Plant Parenthood Made Simple: Apps for Keeping Your Plants Healthy

Plants not only drastically elevate the aesthetics of your interior decoration, but they also come with many other advantages such as better air quality and reduced stress levels, anxiety and fatigue. If you decide to do some home gardening and grow some herbs or flowering plants, our selection of plant apps will help you to take care of your greeneries even if it is your first time doing it.

Blossom

Catered to both experienced gardeners and newbies, Blossom holds a Webby award for being one of the best apps for taking care of plants. It is programmed to help you through every step of growing your plant. It includes features such as setting reminders for watering your plants based on the size of the pot and the weather and identifying any disease your plant may have and providing tips to nurse them. However, if you will need more assistance, the app even has botanical experts who are online day and night to assist you.

For those curious minds who would like to learn more about their plants or the ones growing in their neighbourhood, Blossom knows about 12 thousand plant species so all you need to do is click some pictures and the app will use its artificial intelligence technology to tell you everything you will need to know about the plant.

Download on ios or Android.
Price: HK$29.90/month

Plantin

Herbs, shrubs, succulents, flowers or whichever type of plant you own or would like to learn about, you can undoubtedly rely on this app called Plantin which literally has a database consisting of information about more than 16 thousand plants. With such wide data, this app can effortlessly aid with taking care of both healthy plants and dying ones which will need extra care and attention.

Plantin’s main goal is to make gardening more fun and for this, the app is built in a manner that makes plant parenting easy for everyone. All you need to do is scan your plant and the app will let you know the ideal environmental conditions required for it to grow well. It focuses on factors like sunlight, humidity, temperature and more. Simultaneously, plant parents can also communicate with other botanical enthusiasts to share their gardening journey.

Download on ios or Android.
Price: HK$778

Gardenia

Gardenia is an app that is most suited for house plants like herbs and vegetables you would typically grow on your terrace or balcony. Once you let the app know which plant you own in your garden, it will give you tailored information on the right portion of water, the proper fertilisers and pesticides and even the perfect placement for your potted plants so that it is exposed to the correct amount of sunlight.

Whether you have one plant or more, the app has an inbuilt tracker which allows you to set alarms in order to care for them individually. In addition to all this, Gardenia also pays attention to the daily weather and other environmental conditions of your surroundings so that the guidance provided by the app is more tailored and accurate.

Download on ios or Android.
Price: Free

PlantSnap

With an aim to get the younger generations interested in gardening, PlantSnap is an app that has collaborated with Snapchat so that you can record and share your gardening journey with your friends using cool snaps. On top of that, PantSnap has one of the largest collections of plants in its database with the app being able to recognise more than 600 thousand plants while also translating the details into nearly 40 languages thus making the app user-friendly for more people.

However, PlantSnap is limited to only helping with the identification and cannot actually help you with taking care of the plants. But, given that the app can apparently identify 90 per cent of the species around the world, this could be a go-to source if the other apps don’t have information about your plant in them.

Download on ios or Android.
Price: Free

Seven cool new hobbies to pick up during quarantine

There is no debate in saying that success is attributed to a combination of skill,  discipline and hard work, but even the most successful of people can attest to the fact that productivity is also an effect of creativity, patience and happiness. Several studies  published on the US National Library of Medicine found that a drop in performance in the workforce is often a result of ‘burnout’, a state of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. In countering these effects, we have listed seven active and enjoyable skill-levelling hobbies that promote a healthier and happier work-life balance. 

Mahjong
A thrilling, fast-paced tile-based game originating in China. Playing the game involves a level of skill, strategy and a whole lot of luck. Not only does it improve a person’s memory and sharpens the mind by training the brain to make faster decisions and better observations, it is also a social game which many enjoy bonding over. 

Rock Climbing
This extreme sport is no doubt a test of strength and flexibility that increases the body’s endurance and fitness level rapidly, but it also works out a person’s mental fortitude, improves focus, and reduces emotional stress. The city has plenty of indoor climbing facilities as well as popular cliff-side spots for seasoned climbers. (Check out our guide to extreme sports in Hong Kong here.)

