Your responses are anonymous and will be kept confidential. They can not be linked to you or your business. All responses will be combined and used to develop research and extension priorities for nursery crop pest management.

Note: Please complete the survey in one sitting. Because your responses are anonymous, it is impossible for you to return to a partially completed survey and finish it. When you have completed the entire survey, please press the submit button at the bottom of the screen. Thank you.

I. General Information and Monitoring

1. In which state is your place of business located?          Georgia          Kentucky          North Carolina          South Carolina          Tennessee          Other:

Please indicate the percentage that best describes your firm's involvement in areas of the green industry. Please try and have the total amount of involvement for all areas equal to 100%. (For example, if your firm was a 100% wholesale plant production nursery, then all other areas would be marked 0%.)	100%	80%	60%	40%	20%	0%
2. Wholesale, woody ornamental, or perennial plant production nursery
3. Landscape design and installation
4. Garden center and retail sales (Please include if part of your production nursery in question 1 above is also retail)
5. Turf grower
6. Lawn care and maintenance (includes turf installation)
7. Christmas tree grower
8. Greenhouse/floriculture
9. Vegetable plant producer
10. Rewholesaler of plants produced elsewhere

Please indicate what percentage of plant material in your business is field grown, container grown, greenhouse grown, or a combination. Please try and have the total for all areas equal to 100%. (For example, if all plant material was 100% field grown, then all other areas would be marked 0%.)	100%	80%	60%	40%	20%	0%
11. Container grown
12. Field grown
13. Greenhouse grown (i.e., floriculture, vegetable, propagation liners)
14. Other (i.e., landscape design, installation, or maintenance)

15. In your opinion, which of the following best characterizes the frequency with which you use IPM strategies in your nursery?          Always          Often          Rarely          Never

16. Who monitors for pests in your business? (Check all that apply.)          No one          Pest control consultant          Employee          Partner or family member          I do

During the growing season, which of the options below best characterizes how often you set aside time to deliberately inspect plants for insects or mites, diseases, and weeds? Please choose only one option for each pest.	Once per season	Once per month	Once per week	Everyday
17. Insects or mites
18. Diseases
19. Weeds

Which best describes your monitoring/scouting practices for insects or mites, diseases or weeds. (Choose one description for each pest)	Observation by you or others while performing another task (watering, loading, potting)	A specific time set aside by you or others to scout for pests	Do not monitor/scout for pests
20. Insects and mites
21. Diseases
22. Weeds

What information do you use to begin scouting during the growing season for insects or mites, diseases and weeds? (Check all that apply)	Insects or mites	Diseases	Weeds
23. Notification of a pest problem in your area by Cooperative Extension publications or personnel
24. Hearing of a pest problem in your area from another grower, friend or colleague
25. Visible plant damage
26. Appearance of a pest or weed
27. Phenology of host plants or indicator plants (time of budswell, flowering, fruiting, or leaf development)
28. Trap counts or data from other monitoring devices
29. Records from previous years
30. Accumulation of growing degree days in your area
31. Based on a calendar day

II. Prevention

Below are strategies to prevent pest occurrence in plant production areas. Please indicate if this practice is used always, often, rarely, or never.	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
32. Grow pest or disease resistant species, cultivars or varieties
33. Sanitize pots, clippers, etc.
34. Apply biostimulants
35. Quarantine/isolate incoming stock plants
36. Inspect incoming stock for insects or mites, diseases, and weeds
37. Place bulk substrate supplies on higher ground to prohibit water draining into them
38. Use cover crops or green manures in field soils
39. Planting ground covers, flowers, or other noncrop plants to attract and conserve beneficial insects
40. Use granular or liquid preemergence herbicides in containers
41. Stop planting in a field known for a particular pest
Below are strategies to prevent pest occurrence in plant production areas. Please indicate if this practice is used always, often, rarely, or never.	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
42. Stop growing a plant because it gets pests easily
43. Preventative, scheduled preemergence herbicide applications over entire (or much of) growing area
44. Preventative, scheduled insecticide applications over entire (or much of) growing area
45. Preemergence herbicide applications to reduce weed pressure around perimeter of growing area
46. Preventative, scheduled fungicide applications over entire (or much of) growing area
47. Create a weed map of the growing area to determine problem areas or persistent weeds

