If you are a member of the NASC and are currently growing plants for us, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our data management system. (If you're not involved in the Grower Committee but would like to be, please contact our Administrator of Plant Materials for details.) To access the grow reports section of the website, please contact the Administrator of Plant Materials Victor Holland at plantmaterials@nasarracenia.org or the Vice President Ryan Kitko at vicepresident@nasarracenia.org - we will change your permissions on the site to allow your use of the system.

Essentially, our grow reports system is a database that replaces the paper copies that we had asked you to keep for each population code of the plants that we rescue. Accurate records are necessary for our operations so that we can track our population statistics, facilitate pollination and seed production for each population code. And it gives you an easy way to keep track of the plants you're growing for us; for example, you get to see how they've changed over the years.

So, to that end, here is a guide on how to utilize this new database system.

1. Assuming that you're a member in good standing who has paid dues and who is growing plants for the NASC, login to the site, found on the right-hand side of the page.

2. Once logged in, if you have the proper permissions, you will see a link on the right above the other meta links like "edit your member details" and "logout" that will say "Grow reports." Click this.

3. You will be brought to the main grow reports portal. Technically, this is a plugin developed for our content management system (WordPress) and you're seeing part of the back-end of the website. From here, you'll want to start entering your own data! Click on one of the two links that says, "Add New Grow Report."

4. Enter your data! There is a drop-down menu for all of our population codes, so unless there's a new code created, you shouldn't need the text form to the right of the drop-down menu. For action, you should choose the most appropriate one from the drop-down menu. Again, all actions (census, collected seed, upsized, germinated, etc.) should be available, so do not use the text form. Enter the number of plants you are cultivating for this population code, the pot diameter in inches (do not include units in the text field) and their average size in inches (again, do not include units in the text field). Add any comments you see as necessary, but keep them short. This field is mostly necessary if you treated plants with a fungicide or pesticide - indicate which product and how much. The comments field is also required if you are shipping the plants or receiving the plants - you must indicate the destination or from whom you received the plants or seed.

5. Set the event time. This is mostly important if you forgot to update the database for a few weeks. If you change nothing, the system publishes the action as of the time and date you click "publish," but what if you received seed a month ago? On the right hand side of the window, click on the Edit link next to "Publish immediately" and set the month, day, and year appropriately.

6. Upload a photo. Another great way to keep track of the NASC plants over the years is to take a photo! We suggest selecting a representative plant from that population code to photograph. To upload the photo, on the right hand side of the window, click on "Set featured image." A pop-up window will open. Select the file from your computer. You don't need to change any of the settings in the subsequent window, just scroll down and click "Use as featured image."

7. All done? Click Publish. This is what it will look like (to the right). You can freely edit any of your reports if you made a mistake. All new reports will be grouped by population code so that newer updates appear above the older ones.

Thanks so much for keeping our data manageable! We depend on you, our growers, to keep us informed of potential problems and possible opportunities when it comes to our rescued plants.