A new feature has been added to our community, the Orchid Grow Record Database. This database is designed to group each member's personal orchid records and photos under her/his username. Inside the database you can fill in the answers to over 30 different orchid culture questions as well as upload photos and add your own text/ descriptions, etc. Below is a list of the some of the fields you will find when posting an entry:

Orchid Genus, Species/Hybrid, Cross/ Parents, Cultivar Name, Variety, Award, Ploidy, Bloom Color(s), Country of Origin, Plant Maturity, Fragrance, Fertilizer, Humidity, Temperature, Grow area, Vendor/ Place where acquired, Costs, and a whole lot more.....

This system is designed to be a full orchid database and also to be a fountain of information for the members and guests of our orchid community. Not only can you upload up to 25 photos per entry, you can reply to your own entries with updates so when you divided your plant or s or repotted your plant, etc..., you can add that to your orchid record.

To keep the entries clean and free of discussion, only the member who posted the entry can reply to her/his entry, but all members can see and rate the entries. Have a question about something you have read in a member's orchid record, use the contact link to send that member a private message or post in the public forum and link to the record. Want to pass on a compliment, post a visitor message on that member's profile page or start a thread with a link to the orchid grow record.

And the best news for me since I recently went through a computer crash and lost lots of photos and my entire orchid journal is: The information contained in this database will be backed-up twice a day along with the forum; the information is very secure! No more lost records because of a computer crash or software glitches. And it is available to access anywhere you can reach the internet - even from your mobile device.

Only members who are active in the community will have access to post new entries in the database. Brand new members will need to get to know the community guidelines and posting rules before submitting records in the database. But don't worry, you will be posting in the database soon!

Have a question about this new OrchidTalk feature - post it here! If I have missed a piece of information you think should be included in the record, let me know. I can add it.

I have entered three slipper orchids into the system to get things started. You may have noticed the new tab at the top middle of the page or the new display module on the lobby page under the slide show. Check it out and let me know what you think. I hope it will be a valuable resource for our community.

Cheers,
BD