The Truleaf.org plant database now covers over 400 species with full nutrition-by-growth-stage profiles.
When we launched, we had around 50 plants. Each one took hours to research, cross-reference, and structure. At 400, we've learned a lot about how to build a research-backed botanical database at scale, without cutting corners on quality.
What "400 plants" actually means
Each plant in the database isn't just a name and a photo. It's a structured data record that includes:
- Nutrient requirements by growth stage. NPK ratios, secondary nutrients, and micronutrients mapped from germination through harvest. Not a single generic recommendation, but stage-specific values.
- Growing parameters. Optimal pH, EC ranges, temperature bands, light requirements.
- Source attribution. Every data point links back to where it came from. Agricultural extension services, peer-reviewed papers, or established horticultural references.
At 400+ species, this represents one of the most comprehensive nutrition-by-stage datasets available online, for both hydroponic and soil cultivation.
How we build each profile
The process hasn't changed since plant number one. For each species:
- We search academic databases and extension service publications for nutrient requirement data.
- We cross-reference multiple sources. If two sources disagree, we document both and note the conditions that might explain the difference.
- We structure the data into our standard format, with growth stage breakdowns and source citations.
- We review the profile against real-world growing experience.
This takes time. There's no shortcut that preserves data quality. Some plants have extensive research behind them (tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries). Others have very little, and we note that too. Gaps in the data are documented, not hidden.
What growers use most
Looking at our usage data, the most accessed profiles are:
- Fruiting vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, strawberries
- Leafy greens: lettuce, spinach, kale, basil
- Herbs: mint, cilantro, oregano, rosemary
- Root crops: carrots, radishes, garlic, onions
Hydroponic growers tend to look at EC and pH data first. Soil growers focus on NPK ratios and deficiency symptoms. The database serves both.
The long tail
Beyond the popular crops, there's a long tail of plants that smaller communities care about deeply. Medicinal herbs, rare peppers, tropical fruits, microgreens. Each of these has a grower somewhere who needs reliable data.
We've added profiles for plants like moringa, ashwagandha, turmeric, dragon fruit, and dozens of others that don't appear in most growing databases. The research is harder to find for these, but that's precisely why the database is valuable.
What's next
The database keeps growing. We're adding new species every week, driven by community requests and our own research priorities. We're also deepening existing profiles with more detailed micronutrient data and growing condition ranges.
If there's a plant you'd like to see in the database, let us know. Every request helps us prioritise.