Below are strategies to control irrigation or nutrient availability to prevent pest occurrence or outbreak. Please indicate if this practice is currently used always, often, rarely, or never.	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
48. Send in a soil sample for testing
49. Apply only those nutrients specified by a soil test
50. Monitor electrical conductivity (EC) and pH of the container substrates monthly during the growing season
51. Place plants with similar water requirements in the same irrigation zone
52. Irrigate through a drip system rather than overhead
53. Sanitize irrigation water with chlorine or another control method
54. Use municipal water

III. Pest Monitoring

When visually scouting/monitoring for insects or mites, diseases or weeds how frequently do you:	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
55. Follow a standardized sampling plan (e.g. randomly select a certain number of plants of each species to inspect them for pests)
56. Focus on 'key' or highly susceptible plant species
57. Focus on plants that are most valuable
58. Visually survey large groups of plants at once to identify damaged plants
59. Visually inspect individual plants for damage or insects
60. Refer to a weed map created previously for the growing area

When damage is evident on a plant(s), how frequently do you:	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
61. Visually confirm whether or not insects or mites are present
62. Visually confirm whether or not a disease is present
63. Visually confirm that it is not a cultural problem (e.g. hail, wind damage, or desiccation)

When insects, mites, or a disease is present how frequently do you:	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
64. Verify that the insect or mite is the causal agent of plant damage
65. Verify the identity (name of) the insect or mite
66. Count the total number of insects or mites on the plant
67. Determine if natural enemies are present
68. Verify that the disease is causing the symptoms
69. Verify the identity (name of) the disease
70. Take pictures of the insects or diseases for future reference

71. Do you keep permanent records of your pest monitoring?          Yes          No

72. On average, how many times per year have you sent a plant sample specimen to a plant diagnostic clinic to determine the name of a disease?

73. On average, how many times per year have you sent a plant sample specimen to a plant diagnostic clinic to determine the name of an insect or mite?

Please indicate if you use each technique to monitor for insects or mites always, often, rarely or never.	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
74. Lures and traps (pheromone, ethanol)
75. Phenology of host plants or indicator plants (time of budswell, flowering, fruiting, or leaf development)
76. Sticky cards or sticky tapes
77. When a visible symptom appears on a plant
78. Highly susceptible bait, trap or indicator plants
79. Growing degree day accumulation
80. Blacklight traps

IV. Decision Making

How frequently do you use the following information to determine if intervention is necessary to manage insects or mites?	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
81. Date of sale
82. How many plants are affected (Incidence)
83. How badly plants are affected (Severity)
84. Phenology of host plants or indicator plants (time of budswell, flowering, fruiting, or leaf development)
85. If the current life stage of the pest causes harm to the plant
86. Whether or not the pest will be a problem for the next plant owner (e.g., homeowner, garden center, landscaper)
87. Economic or damage threshold (the cost of treatment vs. the amount of damage the plants can withstand and still be salable)
88. Calendar day or time of year
89. Recommendation from a plant insect clinic

How frequently do you use the following information to determine if intervention is necessary to manage a disease?	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
90. Date of sale
91. How many plants are affected (Incidence)
92. How badly plants are affected (Severity)
93. Phenology of host plants or indicator plants (time of budswell, flowering, fruiting, or leaf development)
94. Calendar day or time of year
95. Whether or not the pest will be a problem for the next plant owner (e.g., homeowner, garden center, landscaper)
96. Economic or damage threshold (the cost of treatment vs. the amount of damage the plants can withstand and still be salable)
97. Recommendation from a plant disease clinic
98. Disease prediction software models like Maryblyt or Cougarblight

How frequently do you use the following information to determine if intervention is necessary to manage weeds:	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
99. If the weed is present (Incidence)
100. The quantity of weeds present or the total area covered by the weeds (Severity)
101. Species of the weed found
102. Calendar date or time of year
103. If the weed is a persistent problem
104. If the weed is in a stage that can reproduce easily
105. Whether or not the weed will be a problem for the next plant owner (e.g. homeowner, garden center, landscaper, etc.)
106. Date of sale
107. If the weed present is in a vulnerable part of its life cycle
108. Source of the weeds (noncrop areas or property edge)

V. Intervention

When intervention is necessary to manage insects or mites, how frequently do you use the control practices below?	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
109. Insecticidal products (e.g. Orthene, Talstar, Merit, Conserve, Horticultural Oils and Soaps )
110. Natural products (e.g. botanicals, garlic, pepper, repellents)
111. Release beneficial insects (e.g. lady beetles, parasitoid wasps)
112. Discard plants
113. Release predatory mites
114. Apply entomopathogenic nematodes
115. Nothing

