It started with a dead fern.
We're Tim and Mick, Industrial Design Engineering students at TU Delft. Between classes, projects, and deadlines, we both had the same problem: we kept killing our houseplants. Not on purpose, obviously — but life gets busy, and by the time you remember that your Monstera needed water three days ago, it's already drooping.
We figured we couldn't be the only ones. So we started digging into the numbers, and what we found surprised us.
Up to half of all houseplants purchased die within their first year. Not because people don't care about them, but because most people simply don't know the basics: how often to water, how much light is too much, when to repot. The information exists, but it's buried in forums, scattered across blogs, and often contradictory.
Meanwhile, the environmental cost of all these dying plants adds up fast. Each houseplant carries embedded CO2 from greenhouse heating, transportation, and packaging. When they die and get tossed in the trash — which most do — they end up in landfill, where they decompose and release methane. It's a hidden environmental problem that nobody talks about.
We looked at what was out there: generic reminder apps, plant identification tools, gardening databases. They all shared the same problem — they treat plant care as a chore. Set a reminder, get a notification, dismiss it, forget about it until the next one.
As design students, we know that the best tools don't just inform — they motivate. Nobody needs another notification they'll swipe away. What people need is a reason to engage, a sense of progress, and a little bit of fun.
That's why we built Florio. We took everything we learned about behavioral design — habit loops, intrinsic motivation, gamification done right — and applied it to plant care.
In Florio, every time you water a plant, you're not just checking a box. You're extending your streak, earning XP, completing quests, and watching your in-app companion grow alongside your real plants. It sounds simple, but the difference between "you need to water your Monstera" and "water your Monstera to keep your 14-day streak alive" is everything.
We also built in smart reminders that actually learn. Not just "water every 7 days" but schedules that adapt to each plant's specific needs. And we made the whole thing beautiful — because if you're going to open an app every day, it should feel good.
We're just getting started. Our roadmap includes AI-powered plant health analysis, community features to connect plant parents, and deeper environmental impact tracking so you can see exactly how much CO2 you've saved by keeping your plants alive.
But right now, the most important thing is this: we're building something that helps people become better plant parents. Not through guilt or nagging, but through genuine enjoyment. Because we believe that's how you create lasting change — one happy plant at a time.
If that sounds like something you'd use, check out Florio and follow our journey on TikTok, YouTube, and X.
— Tim & Mick