Editing Plants - Update Your Collection

🎯 What You'll Learn

• Access edit mode - Multiple ways to edit plant details
• What you can change - Editable vs permanent fields
• Bulk editing - Update multiple plants at once
• Best practices - When and how to update information

⚡ Quick Start

Edit a plant in 30 seconds:

1. Find plant in your collection
2. Click Edit icon (pencil ✏️) or three-dot menu
3. Change information - Any field you need
4. Save - Changes applied instantly

Result: Plant information updated, schedules adjusted if needed.

📚 Complete Guide

Accessing Edit Mode

There are several ways to edit a plant:

From Plant Card (List/Grid View)

Hover Method (Desktop):

• Hover over plant card
• Edit icon (✏️) appears in top-right
• Click to open edit form

Three-Dot Menu (All Devices):

• Click ⋯ (three dots) on plant card
• Select "Edit Plant" from menu
• Edit form opens

From Plant Detail Page

Edit Button:

• Open any plant's detail page
• Click "Edit" button (top-right)
• Full edit form appears

Quick Edit Icons:

• Some tabs have inline edit icons
• Click to edit specific section
• Example: Care tab → Edit watering frequency

Keyboard Shortcut

Power User Method:

• Select plant card (click to focus)
• Press E key
• Edit form opens instantly

What You Can Edit

Almost everything can be changed after adding a plant.

✅ Fully Editable Fields

Basic Information:

• Plant name
• Nickname
• Species (update if misidentified)
• Location
• Notes

Care Settings:

• Watering frequency
• Last watered date
• Light requirements
• Temperature preferences
• Humidity needs
• Fertilization schedule

Current State:

• Health status
• Current measurements (height, width, leaf count)
• Photos (add more, change primary)

Reminders:

• Add new reminders
• Edit existing reminders
• Delete reminders
• Change frequencies

🔒 Protected Fields

Cannot Change After Creation:

• Creation date in PlantKeeper (when you added it)
• Plant ID (internal system identifier)

Limited Changes:

• Acquisition date - Can edit, but shows when you got it (not when you added to app)
• Historical data - Can't edit past entries, only add new

Editing Single Plants

Edit Form Structure

Same as adding a plant, but pre-filled:

Sections:

1. Basic Information - Name, species, location
2. Care Settings - Watering, light, temp, humidity, fertilizer
3. Current State - Health, measurements, photos
4. Reminders - Active care reminders
5. Notes - Additional observations

Common Edit Scenarios

Scenario 1: Move Plant to New Location

1. Open edit mode
2. Change Location field
3. Save
4. Result: Location updated, plant filters accordingly

Example: "Living Room" → "Bedroom Window"

Scenario 2: Adjust Watering Frequency

1. Open edit mode
2. Navigate to Care Settings
3. Change Watering Frequency (e.g., Weekly → Every 5 days)
4. Update Last Watered Date if needed
5. Save
6. Result: Future watering reminders recalculated

Why: Plant needs changed (season, growth, pot size, etc.)

Scenario 3: Update Species After Identification

1. Use Plant Doctor AI to identify plant
2. Open edit mode
3. Enter correct Species name
4. Save
5. Result:
   • Species name updated
   • Care recommendations now accurate
   • Plant grouped correctly with same species

Scenario 4: Mark Plant as Unhealthy

1. Notice plant declining
2. Open edit mode → Current State
3. Change Health Status: Healthy → Needs Care
4. Add Notes: "Yellowing leaves, checking for overwatering"
5. Save
6. Result: Plant flagged in "Needs Attention" on dashboard

Bulk Editing Multiple Plants

Efficient way to update many plants at once.

Enabling Multi-Select Mode

Method 1: Checkbox Toggle

• Click "Select" button (top-right of plant list)
• Checkboxes appear on all plant cards
• Select plants you want to edit

Method 2: Long Press (Mobile)

• Long-press any plant card
• Card gets selected, checkboxes appear
• Tap additional plants to select

Selecting Plants

Individual Selection:

• Click/tap checkbox on each plant card
• Selected count shows at top

Bulk Selection:

• "Select All" - Check all visible plants
• "Select None" - Uncheck all
• "Select by Filter" - Select all matching criteria

Smart Selection Examples:

• Filter by Location ("Kitchen") → Select All → Edit
• Filter by Species ("Pothos") → Select All → Edit
• Filter by Health ("Needs Care") → Select All → Edit

Bulk Edit Operations

After selecting multiple plants, click "Bulk Edit" button.