When intervention is necessary to manage diseases, how frequently do you use the control practices below?	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
116. Horticultural oils (Saf-T-Cide, Sunspray)
117. Alternate pesticides to avoid resistance
118. Chemical pesticides (Daconil, Subdue Max, Heritage)
119. Nothing
120. Fumigate soils or substrates to kill pathogens
121. Biological Controls (PlantShield)
122. The least toxic alternative

When intervention is necessary to manage weeds how frequently do you use the practices below:	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
123. Tank mix spray applications of a broad spectrum herbicide and a preemergence herbicide (for example, tank mixing glyphosate and oryzalin)
124. Use granular or liquid preemergence herbicides in containers
125. Discard plants
126. Use cultural practices that reduce weeds (e.g., cultivation, plowing, or mowing)
127. Handweeding
128. Use targeted direct sprays or wipe-on applicators (Enviromist)
129. Nothing

When using control practices to manage insect or mite pests how frequently do you:	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
130. Cover spray the entire (or most of) nursery
131. Cover spray the entire affected crop
132. Alternate pesticides to avoid resistance
133. Spot treat within a crop
134. The least toxic alternative

When using chemical pesticides to manage insect pests how frequently do you use:	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
135. Carbamate pesticides such as Sevin
136. Organophosphate pesticides such as Orthene, Diazinon, Di-syston, Dursban
137. Pyrethroid pesticides such as Talstar, permethrin, Onyx
138. Neonicitinoid pesticides such as Merit, Safari, TriStar
139. Spinosad pesticides such as Conserve
140. Insect growth regulators (IGRs) such as Dimilin, Confirm, Azatin
141. Products that contain Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or Beauveria bassiana such as Deliver, DiPel, Botanigard
142. Horticultural oils such as Sun Spray
143. Insecticidal soaps such as Safer Soap

When using chemical pesticides to manage mite pests how frequently do you use:	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
144. Broad spectrum pesticides such as Sevin, Orthene, Dursban, Talstar
145. Horticultural oils such as Sun Spray
146. Insecticidal soaps such as Safer Soap
147. Neonicitinoid pesticides such as Marathon, Safari, TriStar
148. Products specific to mites such as Avid, Shuttle, Floramite, TetraSan, Judo

149. In your opinion, which of the following best characterizes the frequency with which you use IPM strategies in your nursery?          Always          Often          Rarely          Never

VI. Concerns with IPM and Suggested Research Priorities to Address Those Concerns

We are interested in factors that might limit you from using IPM in your nursery. For each factor, please indicate if it is not a limitation, a minor limitation, a moderate limitation, or a major limitation.	Not a limitation	Minor limitation	Moderate limitation	Major limitation
150. Availability of alternatives to chemical controls
151. Effectiveness of alternatives to chemical controls
152. Availability of a step by step IPM guide specifically for nurseries or greenhouses (like a best management guide)
153. Effectiveness of cultural practices
154. Uncertainty about effectiveness of IPM practices
155. Availability of damage thresholds used for making pest management decisions on specific plants
156. Time requirement to scout effectively
157. Availability of research comparisons between alternative and chemical controls
158. Lack of information on effective use of new, less toxic insecticides
159. Readily accessible information describing life cycles of pests, their preferred hosts, and their predators
We are interested in factors that might limit you from using IPM in your nursery. For each factor, please indicate if it is not a limitation, a minor limitation, a moderate limitation, or a major limitation.	Not a limitation	Minor limitation	Moderate limitation	Major limitation
160. Lack of information on the most effective timing of insecticide treatments
161. Availability of cost analyses for implementing control practices associated with IPM
162. Specific scouting protocols for each pest
163. Availability of cost analyses for implementing monitoring/scouting practices associated with IPM

We would like your opinion on a few statements concerning pest management and the use of IPM practices. Please indicate if you strongly agree, agree, or strongly disagree with each statement.	1 Strongly Agree	2	3 Agree	4	5 Strongly Disagree
164. IPM practices would save my nursery money.
165. Advertising the business as "sustainable" or "organic" could increase profits
166. Using fewer chemical pesticides would reduce risks to nontarget organisms (birds, fish, etc.)
167. Alternatives to chemical pesticides are as effective in controlling insect pests.
168. There are alternatives to chemical pesticides that are as effective in controlling diseases.
169. Using natural enemies to control key pests is cost-effective.
170. Alternative controls to chemical herbicides are as effective in controlling weeds.
171. Monitoring pests and reducing pesticide use is too costly to implement.
172. Using fewer chemical pesticides would reduce risks to my employees.
173. Using fewer chemical pesticides would reduce risks to my customers.
We would like your opinion on a few statements concerning pest management and the use of IPM practices. Please indicate if you strongly agree, agree, or strongly disagree with each statement.	1 Strongly Agree	2	3 Agree	4	5 Strongly Disagree
174. IPM practices are beneficial to the environment.
175. IPM practices allow labor to be used more efficiently at my nursery.

