Sea oats is usually planted as a minor component of a dune grass 

 mixture. One or two rows are generally included in barrier dune plant- 

 ings or in every 10th to 20th row in very large plantings. 



Direct seeding is not practical to establish sea oats on bare dunes. 

 Seeds can be used to introduce the grass into new plantings of other 

 species such as American beachgrass and bitter panicum. Seed heads can 

 be gathered when mature (October in the Carolinas or September in Florida) 

 and broadcast over the new planting where they will be trapped, covered 

 by sand, and germinate later. 



6 Fertilization and Management . Sea oats respond to 

 the addition of nutrients in the same way as American beachgrass. A 

 moderate application of nitrogen and phosphate can be used to speed 

 establishment of new plantings, and to maintain growth and vigor in 

 sand-starved areas. However, this plant is considerably more tolerant 

 of low nutrient levels than American beachgrass and will persist in back 

 dunes and deflation plains for long periods without the addition of 

 nutrients or fresh sand. 



Management requirements for established sea oats are essentially the 

 same as for American beachgrass and bitter panicum. Protection from foot 

 and vehicular traffic is essential and replanting of storm- or man-induced 

 breaks in the cover is necessary. Seed heads need protection because they 

 are in great demand for commercial and personal ornamental use. Harvest- 

 ing the seed stalk does not harm the plant as the flowering stems die at 

 maturity, but removal of the seed from the dune area can limit future 

 dune development. The inclusion of sea oats in dune plantings provides 

 a natural replacement of thinning stands of other species. 



(d) Saltmeadow Cordgrass . This plant grows abundantly 

 along the Atlantic coast. It has not been planted extensively for dune 

 building and stabilization because it is not as effective a sand trapper 

 as the other dune grasses. However, it frequently initiates and builds 

 low dunes which may later be taken over by other plants (Fig. 21). It is 

 more salt tolerant, but less drought tolerant than American beachgrass, 

 bitter panicum, and sea oats. It is particularly well suited for plant- 

 ing on low, moist sites where periodic salt buildup occurs. It probably 

 has greater utility for initial stabilization of this type of site than 

 has been generally recognized. 



1 Planting Methods . Saltmeadow cordgrass is planted 

 the same way as the dune grasses. The finer, more pliable stems and the 

 need for multiple-stem transplants make it more difficult to machine 

 plant than the other grasses. 



2_ Depth . Planting depth on drier sites is the same as 

 for American beachgrass, bitter panicum, and sea oats. Saltmeadow cord- 

 grass should be set 15 to 20 centimeters deep to keep it in the moist 

 zone. On low- lying moist sites, planting depth may be reduced to about 

 15 centimeters. 



73 



