1 Planting Methods . Planting is done by hand on small 

 areas and rough or steep terrain, and by machine on large, smooth sites. 

 In hand planting, plants are inserted in individual holes opened with a 

 shovel, spade, or dibble. This is best done by two-man teams, one open- 

 ing the hole while the other inserts the plant and firms the sand around 

 it. Machine planting is done with tractor-drawn transplanters designed 

 to set crop plants such as tobacco, tomato, cabbage, etc. Most machines 

 can be readily adapted to transplanting beachgrass by extending the 

 openers or shoes to provide a deeper furrow in which to set the plant. 

 Both one- and two-row machines are used. Wheel tractors are faster on 

 smooth, relatively level sites; crawlers are needed on rougher sites. 



2_ Depth . American beachgrass should be planted 20 to 

 25 centimeters deep or deeper (30 to 35 centimeters) in loose, dry sand. 

 The plants must be set deep enough for the basal parts to remain in moist 

 sand until new roots develop to anchor them and new top growth can emerge 

 to trap sand. The deeper they are placed in the moist sand, the less 

 chance of being blown out before becoming established. Shallow planting 

 is the most common cause of failure. It is difficult to open holes or 

 furrows to the proper depth in hard-packed sand, and it is more difficult 

 to keep them open long enough to insert plants through a thick layer of 

 dry, loose sand. This problem can usually be overcome by using more 

 power, but if the sand is dry, it may be necessary to irrigate or wait 

 for rain. 



_3 Planting Date . This plant transplants exceptionally 

 well and can be transplanted satisfactorily when dormant or growing. It 

 has a long transplanting season. It can be transplanted successfully in 

 New England from October through May with the preferred period running 

 from February through April (Jagschitz and Bell, 1966; Zak, 1967). 



4_ Planting Stock . Transplants should have one to sev- 

 eral healthy, vigorous stems (culms) (Fig. 23) . Multiple stems planted 

 in the same hill need not be attached to each other. Larger plants are 

 preferred because the first year growth is definitely related to the 

 number of stems planted per unit area. Consequently, on critical sites 

 where rapid stabilization may be essential, five or more stems per hill 

 are suggested. However, normally spaced plantings of one stem per hill 

 will cover well in the first growing season and there is little difference 

 in multiple-stem plantings the second year. Planting stock represents a 

 significant part of the total cost of a planting so one to three stems 

 per hill are usually planted on all but the most critical sites. The 

 critical sites are the windward slopes of large, mobile dune areas that 

 receive unusually large volumes of sand, blowouts in or between dunes, 

 and areas vulnerable to storm waves. 



5_ Spacing . The exact spacing and pattern is important 

 in the design of a dune grass planting. Spacing that is too wide will 

 usually result in partial or total failure; spacing too close is wasteful. 

 Planting costs are roughly proportional to the number of hills planted. 

 For example, a 30-centimeter spacing requires four times as many hills per 

 unit area as a 60-centimeter spacing and costs about four times as much. 



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