Orchid Spread Sheet General Care

[Stargazer997]

Hi,
So going from 2 orchids this past fall to 60 presently, all indoors, I've found it necessary to put the care for each Orchid onto an .xl spread sheet. It works, but constant updating and printing, as new Orchids are brought home. I'm wondering if anyone has another tip as to keeping track of when to H20, fertilize, light requirements etc etc etc etc! Is there something online? Also keeping in mind you Apple geeks (Hello, Anton!).

It's my life these days, just want to try to keep track! If that's even possible at this point in my orchid mania, to be polite.

[kmarch]

Hi Stargazer,

I used to colour code my orchids to assist with remembering to water. I went to an office supply store and bought 3 different colour adhesive dots and colour pens to match. Green was every 3 days, yellow was every 5 days, blue was every 7 days. If a plant needed watering every 3 days it got a green dot stuck on its pot, and so forth with all plants and dots. Using the cooresponding colour pens I mapped out on a calendar when each watering for each frequency was to cycle around. Eveyr morning I'd get up and look at the calendar, I'd see (for example) thast today is a 3-day and a 5-day watering and i'd go water all the plants wiht green and yellow dots on their pots. I had approximately 200 orchids when i used this method.

These days i use Excel but I have stopped printing it all out. Just too many changes, too much wasted paper, and too much picking up a sheet and wondering if it is the latest one. My orchid records are pretty much paperless now.

[Anton]

Filed in RAM Kevin ?

Watch out though, RAM is VOLATILE MEMORY.

[Stargazer997]

Evening to All to those around the Globe,
I appreciate the color coding, but I think I'm becoming so aware of the various light requirements, fertilizing requirements (should I be?, think so). I was hoping some IT geek on this forum would have devised a 'tell all, see all' solution that would be available to us all - we who are fastly accumulating too many Orchids to keep track of. Mine are all in a Southern (Minnesota exposure). Maybe it's up to me to perfect that site. Any takers?
Ya gotta love 'em.
A Scandanavian from MinnEEsoda.

[pikevi]

I think Stargazer997 is right on track .

I think it is a very important for some of us, the novices, to keep records of all plants , their needs, and other relevant info regarding their growth and performance.

I have simply numbered the 'pots' and listed them with the respective orchid names and the basic requirement for each of them. I don't, however , print the info out: just that it is there for 'online' reference only.

I wonder if anyone is savvy enough to come up with a database to accomodate all the relevant info?. This may allow one to look at them individually or collectively.

I will ask around , outside of our group, if there is anyone who could help us with a DB/IMS program.

[mayres]

If you guys have Microsoft Access as part of your Microsoft Office Suite I have worked a ton with this and could set you up with a database for collecting and visualizing and printing data - just let me know and we could star trek a little together potentially! mike

[kmarch]

Yes, my coloured dots method only was meant to cover one aspect of their care. FileMaker Pro is a reasonably proced database software that is very easy to configure to your needs. Its has a wysiwyg programing feature that is very easy for those who do not know a database programing language. It would be quite easy to create a FileMaker Pro database that contained fields deliniating the cultural requirements for each perameter (light, water, humidity, etc., etc). You could then search according to cultural requirement or any combination thereof (high light, low water, intermediate temp, for example). You can also export to or import from an Excel spreadsheet.

I have used FileMaker to create a number of different databases for work, some of them quite large with thousands of records. It is available in both Mac and PC versions. It also has multiple user and relational capabilities. Let me know if you have questions about it.

-Kevin

[pikevi]

I do have MS-access but have never used it .I will see if I can use it (if it does not need too much brain-power )

mayres: Is it very hard to use access?

Thanks for that suggestion.

