localgreenchain/ENVIRONMENTAL_TRACKING.md

🌍 Environmental Tracking Guide

Track soil, climate, nutrients, and growing conditions to optimize plant health and learn from successful growers.

Overview

LocalGreenChain's environmental tracking system allows you to record detailed information about where and how your plants are grown. This data helps you:

• Understand what conditions make plants thrive
• Compare your setup with successful growers
• Optimize growing conditions based on data
• Learn from the collective experience
• Replicate successful growing environments
• Troubleshoot plant health issues

What Can You Track?

🌱 Soil Composition

• Soil type: Clay, sand, silt, loam, peat, chalk, or custom
• pH level: 0-14 scale (most plants prefer 6.0-7.5)
• Texture: Heavy, medium, or light
• Drainage: Poor, moderate, good, or excellent
• Organic matter: Percentage (0-100%)
• Composition: Clay/sand/silt percentages
• Amendments: Compost, manure, perlite, vermiculite, etc.

Why it matters: Soil is the foundation of plant health. pH affects nutrient availability, drainage prevents root rot, and organic matter improves structure.

🧪 Nutrients & Fertilization

• NPK values: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium percentages
• Secondary nutrients: Calcium, magnesium, sulfur
• Micronutrients: Iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum
• EC/TDS: Electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids
• Fertilizer schedule: Type, amount, frequency, NPK ratios
• Application history: Track what you've added and when

Why it matters: Proper nutrition is crucial for growth. Too little causes deficiencies, too much can burn plants. Track what works!

☀️ Lighting Conditions

• Light type: Natural, artificial, or mixed
• Natural light:
  • Exposure: Full sun, partial sun, partial shade, full shade
  • Hours per day: 0-24
  • Direction: North, south, east, west
  • Quality: Direct, filtered, dappled, indirect
• Artificial light:
  • Type: LED, fluorescent, HPS, MH, etc.
  • Spectrum: Full spectrum, color temperature (K)
  • Wattage and distance from plant
  • Hours per day
• Advanced metrics: PPFD (μmol/m²/s), DLI (mol/m²/day)

Why it matters: Light is energy. Insufficient light causes leggy growth, too much can burn leaves. Track optimal levels for your species.

🌡️ Climate Conditions

• Temperature: Day/night temps, min/max ranges (Celsius)
• Humidity: Average, min, max percentages
• Air circulation: None, minimal, moderate, strong
• Ventilation: Poor, adequate, good, excellent
• CO2 levels: PPM (ambient ~400, enhanced ~1200-1500)
• Season: Spring, summer, fall, winter
• Hardiness zone: USDA zones (e.g., "9b", "10a")

Why it matters: Plants have optimal temperature and humidity ranges. Extremes cause stress or death. Good airflow prevents disease.

📍 Growing Location

• Location type: Indoor, outdoor, greenhouse, polytunnel, shade house, window, balcony
• Indoor details: Room type (bedroom, basement, grow tent)
• Outdoor details:
  • Exposure to elements: Protected, semi-protected, exposed
  • Elevation: Meters above sea level
  • Slope: Flat, gentle, moderate, steep
  • Aspect: Slope direction (affects sun exposure)

Why it matters: Location affects everything - temperature, humidity, light, pests. Indoor vs outdoor requires different care.

🪴 Container Information

• Type: Pot, raised bed, ground, hydroponic, aeroponic, fabric pot, etc.
• Material: Plastic, terracotta, ceramic, fabric, wood, metal
• Size: Gallons, diameter, or dimensions
• Volume: Liters
• Depth: Centimeters
• Drainage: Yes/no, number of holes

Why it matters: Container size affects root development and watering frequency. Drainage is critical - no drainage = dead plant.

💧 Watering Schedule

• Method: Hand water, drip, soaker hose, sprinkler, self-watering, hydroponic
• Frequency: Daily, every 2-3 days, weekly, etc.
• Amount: Liters, "until runoff", inches
• Water source: Tap, well, rain, filtered, distilled, RO
• Water quality:
  • pH: Affects nutrient availability
  • TDS: Total dissolved solids (PPM)
  • Chlorine: Yes, no, or filtered

Why it matters: Over/underwatering kills more plants than anything. Water quality affects long-term soil health.

🌿 Surrounding Environment

• Companion plants: Other species growing nearby
• Nearby features: Trees, structures, walls, fences
• Ground cover: Mulch, grass, bare soil, gravel
• Wildlife:
  • Pollinators: Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds
  • Beneficial insects: Ladybugs, lacewings
  • Pests: Name, severity, treatment, date observed
  • Diseases: Name, symptoms, severity, treatment
• Microclimate factors:
  • Wind exposure: Sheltered, moderate, exposed, windy
  • Frost pockets: Yes/no
  • Heat traps: Yes/no
• Ecosystem type: Urban, suburban, rural, forest, desert, coastal, mountain, tropical

Why it matters: Companion planting improves growth. Pest/disease tracking helps prevention. Microclimates explain unexpected results.