Please tell us if research to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of scouting for the following pests should be a high priority, priority, low priority, or not a priority.	High priority	Priority	Low priority	Not a priority
176. Scale insects
177. Spider mites
178. Granulate Ambrosia Beetle
179. Borers
180. Aphids
181. Grubs/Root weevils
182. Thrips

Please tell us if research to develop/improve treatment thresholds or economic injury thresholds for the following pests is a high priority, priority, low priority, or not a priority.	High priority	Priority	Low priority	Not a priority
183. Scale insects
184. Spider mites
185. Granulate Ambrosia Beetle
186. Borers
187. Aphids
188. Grubs/Root weevils
189. Thrips

Please tell us if research to develop/improve IPM compatible control tactics for the following pests is a high priority, priority, low priority, or not a priority.	High priority	Priority	Low priority	Not a priority
190. Scale insects
191. Spider mites
192. Granulate Ambrosia Beetle
193. Borers
194. Aphids
195. Grubs/Root weevils
196. Thrips

197. Your ideas are very valuable to us. Please take a moment to provide some suggestions for research priorities concerning IPM. Your ideas and comments will be the focus of our research and extension efforts in the coming years.

VII. Information and Education Needs

In the past three years, how frequently have you gained knowledge about plant pests from the sources below?	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
198. Disease or insect pocket guides
199. Printed paper materials like newsletters, fact sheets, and pest management updates from Cooperative Extension
200. Subscribing to an E-mail listserve group
201. E-mailing a Cooperative Extension agent
202. Searching the World Wide Web (Google, Yahoo, etc.)
203. An on-line pest management weblog (blog) of a Cooperative Extension agent, faculty member or industry group
204. Reference books about insects or diseases in your office
205. Your state's ornamental pest management guides
206. Control/pesticide guides from other states
207. Trade journals such as American Nurseryman, GrowerTalks, Nursery Management Production (NMPro), etc.
In the past three years, how frequently have you gained knowledge about plant pests from the sources below?	Always	Often	Rarely	Never
208. Newsletters from outside your state
209. Your state's commodity associations publications (SC Nursery and Landscape Association, etc.)
210. Crop consultants
211. Salespeople or representatives from chemical companies or distributors
212. Communicating with other growers
213. Your state's Department of Agriculture inspectors or publications
214. A plant disease and insect clinic
215. Other professional associations or publications
216. Contact an extension agent by telephone

In the past three years, how often have you attended the educational opportunities about pest management listed below?	Always	Often	Rarely	Never	Not offered near our business
217. Evening meetings
218. One-day meetings
219. Multi-day workshops sponsored by Cooperative Extension, or your state's commodity group trade show (e.g. GGIA WinterGreen Show)
220. On-site troubleshooting with county agent, consultant, or pest expert
221. Demonstration research at a nursery or a university field day.
222. Pest education meetings held at other nurseries or businesses

VIII. Demographic Information Information provided here is completely anonymous and kept confidential. It can not be linked to you or your business. We appreciate your willingness to provide this information.

223. How long has your company been in business?

224. What was your firm's yearly gross sales when averaged over the past three complete years (2006, 2007, and 2008)?          Less than $50,000          $50,001 - $100,000          $100,001 - $250,000          $250,001 - $500,000          $500,001 - $1,000,000          $1,000,001 - $2,000,000          Greater than $2,000,000

225. How many years of experience do you have in the green industry? (Our definition of the green industry includes firms that produce, sell, or service trees, shrubs, flowers, turf, and landscaping.)

226. What is the highest level of education you've completed?          Less than high school          High school or GED          Associate's degree or trade school          Bachelor's degree          Graduate degree

227. Please estimate the total acreage in production for your nursery operation.

228. How many full-time employees were in your firm in 2008?

229. How many part-time employees were in your firm in 2008?

230. How many seasonal employees were in your firm in 2008?

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