High-tech horticulture

These days, it seems like there’s an app for everything, from tuning a guitar to ordering a pizza. But what good are they for growers? Here are some nursery-specific and business management apps that could make life easier — at least until your battery runs out.
 

IveGot1,
Outsmart Invasive Species, Southeast Early Detection Network, Mid-Atlantic Detection Network
Price: free
What it does: reports invasive species including plants, weeds and pests
For: iPhone, Android smartphones
These apps were developed in support of EDDMapS — an online Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System for invasive species. Anyone with a smartphone can snap a photo and report a weed or pest to EDDMapS. The sighting and your GPS coordinates are sent to state and local experts for validation.

IPMPro
Price: $24.99
What it does: pest/disease management recommendations, alerts
For: iPad, iPhone, Android tablets/smartphones
The Integrated Pest Management app lets you know if a destructive pest has been sighted in your area through real-time text message notifications. It was developed with cooperation from growers, landscapers and horticulture and pest management experts for USDA Hardiness Zones 4-8.

Landscaper’s Companion
Price: $4.99
What it does: general plant information guide
For: iPad, iPhone, Android tablets/smartphones
This reference guide contains information on more than 25,000 plants and includes 15,000 pictures. It’s particularly handy if you’re trying to remember the USDA zone, sun exposure, water usage, growth rate, bloom times, deer resistance or mature height and width of a particular plant.

Dropbox
Price: Free
What it does: File sharing
For: iPad, iPhone, Android tablets/smartphones, BlackBerry
Dropbox is the simple and easy way of synching and sharing files of any kind to and from your devices. Essential business documents can be viewed and shared remotely across multiple computers, and the app doubles up as a PDF and document reader.

Expensify
Price: Free for individuals, businesses get two free accounts, then pay $5 per person submitting expenses each month
What it does:  Expense reports
For: iPad, iPhone, Android tablets/smartphones
Expensify’s slogan is “Expense reports that don’t suck!” The app allows you to take a photo of a receipt, and then converts it into a neatly formatted report. You can use the app’s website to sync with your credit cards and bank accounts to track purchases as they happen.

FreshBooks
Price: free if you have less than three clients, $19.95/month for 25 clients, $29.95 for unlimited clients
What it does: billing, invoices
For: iPad, iPhone
Are you still retyping client addresses in Word, manually calculating invoice totals in Excel and chasing clients to pay you? Whether you create or receive invoices (or both), it can be a headache to keep everything together in a unified, easy-to-monitor format. FreshBooks streamlines this task for small business owners in part by automating various steps throughout the process. You can manage clients, send invoices, run timers and log hours from FreshBooks’ mobile options.