# Blackthumb: Houseplant care — Reminder, Light Meter, Tracker

> Houseplant care app with light meter, reminders, and organization. (iPhone/iPad app by Lee Griffith.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackthumb-houseplant-care/id6763190267 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Lee Griffith](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895207393)
- Category: Lifestyle, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 3.50/5 from 4 App Store ratings · 3 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 61 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-06-11
- Data updated: 2026-08-31
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackthumb-houseplant-care/id6763190267/reviews.md

## What is Blackthumb?

Do your plants keep dying? You're not alone, and it's probably not your fault.

Most plants fail because of one problem: light. Too little and they slowly starve. Too much and they burn out. Blackthumb gives you a Light Score for every plant and location in your home so you finally know what's going on.

— LIGHT SCORE CALCULATOR
Stop guessing. Enter your light readings (in lux, fc, or PPFD) and Blackthumb calculates your plant's Daily Light Integral (DLI) — the actual amount of usable light it receives each day. See instantly whether your Monstera is getting enough light in that corner, or if your grow light is doing its job. Compare against your plant's ideal range and get a clear "too low / in range / too high" rating.

Track natural light and grow light separately. See a confidence score that improves as you log more readings. Powered by real plant science, not vague color zones.

— CARE REMINDERS THAT ACTUALLY WORK
Set reminders for watering, fertilizing, rotating, misting, pruning, repotting, pest treatment, and health checks — for any plant or location. Snooze what you need to, perform what's due, and never wonder "did I water that one?" again.

Sub-reminders make your care routine smarter: set a fertilizing reminder that automatically triggers every 3rd time you water. No manual tracking needed.

— ORGANIZE BY SPACE, NOT JUST SPECIES
Your plants live in specific places — a bright windowsill, a dim shelf, a grow tent. Blackthumb organizes around locations (Living Room, Bedroom, Balcony) so you can see everything in a space at once and manage care by room.

Create collections to group plants however makes sense to you: new cuttings, wishlist, plants to watch, seasonal rotation.

— FULL CARE HISTORY
Every watering, every fertilizer, every repot — logged with notes. See your plant's complete care timeline at a glance and spot patterns before problems start.

— FREE TO START, PREMIUM WHEN YOU'RE READY
Blackthumb is free to download. Start tracking your plants immediately. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited plants, unlimited locations, all reminder types, and the Light Score Calculator.

Built for people who kill plants — and want to stop.

https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Key features

- Light Score Calculator
- Customizable Care Reminders
- Organization by Location
- Full Care History Tracking
- Daily Light Integral (DLI) calculation
- Sub-reminders for smart care routines

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Access | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium Access | $3.99 | per month |


## Recent user reviews (3 of 3)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackthumb-houseplant-care/id6763190267/reviews.md

### 3/5 — good app but flows are inefficient

*2026-08-20*

the app is great but many common flows like recording light etc take way too many clicks and hopping between UIs. the app needs a UX designer touch. happy to revisit the rating hopefully soon when they got fixed.

### 1/5 — Horrible

*2026-08-20*

Don’t use all good things locked behind a payway 1 starrrrr

### 5/5 — Essential app for plant hobbyists!

*2026-07-07*

These are the types of developers we need to support!!

This app has it all! There’s reminders and logs for fertilization, watering, repotting, pest treatments, and tons of other stuff! It also has a built-in light meter, and details about how much light each plant in your collection needs. It will give you advice based on your inputs! I have been using it for 1 day and have already made changes in where my plants live in my house.

Very impressive and intuitive with many functionalities, all in one user-friendly app :) Usually to get these tools you have to download separate apps for each one or different physical products! 

Also, two weeks free for the light insights is really really cool. It keeps this knowledge accessible to all plant hobbyists at any level and breaks the idea that you need expensive tools to grow your plants well. Good on the developers <3 I will recommend this to all plant lovers I know!

**Developer response:** Thank you so much, we're glad your enjoying the app so far.
-Lee & Cal

## Frequently asked questions about Blackthumb

### What is the Light Score Calculator in Blackthumb?

The Light Score Calculator helps you understand the exact amount of usable light your plants receive. By inputting light readings, it calculates the Daily Light Integral (DLI) and rates it against your plant's ideal range, indicating if the light is too low, in range, or too high.

### How does Blackthumb help with plant care reminders?

Blackthumb allows you to set reminders for watering, fertilizing, misting, and other care tasks for each plant. It also features sub-reminders, like triggering a fertilizing reminder every third watering, to automate your care routine.

### Can I organize my plants by room in Blackthumb?

Yes, Blackthumb lets you organize your plants by specific locations or rooms in your home, such as 'Living Room' or 'Bedroom'. This allows you to view and manage all plants within a particular space at once.

### What is the pricing for Blackthumb?

Blackthumb is free to download and start tracking your plants. An optional Premium upgrade is available for unlimited plants, locations, all reminder types, and the Light Score Calculator. Premium Access is $3.99 per month or $29.99 per year, with a 14-day free trial for the annual plan.

### What devices does Blackthumb support?

Blackthumb is available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod. It is designed for iOS devices.

### How often is Blackthumb updated?

The latest version, 1.1.2, was released on July 3rd, 2026, indicating regular updates. The app was initially released on June 11th, 2026.

### What is the age rating for Blackthumb?

Blackthumb has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users, including younger individuals interested in plant care.

### Does Blackthumb have ads?

No, Blackthumb does not contain advertisements. The app offers a free tier and a premium subscription for enhanced features.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.2.1 — 2026-08-21

## Select last watering date when adding new reminder
## Increased DLI meter accuracy
## UI fixes

### 1.2.0 — 2026-07-31

## Shareable DLI cards
## UX improvements

### 1.1.4 — 2026-07-21

## LUX and FC toggle on light meter
## Outdoor light scores now available
## UX fixes

### 1.1.3 — 2026-07-13

##Updated light meter
##Updated sub-reminder cycles
##UX fixes

### 1.1.2 — 2026-07-03

### Changed

- Improved light meter accuracy
- Improved light score reading accuracy
- UI polish

## Related topics

[houseplant 2021](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/houseplant-2021) · [house plants help](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/house-plants-help) · [houseplant tracker](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/houseplant-tracker) · [plant light check](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/plant-light-check) · [house plant care](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/house-plant-care) · [house plant](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/house-plant) · [plant tracker house](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/plant-tracker-house) · [lebensborn](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/lebensborn) · [my plant reminder](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/my-plant-reminder)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-31.*