Not sure where to ask this question, so put it here. Moderator: please move if there is a better spot.
I wonder about labeling my plants, and how to keep track of various aspects, such as re-potting, flowering history, light requirements, dry season requirements etc.
-Thus far, I simply have the labels from the original vendor, nothing added to it. But this seems inadequate. What should one note on the label or on the side? Re label materials, there was a great thread
Name tags
- What to do about all the other information? Binder as logbook with sheets for each plant? Database? What information is critical, what is optional, what is overboard?
- How does one keep track of once-in-a-while duties, such as re-potting, simulate dry season? Memory is a fickle thing, so I wonder what approaches are taken with a calendar, or also with a computer database.
- I grow my orchids in a naturalistic terrarium, and have plans for a greenhouse as a XXL-sized landscaped terrarium. So I prefer the least intrusive labels, and don't like to add 10 different color codes to each plant. Name and serial number is the bare minimum on the label.
Alternatively, I may think about Name, serial number, next repot, symbols for water temperature and light, and an optional remarks for things like dry-season.
- I am inclined to go the relational database route. I have done such dbs in FileMaker before, so the technical implementation is no problem, but I am struggling with what to put in.
This is just for keeping species, not regarding making hybrid crosses. The latter gets much more involved. I have only done some limited divisions of plants, nothing more exotic.