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 man 

 opening 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 

 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^. The plants must be set deep enough for the basal 

 parts to remain in moist sand until new roots and top growth develop. 

 Also, the deeper into the moist sand the plants are placed, the less 

 chance of blowout before becoming established. Shallow planting is the 

 most common cause of failure. 



It is difficult to open planting holes or furrows to the proper depth 

 in hard-packed sand, and more difficult to keep them open long enough to 

 insert the plants through a thick layer of dry, loose sand. This problem 

 can usually be overcome by using more power, but in dry sand it may be 

 necessary to irrigate or wait for rain. 



Deeper plantings of 30 to 35 centimeters are necessary to stabilize 

 large, mobile dunes to avoid early plant loss. 



3 Planting Date . American beachgrass transplants well, 

 and can be transplanted when dormant or active. The transplanting season 

 is long. It can be transplanted successfully along the North Carolina 

 coast from October to the end of May with the preferred period running 

 from November to the end of March. 



4 Planting Stock. Transplants should have one to 

 several healthy, vTgorous stems (culms) . Multiple stems planted in the 

 same hill need not be attached. First-year growth is related to the num- 

 ber of stems planted per unit area (Fig. 25). 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 the first growing season and there will be little 

 second-year difference in cover between these and multiple stems per hill 

 plantings. As planting stock cost is a significant part of the total cost 

 of a planting, one to three stems per hill are normally planted on all but 

 the most critical sites. Critical sites are the windward slopes of large, 

 mobile dunes areas that receive unusually large volumes of sand, blowouts 

 in or between dunes, and areas vulnerable to storm waves. 



5^ Spacing . The spacing and planting pattern of 

 American beachgrass is important in the design of a dune grass planting. 



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