complete history

Surprise: You'll realize how much you've done!

Use Diary as Notebook

Brain Dump Plant Thoughts:

• Random observations
• Questions to research later
• Experiments to try
• Photos of inspiration plants

Low Friction: Quick notes now, organize later (or never).

Review Monthly

15-Minute Monthly Ritual:

• First Saturday of month
• Review growth charts
• Read diary highlights
• Adjust care schedules
• Plan next month experiments

Benefits: Stay on top of collection, spot trends early.

Embrace Incompleteness

Perfect Data Not Required:

• Missing acquisition date? Estimate or skip
• Forgot to log watering? Add manual diary entry
• Don't have photos? Take next time

Goal: Track progress, not achieve data perfection.

❓ Common Questions

Q: Do I need to manually create diary entries?

A: Rarely! System auto-creates entries when you:

• Complete reminders
• Use quick actions (Water, Fertilize)
• Record growth measurements
• Consult Plant Doctor

Manual Entries: Only for observations, experiments, or problems you notice.

Q: What happens if I miss a reminder?

A: Nothing bad!

• Reminder stays visible until completed
• No penalties or negative effects
• Health score eventually reflects overdue care (yellow/red status)
• Complete whenever you actually perform the task

System Flexibility: Life happens, PlantKeeper understands.

Q: Can I track plants without reminders?

A: Yes! Reminders are optional:

• Add plant without any reminders
• Use quick actions when you care for plant (manual triggering)
• System still logs activities in diary

Use Case: Experienced plant parents who water "when soil is dry" (not on schedule).

Q: How does Plant Doctor know my specific plant?

A: Three ways:

1. Photo Upload: AI analyzes photo → identifies plant from your collection
2. Manual Selection: You choose plant from dropdown
3. Context: If asking from plant details page, auto-links

Smart Linking: Consultation history saved per plant.

Q: What if I delete a plant?

A: Careful! Deleting removes:

• ❌ Plant record
• ❌ All reminders for that plant
• ❌ All diary entries for that plant
• ❌ All growth measurements
• ❌ All photos
• ❌ All Plant Doctor consultations

Alternative: Archive plant instead:

• ✅ Hides from active collection
• ✅ Keeps all historical data
• ✅ Can un-archive later

Recommendation: Archive, don't delete (unless test data).

Q: Can I export my data?

A: Yes! (Premium feature)

• Export individual plant data (CSV)
• Export diary (PDF timeline)
• Export growth data (CSV)
• Export photos (ZIP)

Free Plan: View and screenshot data, but no export function.

🔗 Related Topics

Essential Reading

• Quick Start Guide - Get started in 5 minutes
• Understanding Interface - Navigate PlantKeeper

Deep Dives

• Creating Reminders - Reminder system explained
• Creating Diary Entries - Diary system deep dive
• Recording Growth - Growth tracking guide

Advanced

• Plant Doctor Consultation - AI system overview
• Bulk Operations - Manage many plants

Last Updated: October 24, 2025
Document Version: 2.0 (Modular Structure)