Send photos of a struggling plant for a second opinion
Gardening blogger Everest Fernandez sent ChatGPT photos of his curling tomato seedlings along with details of his grow lights, and it confirmed his hunch that the light was too strong and suggested fixes. He also warns that it once mistook a harmless condition for spider mites.
What they did
He uses a customized version of ChatGPT that already knows his growing setup and location, and sends it clear photos of new growth, older leaves, the whole plant, and the pot.
How it went
It quickly confirmed light stress and offered several fixes. His advice: a little gardening knowledge plus AI works best, because AI alone can send beginners down the wrong path.
Worth knowing
Describe the symptoms without naming the problem first, and let the photos do the talking. Before using pesticides or pulling a plant, check with a local nursery or your county extension office.
Try it yourself
Copy this into ChatGPT (or any AI assistant). Replace the parts in [brackets] with your own details.
Here are photos of my [plant]: new growth, older leaves, the whole plant, and the pot and soil. It's growing [indoors/outdoors] in [city or region], gets about [hours] of [sun/light] a day, and I water it [how often]. Without assuming anything is wrong, evaluate its health. List the three most likely issues with how confident you are in each, what to check to tell them apart, and the gentlest fix to try first.
Source: Everest Fernandez, Everest Fernandez's gardening blog. Read the original →
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