Googled the Filemaker pro. Seems good. But for that price I'd rather buy more orchids and forget about the record/reference keeping

[mayres]

Pikevi - it is VERY easy to "use" microsoft Access once someone goes through the setup process and prepares the database for you to use. It does take a certain amount of effort to train yourself to go through the setup process. I have both self-trained myself by utilizing an excellent tutorial book and taken a few daily classes - plus I have worked for a few years as a "pseudo" computer geek. I'm actually mostly a wannabe and enjoy it as a hobby. mike

[Stargazer997]

Sorry for not jumping back into my own question, but busy H20'ing!
YES!! This is great! Thank you Pikevi, whomever you are.
I also have access. I do QA work by profession, though I feel I know nothing.

I get up an hour prior than needing to, before going to work, just to 'tend'. And I have more on the way! Other than hiring an Orchid Tender, which, god knows, I can't afford. I need relief!

I also want to state, that living in Minnesota, Land of 10,000 Lakes, the weather is so variable, I do not want to put them outside. A tornado one day, a blizzard next, a hail storm the following. Kind of kidding, but..

This again would be GREAT if we can come up with a fairly easy means of keeping track. I am IN! And I'll TEST IT if need be!

Martha

[Stargazer997]

Update, I guess I mean Thank You, Mayres, Whomever YOU are!

[PhalPal]

Hey everyone - My husband is an engineer and is great with computers and excel programs. One of our missions this weekend is to set up a spreadsheet to keep track of re-potting, fertilizing, PROBLEMS (and what I did about it.....)
I can upload it when we are done if anyone is interested.

[Stargazer997]

Interested! Very.
Thank you!
I tried uploading my spread sheet as is, which I think is good, but bombed.
I guess I'm looking for a brain implant that will tell all!

[pikevi]

I am really very excited about the prospect of having all the info at fingertips!!.

I can't offer much help in setting up the DB but I am sure many will be benefiting from it.

Thanks mayres, I will try to work with Access, this weekend if I get some free time. But I have to go to an orchid show as well.

And thanks , Stargazer997 and PhalPal.

BTW, Stargazer: No need to go that far .. just get some supplements, viz.,vitaminB6, B9,B12 and lots of essential fatty acids

[mayres]

A small world it is Stargazer! I have also been in QA for 33 years! (except for a brief side journey into information services for a few years) There are advantages and disadvantages of using Excel vs. Access. I used to use Excel a lot until I learned Access. Over the years I have converted nearly everything I ever did in Excel into Access. At least for the kind of work that I do Access is FAR superior. I do plan on putting together a simple database in Access in the near future and would not mind working with a few others on developing it. If you all choose to go with Excel or some other program that is OK too. Anyone who is interested in test driving Access with me for documenting orchid information just pm me with what information you would want to see documented and any other issues that you would like to see included and I will add that to my own concepts and see what we can develop together. I will need to know what version of Access you have so I can email you a copy in a version that you can use. For example, 2003, XP, or 2000. You can always utilize older version that what you have but never the reverse. We could also continue on this thread or start another one with ideas for documentation if you all want to try that.........Lots of options!

[PhalPal]

Hi Everyone - My brand new computer does not have Access. With an Engineer for a husband of course it has all the other bells and whistles. Is Access a program I can purchase? Cost?

[pikevi]

Hi PhalPal,

I am not sure if you can purchase it as Access. It is part of microsoft's Office software. But if you have ,word or powerpoint or excel, you probably has the licence and hence can install the access. You may need an install disk , though.

May be other's can help you more.

I think the application SF will cost around $500cdn.. and I am not sure if it is worth it.

Ask your husband if he can get a copy of the install disk. And if it asks for the 'key' you may have it at the back of the PC housing(case). If you don't have it, it will be under the :
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components

And it will be in one of those long hexadecimal-named folders. If you need it I will find out the right folder that contains MSOffice key.

Good luck.

[PhalPal]

Thanks pikevi - I will loook a little deeper!

[butt0n]

MS Access is a pain in the arse program if you ask me! I admire those who can successfully dabble in it since it was pretty confusing for me when I had to take a computer class in college. I'm not sure either if you can buy it alone, but if you can, it'll probably be expensive. Wouldn't Excel work?