📈 Growth Metrics

• Measurements: Height, width, leaf count, flower count, fruit count
• Health score: 0-100 rating
• Vigor: Poor, fair, good, excellent
• Tracking: Photos and notes over time

Why it matters: Measure growth to evaluate if conditions are optimal. Data drives improvement.

API Endpoints

Get Recommendations

GET /api/environment/recommendations?plantId=xyz

Returns personalized recommendations based on your plant's environment:

• Critical issues: Must fix immediately (no drainage, extreme temps)
• High priority: Important for health (pH problems, insufficient light)
• Medium priority: Optimization opportunities (humidity, amendments)
• Low priority: Minor improvements (water quality tweaks)
• Environmental health score: 0-100 overall rating

Example response:

{
  "environmentalHealth": 75,
  "recommendations": [
    {
      "category": "soil",
      "priority": "high",
      "issue": "Low soil pH (5.2)",
      "recommendation": "Add lime to raise pH. Most plants prefer 6.0-7.0",
      "impact": "Acidic soil can lock out nutrients and harm roots"
    },
    {
      "category": "climate",
      "priority": "medium",
      "issue": "Low humidity (25%)",
      "recommendation": "Mist plants, use humidity tray, or group plants together",
      "impact": "Low humidity can cause leaf tip browning and stress"
    }
  ]
}

Find Similar Environments

GET /api/environment/similar?plantId=xyz&minScore=70

Finds other plants growing in similar conditions:

• Compare your environment with successful growers
• Learn from plants that thrive in similar setups
• Get ideas for what works in your conditions

Similarity factors:

• Location type (indoor/outdoor/greenhouse)
• Soil type and pH
• Temperature and humidity ranges
• Lighting conditions
• Water source and quality
• Container type

Scores:

• 90-100: Nearly identical conditions
• 75-89: Very similar - expect similar results
• 60-74: Moderately similar
• 40-59: Some similarities
• 0-39: Very different

Compare Two Plants

GET /api/environment/compare?plant1=xyz&plant2=abc

Direct comparison of two specific plants:

• See exactly what's similar and different
• Learn why one plant might be thriving while another struggles
• Identify which factors to adjust

Growth Correlation Analysis

GET /api/environment/analysis?species=tomato

Network-wide analysis to identify optimal conditions:

• What pH do successful plants average?
• What temperature range works best?
• Which lighting type has best results?
• Success rates by location type, soil type, etc.

Filter by species to get species-specific insights!

How Recommendations Work

The system analyzes your environment and generates priority-based recommendations:

Soil Recommendations

• pH < 5.5: Add lime (priority: high)
• pH > 7.5: Add sulfur (priority: high)
• Organic matter < 3%: Add compost (priority: medium)
• Poor drainage: Add perlite/sand or raise beds (priority: high)

Climate Recommendations

• Temp > 35°C: Provide shade, increase watering (priority: high)
• Temp < 10°C: Frost protection needed (priority: high)
• Humidity < 30%: Mist, use humidity trays (priority: medium)
• Humidity > 80%: Improve airflow (priority: medium)

Light Recommendations

• < 4 hours/day: Move to brighter spot or add grow lights (priority: high)
• Natural light direction: Optimize plant placement

Nutrient Recommendations

• Low NPK: Apply balanced fertilizer (priority: medium)
• High EC/TDS: Reduce feeding or flush (priority: medium)

Water Recommendations

• pH > 7.5: Consider pH adjustment or rainwater (priority: low)
• Chlorinated: Let sit 24h or filter (priority: low)

Container Recommendations

• No drainage: Add holes IMMEDIATELY (priority: CRITICAL)
• Too small: Repot to larger container (priority: medium)

Environmental Health Scoring

The system calculates a 0-100 health score based on:

Perfect score (100): Everything optimal

• Soil pH 6.0-7.0
• Good drainage
• Organic matter > 3%
• Temps 15-30°C
• Humidity 40-70%
• Adequate light (6+ hours or proper artificial)
• Proper container with drainage
• Good water quality

Deductions:

• -15 points: No container drainage (CRITICAL)
• -15 points: Insufficient light (< 4 hours)
• -10 points: Extreme pH (< 5.5 or > 7.5)
• -10 points: Extreme temperature (< 10°C or > 35°C)
• -10 points: Poor soil drainage
• -5 points: Low organic matter
• -5 points: Poor humidity (< 30% or > 80%)
• -5 points: No airflow
• -5 points: Chlorinated water
• -5 points: High water pH

Score interpretation:

