Collection documentation

Here's what I do

http://www.cloudjungle.com/shop/catalog/7d159b10-138a-46f4-9ddc-c2b7e29fd218.aspx

I also do this for most other plants I have. There is more data not seen by anyone but me but I'm slowly working on adding pictures and cultural info. The Orchids are mostly up to date but there is allot of plants listed I no longer have. I will eventually clean it all up but it's a BIG job.

 

I use my head. It runs about 90%, and it's easier to update than any sort of database.

 

Yeah but pictures are hard to recall for anyone but yourself to see

If you have pictures stored somewhere you're using a database you just don't know it.

 

I have "The List" of everything I own. It's an excell spreadsheet.
Genus, species, a comment (like parentage for hybrids, better shaped, etc.) color, fragrant, flowered on, purchased from, and purchase date. I remove plants I've killed.

I also have a "Wish List" where everything you all post, that I want, goes on. It helps greatly when shopping!
I also have a "book list" so I don't buy duplicates.

And then, there's "The Book" which has a page per plant, all the info from "the list" and purchase price, and dates with any culture info, drastic changes made, that kind of stuff.

I DO NOT show "The List" to many people, especially NOT vendors.
I used to, but always wondered if the price went up, because they saw the quantity & quality of what I already owned.

I started "The List" after having gone to an Orchid Show that was over a 2 hour drive away, and coming home with a couple of plants I already owned. So, I made the return trip the next day to exchange them.

I used to spend a lot more time with the book, but I don't really need it, that much, especially once I've gotten the hang of a specific plant. It's more of a learning tool for me.

You can have a sample of "The List" if you PM me with your email.....

 

Cattleya log, but it was only $29 when I bought it. Now it's $49.

 

i kinda try not to lose the tag, and if so i either know it's name or i don't. If it grows in one place it stays put otherwise i might move it. If scale F's with it i try to remove and control the ants and scale, some plants are more suceptible or maybe just tasty, if not it goes into the trash. Otherwise what Jon said but i'm only hitting about 75%

 

Well I'm really sort of the same way but when I started collecting epiphytes I found it was near impossible to see picture of some of the things I collect. It's a bit different now but my goal was to put as many pictures online of oddball plants as possible. So, I try to take pictures of most of my plants and let people see what they look like. If only I was a better photographer but I'm not and not going to be.

 

I have a 5x7 card for almost every plant. I put the date and place of aquisition, grower, price, size, mount or potting info and some quick notes on temp, light and water. Some times I get lazy and only put the name on the card. I used to keep track of bloom dates and repotting but I think last time I counted the cards there were over 150 and nowadays that includes progeny from flasks so the card might represent a dozen plants or so.
I need a new greenhouse!

 

I've developed a system that's virtually identical to Karen's. I remove DIMPs, together with associated cultural information, to a separate worksheet so I can move them back to the master collection list when/if I re-purchase the plant. It's a simple system that requires little maintenance. Like Karen I grew tired of coming home from shows with plants I already had. I found it easy to track a few dozen species in my head, but beyond that the head system failed big time. Excel rules.

 

I'm in the process of taking an inventory of all my plants - something I've never done before. I have things scattered all over, so it finally got to the point that when I have to fill an order it takes me forever to find the plant. My documentation is just an electronic list of plant names, number of plants and, most importantly, location(s). I'm finding things I didn't know I had and cleaning and tidying up as I go. One grow area is done, and I started on the main GH today. Like T. Migratorius, I'm hoping the list will keep me from unintentionally acquiring triplicates of species that I already have in my personal collection. Another goal is to consolidate plants enough to make room for all my cymbidiums when they have to come in for the winter.

 

Several years ago I got a call from a friend who had just purchased a house from an older gentleman headed for a retirement home. The house came with a very large greenhouse full of plants - mostly Catts, Brassia species, Dendrobiums, etc. Long story short ... I ended up with a number of the plants and every one of them had very detailed tags with handwritten records of every bloom - number of spikes, number of blooms, together with acquisition date, nursery, etc. It was fascinating to look back sometimes 15-20 years through the bloom history of these plants.

 

I also use Cattleya Log - it is very easy, has a place to insert a photo and all details, include my own personal notes. Since I am not a numbers man, I appreciate not having to use Excel - it always baffles me. Cattleya Log has a user friendly interface taht anyone can understand. I can print out several types of reports - for example, I recently wanted to review all my dendrobiums so I could note which ones are the dry winter rest type. With my list in hand, I proceeded to put red tags in all the pots of those particular plants. I can also print out a complete inventory which I print to Adobe PDF and download onto my PDA - this way I have my inventory when I go to a show and can't remember if I have a particular plant or not. I highly recommend this program!