Using PlantFile in Land F/X

Note: The following catalog of content covered in this webinar is time stamped to allow you to follow along or skip to sections of the video that are relevant to your questions. You can also search for content on this page using the FIND command in your browser (CTRL + F in Windows, Command + F in Mac OS.)

• Intro/TOC
• Demonstration of PlantFile
• Accessing and Using PlantFile Within Land F/X

0:00 – 3:11: Intro/TOC

What is PlantFile? (1:45)

PlantFile is a subscription-based database of plants from all over the world. It can be used as a substitute for the Land F/X database.

3:12 – 29:29: Demonstration of PlantFile

Background of Peter Kirkland and PlantFile (3:30)

 

Searching for plants in PlantFile (5:15)

 

Searching for plants using a List Search (6:00)

 

Plant Overview search (6:25)

 

Simple Search (7:25)

 

Advanced Search (9:00)

 

Searching by specific types (climbers, grasses, trees, etc.) (10:40)

 

Opening a plant file to see the attached information (10:53)

 

Gallery of plant photos (11:10)

 

Viewing the details on a plant (11:32)

 

Viewing and downloading plant profile reports (11:50)

 

Plant overviews (brief description of each plant in layperson’s terms (12:30)

 

Plant photos (14:12)

 

Hardiness zones (15:20)

 

Glossary (15:40)

 

Returning to the All Plants screen (16:00)

 

Saving plants (16:20)

 

Downloading or emailing a group of plants (18:40)

 

Deleting plants or deleting a file/group of plants (20:07)

 

Downloading QR codes for plants (20:30)

 

Adding plants to the database (21:20)

 

Example of a custom plant entry (21:55)

 

Adding photos to plant entries (22:40)

 

Creating and downloading a PDF profile of a plant (22:50)

 

Weeds, Pests, and Diseases search terms (23:50)

 

Dictionary (24:30)

 

Searching by size of plant (width and height) to rule out plants above or below a certain size (26:30)

 

Question: Do size searches have to be in metric units? (27:48)

Answer: Yes, plant sizes are all in metric units in terms of searching for plants.

29:30 – end: Accessing and Using PlantFile Within Land F/X

Switching the plant database to PlantFile in the Planting Preferences (30:13)

 

Accessing PlantFile through the Plant Manager (30:32)

 

Searching for a plant in PlantFile and viewing its profile (31:28)

 

Adding plants from PlantFile to a Land F/X project (32:06)

 

Searching for a tree by common name (32:37)

 

Searching for and adding shrubs (33:20)

If you add a plant in the incorrect category (e.g., adding a shrub as a tree), you can change its category using the Edit button in the Plant Manager.

 

Viewing selected plants (34:45)

 

Saving and opening a plant palette (aka group) in PlantFile (35:10)

 

Options for a selected plant group in PlantFile (36:05):

• Download CSV (36:05)
• Email PDF (36:45)

 

Editing a plant from PlantFile in Land F/X (38:10)

 

Generating a PDF plant profile from PlantFile and adding data to plants in Land F/X (38:40)

 

Placing plants (40:45)

 

Selecting a symbol for a plant (41:00)

 

Running a schedule (42:00)

 

Option to take PlantFile with you on the go, accessing it from a phone, tablet, or laptop without the need for CAD (43:28)

 

Question: Is PlantFile subscription based? What does it cost? (44:05)

Answer: Yes, it’s subscription based. As of webinar time, it costs $21 US for three months, $32 for four months, or $50 per year.

 

How to subscribe to PlantFile (45:10)

 

Logging in to Plant File (46:10)

 

Quiz for remembering data such as plants’ botanical names (46:28)

 

PlantFile help files/documentation (47:00)

 

Question: Have you considered adding information for WUCOLS? (48:22)

Answer: Water usage is included, up to a point. It hasn’t been considered as of webinar time, but it can be in the future. If someone can send WUCOLS information to PlantFile, they can put it in.

 

Question: Is there a limit to the number of plants I am allowed to save in projects?

Answer: No, there is no limit. Just keep in mind that if you have a large palette of plants, it may be difficult to send in an email.

 

Question: Is there a way to show sizes in feet in emailed PDF lists? (50:59)

Answer: Not currently. They may be able to change the database to generate inches and feet, but this option is not available as of webinar time.

 

Question: Can PlantFile be used by multiple people? How does the subscription work? (51:56)

Answer: The subscription is primarily meant for single use. If you have a small company, it can be set it up on the server so each user can work in it. There’s nothing stopping multiple users from accessing each subscription at a time.

 

Question: Can the images in PlantFile be easily imported into Land F/X? (53:22)

Answer: It’s possible, but not directly through the Land F/X tools as of webinar time. You can either use the PDFs created through PlantFile or save the photos on your local drive and place them in photo callouts. Stay tuned for more developments.

 

Question: How long does it usually take to receive the registration confirmation email? (54:41)

Answer: It usually takes about 10 minutes for the email to go through. Check your spam or junk box. If you can’t get in, you can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for assistance.

 

Question: Is it possible to edit plant data in PlantFile? (55:40)

Answer: You can open PlantFile twice on your computer, open User Data Input on one instance and create a new file, then go to the other instance of PlantFile, select the information you want to amend, copy and paste it to the appropriate fields in the user file, and make any necessary changes there.

 

Peter Kirkland’s contact information:

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Website: http://plantfileonline.net/