The search function allows you to look up plants and grasses multiple ways, such as by their common or scientific name or even the plants’ USDA zone or color. $4.99 and a pro upgrade gives users the ability to add their own plants, pictures and notes. New plants and photos are updated periodically free of charge. Platform: iOS.
landscape professionals since it allows users to design, organize and save information on multiple gardens. Free. Platform: Android and iOS.
Dirr’s Shrub and Tree Finder
Turfpath assists with the visual identification of turfgrass pests. It hosts a database of diseases, insects and weeds with a description and image gallery to aid in identification. Turfpath is also integrated with various social networks and allows users to share their own images for help from others in troubleshooting the cause and help with tracking infestation trends. Free. Platform: Android and iOS.
This app is a pocket version of the renowned Dirr’s book with 1,670 species and 7,800 cultivars with 7,600 highquality images and more than 1,120 line drawings. The plant database is searchable by 72 criteria, including hardiness zones, water and light requirements, growth characteristics, flowers, fruits and fall colors. The app offers the latest and most reliable information on woody landscape plants. $14.99. Platform: iOS Armitage’s Greatest Perennials and Annuals In this app, Dr. Allan Armitage shares his knowledge and allows users to search plants and filter searches for annuals, perennials, full-sun, shade and other categories. $4.99 Platform: Android and iOS. Leafsnap Using visual recognition software, the software identifies trees from photographs of their leaves. Place the leaf from the tree in question on a white background and snap away! Currently only covering tree species of the Northeast United States, it will soon cover the entire USA as it is further developed by Columbia University, University of Mary-land and the Smithsonian Institution. Another similar app worth checking out: Tree ID for Northern America. Free. Platform: iOS Audubon Mobile Field Guides If it grows, crawls, slithers, wiggles, flies, swims, bites, or hops, it can be found in one or more of the Audubon Nature Guides. Visit http://www.audubonguides.com/fieldguides/mobile-apps.html for a listing of guide topics and prices. Platform: Android and iOS. RAIN GARDENS
PESTS & PATHOGENS Turfpath
ID Weeds Developed by University of Missouri Extension, this app helps to identify more than 400 plant species common to fields, pastures, lawns, gardens and pond areas. You can search for weeds by their common or Latin name, view a list of weeds, or identify weeds based upon 28 different characteristics. Details about each weed are presented, along with photographs of the weed specified. There are also “what’s this” links to provide more information to narrow your choices during the identification process. While developed for Missouri weeds, there are many weeds in the app common to the northeast. Free. Platform: An-droid and iOS. Purdue Tree Doctor, Purdue Annual Flower Doctor, and Purdue Perennial Flower Doctor A Purdue University entomologist, and plant pathologist teamed up to trees, annuals and perennials. Each application is searchable by the type of plant, symptoms, insects or disease and includes extensive images for comparisons to help users identify the problem. These apps provide the latest science-based recommendations on how to manage the specific pests. Recommendations start with cultural practices that prevent or minimize the problem, along with pesticide recommendations, if needed. Tree Doctor $1.99. Annual Doctor and Perennial Doctor $0.99 each. Platform: Android and iOS.
UConn Rain Garden
IRRIGATION
This app includes basic information about what rain gardens are and how they work, tools to help select a site and size of garden based on the area draining to it, guidelines to properly design and install a rain garden, and tips on maintaining your rain garden. There’s also a simple cost calculator to gauge cost. The app includes multiple short video tutorials to help users with each step of the process. Through the searchable Plant Selector tool, users can select native, noninvasive plants and their cultivars that are known to work well in rain gar-dens. The app is particularly useful to 54 54
Sprinkler Times Developed by a landscape contractor, this app uses regionally based, historical climate information and combines that with plant type, sprinkler type, soil type and sun exposure to generate a customized monthly schedule to determine the best watering settings for clients’ irrigation systems. $5.99, Platform: Android and iOS.
October/November/December October / November / December 2015
2015
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