I Killed 11 Plants Before Building This
I am not naturally a plant person. I have killed a cactus. I once forgot to water a snake plant for so long it rotted at the roots — which requires active effort since snake plants can go six weeks between waterings. My apartment was a graveyard of good intentions.
The problem wasn't forgetting to water — it was not knowing when to water. "Water when the top inch of soil is dry" means nothing to someone who doesn't check their plants daily. And overwatering is worse than underwatering for most species, so anxious twice-weekly checks killed faster than neglect.
BudBloom came from keeping a spreadsheet: species, last watered, typical interval, notes. That spreadsheet turned into a reminder system, which turned into a photo log, which turned into a care database. The app now handles 23 plants in my apartment and I've only lost one in the past 14 months (a fern — notoriously fickle, not my fault).