Available Bulk Actions:

1. Change Location

   • Example: Moving 10 plants from "Living Room" to "Office"
   • All selected plants update location

2. Update Care Settings

   • Change watering frequency for multiple plants
   • Example: Reduce watering for all succulents in winter
   • Adjust light requirements together

3. Add Tags

   • Apply tags to selected plants
   • Example: Tag all outdoor plants with "Balcony Plants"

4. Change Health Status

   • Mark multiple plants as needing care
   • Example: After detecting pest infestation

5. Add to Collection

   • Group plants into custom collection
   • Example: "Beginner-Friendly Plants", "Propagation Projects"

Bulk Edit Form

How It Works:

• Only fields you change apply to all selected plants
• Empty fields = no change
• Confirmation before applying

Example - Moving Plants:

Selected: 8 plants
Change: Location → "Bedroom"
Leave Blank: All other fields
Result: Only location changes, rest stays same

Bulk Delete

Danger Zone:

• Select plants to delete
• Click "Delete Selected" (⚠️ red button)
• Confirm action
• Options:
  • Archive - Hide from active list (recommended, reversible)
  • Permanent Delete - Remove completely (⚠️ cannot undo)

Best Practice: Use Archive unless absolutely certain.

Edit Validation

PlantKeeper validates changes before saving.

Common Validation Errors

Error: "Plant name is required"
Fix: Enter a name (can't be empty)

Error: "Watering frequency must be at least 1 day"
Fix: Enter valid number (minimum 1)

Error: "Invalid date format"
Fix: Use date picker or enter as YYYY-MM-DD

Error: "Duplicate name in this location"
Fix: Use unique name or add differentiator (#1, #2, etc.)

Auto-Adjustments After Edits

Some edits trigger automatic recalculations:

Watering Frequency Changed:

• ✅ Future reminders rescheduled
• ✅ "Next watering" date recalculated
• ✅ Dashboard "Needs Water" updates

Location Changed:

• ✅ Plant moves in location-based views
• ✅ Location statistics update
• ✅ Filters apply new location

Health Status Changed:

• ✅ Dashboard "Needs Attention" count updates
• ✅ Plant appears/disappears from health filter
• ✅ Timeline shows status change event

💡 Tips & Tricks

Quick Edits

Single Field Updates:

• Don't need full edit form for small changes
• Some fields have inline edit icons
• Example: Click watering drop icon → Update last watered

Seasonal Adjustments

Winter Care Update (Bulk Edit):

1. Select all tropical plants
2. Bulk edit → Reduce watering frequency
3. Example: Weekly → Bi-weekly
4. Saves time vs editing individually

Spring Refresh (Bulk Edit):

1. Select all plants
2. Update health status → Healthy (fresh start)
3. Increase watering frequencies
4. Add fertilization reminders

Edit History

View Changes Over Time:

• Plant detail → Timeline/History tab
• See all edits with timestamps
• Example: "Watering frequency changed from 7 days to 5 days - Oct 15, 2025"

Undo Recent Changes

Can't Find Undo Button?:

• PlantKeeper saves immediately (no undo)
• Simply edit again to revert
• Check history tab to see previous values

❓ Common Questions

Q: Can I edit multiple plants' watering schedules at once?

A: Yes! Use bulk edit:

1. Select plants with similar needs
2. Click "Bulk Edit"
3. Change watering frequency
4. Apply to all selected

Perfect for seasonal adjustments or grouping similar plants.

Q: What happens to reminders when I change care settings?

A: They automatically recalculate:

• Watering frequency change → Next watering date adjusts
• Fertilization schedule change → Fertilizer reminders reschedule
• No manual adjustment needed - PlantKeeper handles it

Q: I accidentally deleted a plant. Can I recover it?

A: Depends on deletion method:

• Archived → Yes! Go to Settings → Archived Plants → Restore
• Permanently deleted → No, cannot recover (⚠️ be careful)

Recommendation: Always use Archive instead of Delete.

Q: Can I edit plants from the mobile app?

A: Yes, full editing available on mobile:

• Tap plant card → Three-dot menu → Edit
• Or swipe left on plant card → Edit icon
• All fields editable same as desktop

Q: How do I change the primary photo for a plant?

A: Edit mode → Current State → Photos section:

1. See all uploaded photos
2. Click "Set as Primary" on desired photo
3. Save
4. Result: New photo shows on plant card

🔗 Related Topics

Essential Reading

• Adding Plants - Create new plants (same form structure)
• Bulk Operations - Advanced multi-plant management

Editing Workflows

• Organizing Plants - Use tags, collections after editing
• Plant Details - Overview - See all editable information

Care Management

• Managing Reminders - Edit care reminders
• Recording Growth - Update measurements

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