Piano
Music therapy is no stranger to the studies of emotions and brain function, such as an increase in attention span, coordination and language skills, but did you know that learning the piano can also reduce heart and respiratory rates? In sync with the tempo and rhythm of the musical notes can help regulate the body’s breath and heart beat, reducing cardiac complications and lowering blood pressure.

Cross Stitching
With nothing but a punch needle, one might find relief from the overwhelming pressure of urban lifestyle. A past-time that has been enjoying its spotlight on social media and online niche-craft stores, the calming process of this activity helps develops creativity, patience and discipline as well as allow the body and mind to reconnect, serving as an effective stress reliever. On top of that, you can create beautiful keepsakes and mementos to gift your loved ones afterwards.

Gardening
Although a hobby that is often imagined for older bodies, it is an activity that can surprisingly burn a lot of calories. From pulling weeds to planting flowers, it can help burn up to 400 calories per hour, relieving stress and promoting creativity at the same time. An upward moving trend in the city at the moment, small-scale gardens of potted flowers and herbs on balconies and rooftops are the perfect alternative for apartment dwellers.

Martial Arts
Practising any type of martial arts often come with the discipline and philosophy of its practice. Training emotional management, self-discipline and both mental and physical resilience and fortitude, one can find that a boost in self-esteem, assertiveness and emotional stability would be an advantageous outcome of exploring the positive effects of learning this physical art form.  

Bridge
There may be more to card games than we assume. Bridge in particular is a social game that is enjoyed even by the likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. Involving a level of strategy, deduction, concentration and visualisation, it is a game that helps  sharpen the mind as well as build meaningful social interactions and strengthen communication and teamwork skills. 

From passion to action: Hobbies to bring out your creativity

Our hobbies are the most aspirational reflections of who we are, and in trying times, spending time on the things we love will serve a multitude of health benefits for our mental and emotional well-being. Whether just to fill the weekend or pivot to a dream career, you can try your hand in creative interests like these hobbies that can turn your passion into action.

From passion to action Unique craft hobbies to try gafencu magazine ring making and gem setting (2)
Image from Oberllery

Jewellery Making

Enter the dazzling world of jewelry with a hands-on experience of traditional craftsmanship of jewellery making. Explore the use of tools and the understanding of techniques, skills, and the theory of gemology through this hobby that will give gem enthusiasts a deeper appreciation and respect for the making of fine jewelry. 

Where to go: 

Oberllery

Hatton Jewellery Institute

L’école

From passion to action Unique craft hobbies to try gafencu magazine leather shoe making
Image from shoe artistry

Leather Shoe Making

Fashion-forward men and women know that leather shoes are a premium type of footwear that is known for its light-weight, durable and supple material. Bespoke leather shoes are forms that bring pride to both the artisan and the wearer. Go beyond appreciation with this hobby by learning to manage traditional tools and techniques that make leather shoemaking a globally respected trade.  

Where to go:

itseducation.asia

Shoe artistry

From passion to action Unique craft hobbies to try gafencu magazine flower arrangement
Image from Solomon Bloemen

Flower Arrangement

Not just for the adornment of the home and workspace, flower arrangement, as a hobby, offers several benefits such as manual dexterity, sensory stimulation and an outlet for reducing stress. It’s no wonder this art form has been growing in popularity within the city. 

Where to go:

The Hong Kong Academy of Flower Arrangement

Kado Studio

Solomon Bloemen

From passion to action Unique craft hobbies to try gafencu magazine terrarium build
Image from Bonart

Build ATerrarium

Discover the calming experience of miniature gardening. With just a couple of hours of careful tray planting and focused arrangement, similar to exercising green thumbs with flower arrangement, this hobby could help the extremely stressed city folk with concentration and finding calm in their busy lives.    

Where to go:

Bonart

Glass Farm

From passion to action Unique craft hobbies to try gafencu magazine pottery and ceramics
Image from Touch Ceramics

Pottery Making and Ceramics Painting

Another craft hobby that has gained in popularity in the city is pottery making and ceramic painting. With a booming art scene in the city as it grows its global reputation as an art hub, pottery and cermic arts are not praised for its aesthetics but the process equips students with practical techniques and is also commonly used as a theraputic outlet for creative expression and a unique experience of culture and history.

Touch Ceramics

Waka Artisans

Tung Yao Ceramics