will be increased if wild stock for the initial nursery is rare, scattered, or away from the 

 planting site. Culms should be planted at least 8 inches deep so that drying of the soil at the 

 root zone does not occur (Sec. V, 2e, 3f, 4b, 4f, 4i). 



d. Irrigation. If the surface is dry to a depth of several inches, irrigation is necessary 

 before planting. It is essential that at least the basal nodes of the culm be seated in moist 

 sand (field capacity or at least 4 percent). Irrigation after planting is unnecessary if 

 precipitation is near or above normal. During droughts, the nursery should be irrigated 

 about twice monthly for several months after planting so that moisture at the root zone 

 remains at or above field capacity. 



Irrigation water can be obtained from an open pit, 40 to 50 feet square and 5 feet deep 

 (2 to 3 feet below the water table), and can be dug with a backhoe in 3 or 4 hours. Salinity 

 of the irrigation water should be less than 5,000 micromhos per centimeter; before 

 excavation, the water table should be tested. A system of 1.5-inch flexible plastic irrigation 

 pipe with sprinklers every 40 feet and powered by a portable centrifugal pump with a 

 7.5 horsepower gasoline engine was used effectively in the Padre Island tests, but any similar 

 system is suitable. A 10-head system watered a 400- by 40-foot area at the rate of about 

 3.5 gallons per minute per head, or the equivalent of 1 inch precipitation every 4 to 5 hours. 

 A full day of irrigation may be required to wet the substrate thoroughly (Sec. V, 4k, 5a). 



e. Fertilization. The nursery should be fertilized for several months after planting, or 

 when active transplant growth begins. A complete (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) fertil- 

 izer with a total rate of 120 to 180 pounds per acre of nitrogen should be applied. This rate 

 is best split into two or three equal applications, and applied in late spring through summer. 

 Annual fertilization may be necessary to maintain a dense stand of large culms in a nursery 

 protected from accumulating sand (Sec. V, 5b). 



2. Harvesting Transplants. 



a. Sea Oats. Transplants should be dug carefully with a shovel to dislodge the culm 

 intact, since the congested nodes are nearly always buried. Small clumps of sea oats 1 yard 

 or more in diameter should be removed from the ground leaving a few culms and rliizomes 

 for reestablishment. The individual culms are then separated by hand. All sizes of culms 

 make acceptable transplants, although very small seedlings can not be handled easily and 

 should not be selected. To reduce bulk, the distal part of the leaf blades can be removed 

 with a machete, leaving about 15 inches of culm base. This is an essential step for machine 

 planting since untrimmed culms will often lodge in the transplanter. The transplants are 

 then tied in bundles of 100 or 200 plants, or packed base-first in bushel baskets. After 

 digging, the transplants may be stored 3 to 4 days in freshwater by immersing the basket or 

 base of the bundle. A longer storage period will reduce survival potential. Plants may be 

 stored overnight or during the planting operation by partial burial in wet sand or by 

 covering with a tarp, to minimize dessication (Sec. V, 2f , 3g). 



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