I've created a database in WORKS in which I list plant name, source, date of purchase, price, parentage, and special culture notes. I also like to know when my orchids bloom, number of flowers, if fragrant and how long the blooms last so I created a second database for that info.

Marci

I used to have a simple Excel spreadsheet that listed my collection. However, my list has been rendered outdated by last winter's frost so I'm recompiling a new list for the survivors and new acquisitions.
My list included:
Common Name
Scientific Name (if available)
Blooming Schedules
Dormant Season (if applicable)
Last repot date
Flower color
Flower size (small/medium/large works for me)

I even tried to be creative and took pictures of some orchids in bloom and saved the pictures in my computer. I then linked the picture files to the spreadsheet entries so I have a visual reference to what the flowers and leaves look like.
I tried to keep my spreadsheet as "low tech" and low maintenance as possible. The last thing I want is to be pouring several hours a day just to keep the darn list working hehe.

picotee,
I never listed the store or trader where I got the plants from. I like that idea and I'll add it to my list as well.

I keep track of mine in Google Spreadsheets. That way I can view and edit it whether I'm at home or work or anywhere else I may be.

I keep 3X5 cards in a box. Plant name, date of purchase, where purchased. I put dates of repotting and any changes made. I number each plant and put the number at the top of the matching card.

Tried the computer route, and found it too much trouble. Much easier to carry my small box with me to make notes. Sometimes I put a pic with the matching number and year in the box.

Jane

I think that linda (lindashel) has the best system. She tracks plants and photographs them (and the roots) for compairison at a later time. so that when she repots she can tell if they are doing better or not..... it is quite the system!

Bryan

I take a photo of the plant in bloom, download a copy of parentage details from the RHS website and print both together on a single page in word. I add purchase details in the footer inc. cost, seller and date.
This page is then laminated and I add dates of start and finish of blooming and when I see spikes forming. This info is put on using a permanent marker on the laminated sheet. Sheets are kept in lever arch files.
terry

Hi
Over the years I've tried many systems but find I never keep them up .Many in my collection were gifts many without tags and many of the tags were wrong in the first place
Am always experimenting with different grow methods and locations .Really gets complicated when several species grow together or after dividing. Always start well but eventually lose track. Still use the best method "green catt" "purple dend"."One with name I can't pronounce."
Sounds like you got some good suggestions but the tough part is keeping it up. good luck!! I want a system that requires absolutely no work on my part!! gary

Forgot to mention that I also photograph each plant as it blooms for comparison the next year. I create a montage of bloomers by month/year and keep them in together in a file in MY PICTURES in my pc for quick viewing.

I like the idea of using Google spreadsheets but I couldn't find a way to include pictures.

Jane - I like your note-card method. I really should do this or something. I loose tags alot and it bums me out when I can't remember what something is. Also I have some kind of computer disease where whenever I put alot of effort into something it gets lost or the computer fries. Very frustrating. I do keep invoices but they are in a big pile.
Gary - I'm with you. It mkes it seem too much like work:)
Hats offf to all of you who actually keep up with all of this as you are a good resource for those of us who don't.
Shani

So far Google doesn't have a way to insert pictures into their spreadsheet. I'm sure they will some day. I'm just happy not to have to synchronize different revisions of the same document when I want to make changes at home or at work.

I don't keep track of that many fields. I've tried keeping track of more details in the past but it got to be too tedious and I wouldn't update it because I have over 300 entries. Here are the fields I track.

Name:
Purchased From:
Purchase Date:
Alive/Dead: just a simple A/D
Medium: usually this will say something like "Clay pot w/ LECA (date repotted)"

Optional fields that I sometimes fill if I remember to.

Blooming: usually just a date and number of spikes or blooms
Fragrance: y/n and a one or two word description of what it smells like
Comments: usually this is for notes on what doesn't work or why a plant is dead

Thank you Bryan(Jacamar) for the praise.

As Bryan mentioned....Pictures are taken of the plants when they first arrive showing their roots. Another picture of the roots on each repotting, to check for root growth. I take yearly pictures of the plants to keep track of their growth, and to see which plants are doing welll and which plants are not. The ones that are not I try to figure out what I am doing wrong and try and change that. Pictures of each plant as they flower and on the last day of flowering to check the length of flowering. I have files for each orchid on my laptop.

Data wise I keep track of price paid, seller and date acquired in one file. In Microsoft word name, seller, the picture off the tag, potting date(all of them), flowering start date, flowering end date, pot size, potting medium, deciduous/evergreen, minimum temperature for use in determining when I can put the plant outside, location of plant(hard to keep up as I keep moving the plants around).

Currently I am making tags for each plant which have a picture of the plant(my own picture if the plant has flowered for me or one off the web if it has not) on the one side with the name on it and on the other side it has a picture of the plant as it looked when it was purchased with the first pot date and first flower date - the tag is laminated.

I also research each plant in OrchidWhiz software, eAOS software, and on the web and keep various pieces of information like warm/hot/cool grower, time of flowering, length of flowering, size of plant, height and spread, flower size, fragrant and type e.g. vanilla, number blooms, awards, etc.

I have tried many different things but never found one method that holds all of the information that I want to keep on my plants.

As you can see I spend a lot of time on this....comes from being bedridden for many years.....hopefully my reply is not too confusing.

Sorry for the lengthy reply.

I'm with Jane. I only have forty plants so a 5x7" card for each isn't too demanding. Across the top inch I put the name of the plant, color, parantage, where purchased and in what condition (ie, how many bulbs, in bloom, etc). Then in columns going down I record repot date, what kind of mix/pot, any treatment such as physan or superthrive, etc). Next column is date of new lead, then date of spike/sheath, then date of bloom, then how many blooms, then duration of blooms.

I keep a sheet of paper nearby as I water and make notes on it, then later while watching TV I transfer the info onto the cards.

I have another set of cards with cultural information for each type of plant. As I learn new things I jot them down on these cards.

I also keep a log of when I water and if I use plain water or whether I put something in the water, ie: MSU, seaweed, Pro-tekt, etc., and if all the plants get it or if I withhold fertilizer (for den nobiles, as an example). I sit down beforehand with this log and determine what I need for the plants to round out their diet.

It sounds like a lot of record keeping, but it really isn't. And the information I glean from the cards and log is invaluable.

Each orchid is given a number when it comes home. I write the number on the pot until I have time to make a tag. Many times tags get lost, but I can see the number on the pot and find the card with the name. When I first started this, I tracked many things. Now, honestly, I rarely update it. But at least I have the name and year and where I got the plant.

I'm not an organized grower. The cards are kept in a metal box and sits on a shelf. It's small, so I can carry it around. I have around 150 plants. My number system has come in handy many times. Computers require you to sit down and do to many things. I like, quick, quick!

Jane

I have an Excel spread sheet and purposely don't include the price. Heh heh.

Info kept -

Date purchased
Name
Cross, if applicable
Source
In bloom, spike, or bud upon arrival?
When to repot
Potting medium
Date repotted
Date rebloomed
Number of blooms
Notes for other info

In a separate section, just below the first, is a record of orchids that have died or have been sold or traded. I copy all the info on the orchid from the first section and paste it in this section.

My goal is to take pix of each plant when it arrives and when it reblooms, but I've been sporadic. The pictures are in a separate folder.

The idea of getting a shot of the roots is great.

Whitecat8

Thanks for the input! I've settled on using Keynote, a free notebook/database. I'll put a link at the bottom. I'm going to use the categories recommended here. It has a file tree so each genus will have it's own folder with a file for each plant in it along with pictures.

Thanks again

Here is a link that might be useful: Keynote notebook