• 90-100: Excellent conditions
• 75-89: Good conditions, minor improvements possible
• 60-74: Adequate, several opportunities for optimization
• 40-59: Suboptimal, multiple issues to address
• 0-39: Poor conditions, plant likely struggling

Best Practices

When to Track Environmental Data

Always track:

• When registering a new plant
• After making changes (repotting, moving, fertilizing)
• When troubleshooting problems
• Before/after cloning (compare parent and clone environments)

Update regularly:

• Monthly for stable setups
• Weekly during active growth
• Daily when troubleshooting or experimenting

What to Measure

Essentials (track these at minimum):

• Soil type and pH
• Location type (indoor/outdoor)
• Light exposure (hours/day)
• Temperature range
• Watering frequency

Recommended (for better insights):

• Soil drainage and amendments
• Humidity
• Container details
• Nutrient applications
• Growth measurements

Advanced (for serious growers):

• Full NPK and micronutrients
• EC/TDS measurements
• PPFD/DLI for lighting
• CO2 levels
• Pest/disease tracking
• Companion plants

Tips for Accurate Tracking

1. Measure, don't guess: Use pH meters, thermometers, soil probes
2. Track over time: Conditions change - update seasonally
3. Note anomalies: Heatwaves, cold snaps, unusual events
4. Photo documentation: Pictures reveal patterns you might miss
5. Consistent timing: Measure at the same time of day
6. Calibrate instruments: Test meters regularly
7. Record failures too: Learning what doesn't work is valuable

Use Cases

For Home Growers

"My tomato plant is struggling. Let me check recommendations..."

• System identifies low soil pH and insufficient light
• Suggests adding lime and moving to sunnier spot
• Compares with successful tomato growers nearby
• Shows that similar plants thrive with 8+ hours sun and pH 6.5

For Propagation

"I want to clone my best basil plant..."

• Records current environment that's producing healthy growth
• When giving clone to friend, shares environmental data
• Friend replicates conditions for best success
• Tracks if clone thrives in new environment

For Troubleshooting

"Why are my pepper leaves yellowing?"

• Checks pH: 7.8 (too high)
• System recommends sulfur to lower pH
• Compares with healthy pepper plants: pH 6.0-6.5
• Adds sulfur, yellowing stops within 2 weeks

For Learning

"What conditions work best for lavender?"

• Searches network for successful lavender plants
• Finds they all have: pH 6.5-7.5, full sun, excellent drainage
• Notices growers with poor drainage have struggling plants
• Adjusts setup before planting

For Research

"Does companion planting really work?"

• Analyzes all plants with tomato-basil companions
• Compares health scores with lone tomatoes
• Statistical analysis shows 15% better vigor
• Data supports traditional growing wisdom

Privacy Considerations

Environmental data can be:

• Shared openly: Help others learn from your setup
• Kept private: Track for yourself without broadcasting
• Anonymous: Share conditions without revealing location/identity

Use privacy settings to control:

• Whether environment data is visible to others
• Whether it appears in similarity searches
• Whether it's included in analysis
• Location obfuscation (see TOR_SETUP.md)

Advanced Features

Automated Recommendations

As you add more plants:

• System learns what works in YOUR specific conditions
• Personalized recommendations based on your history
• "You've had success with these pH levels..."

Seasonal Tracking

• Record how conditions change through the year
• Plan planting schedules based on historical data
• Anticipate challenges (summer heat, winter cold)

Clone Comparison

• Automatically compare clone environments with parent
• See if environmental differences affect growth
• Optimize clone success rates

Community Insights

• "Plants in your area typically use X soil type"
• "Growers in similar climates report best results with Y"
• "This species thrives in conditions like yours"

Future Enhancements

Coming soon:

• Photo-based tracking: Upload photos, AI analyzes plant health
• Sensor integration: Automatic data from soil sensors, weather stations
• Mobile app: Track on-the-go with smartphone
• Notifications: "Time to water", "pH out of range"
• Marketplace integration: Buy recommended products
• Expert consultations: Connect with master growers

Troubleshooting

"My recommendations don't make sense"

• Check that measurements are accurate
• Ensure units are correct (Celsius not Fahrenheit)
• Verify pH probe is calibrated
• Update environmental data if conditions changed

"No similar plants found"

• Lower the minimum similarity score
• Your setup might be unique!
• Add more environmental details for better matching
• Check that other plants have environmental data

"Analysis shows low success rate"

• System is helping you identify what to improve
• Follow recommendations to optimize
• Learn from successful growers
• Don't be discouraged - this is how you learn!

Getting Help

• Issues: GitHub Issues for bugs
• Questions: Community forum for growing advice
• Contributions: PRs welcome for new features
• Data privacy: See PRIVACY.md

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Remember: The goal is learning and improvement, not perfection. Every data point helps you become a better grower!

Happy tracking! 🌱📊