and firming the sand around it. Machine planting is done with tractor- 

 drawn transplanters built or adapted for this purpose. With either 

 method, sand must be firmed around the base of the plant to exclude air 

 pockets. 



Planting should not be done when the temperature exceeds 16° Celsius 

 or is at or below freezing. Moist sand should be within 8 centimeters 

 of the surface. 



2_ Depth . Suggested minimum planting depth on drifting 

 sand is 30 centimeters. This depth may be impractical in the hard-packed 

 sand of some foredune sites. It is essential that plants be set deep 

 enough to remain in moist sand during establishment and to anchor them 

 against strong winds during the planting season. 



_3 Planting Date . Suitable temperature and moisture 

 conditions are more important to the survival of this grass than the 

 planting date. These conditions are usually optimum in this region 

 during the late fall, winter, and early spring months. 



4_ Planting Stock . Plants should be shaken free of 

 sand, separated, cleaned of dead stems and trash, and pruned to an over- 

 all length of 50 centimeters. Stock may be temporarily stored by heeling- 

 in in narrow trenches if soil is well drained. For long-term storage, 

 clay-dip, bundle, and hold at about 1° Celsius. Three to five stems per 

 hill are usually planted because dense stands are essential under the 

 wind conditions in this region. Anything with less than a 90-percent 

 survival rate should be replanted. 



5 Spacing . This is a critical factor in determining 

 both the probability of success and the cost of a planting. Planting 

 costs are proportional to the number of hills planted. Spacing and 

 planting pattern should be adapted to the site and the result desired. 

 Generally, a 45- by 45-centimeter planting with three to five stems per 

 hill is sufficient on all but the more critical sites such as steep wind- 

 ward slopes and the tops of foredunes. A graduated planting pattern 

 (Savage and Woodhouse, 1968) is better for building a foredune by allow- 

 ing the center ridge to develop rapidly and avoid the steep seaward slope 

 typical of this species. A pattern of several rows with plants spaced 30 

 by 30 centimeters on centers and the other rows forward and backward of 

 the center of the strip with plant spacing graduated from 45 by 45, 60 

 by 60, and 90 by 90 centimeters will build a more stable foredune at 

 less cost than a uniformly spaced planting. Total width of the planted 

 strip (20 to 40 meters) will depend largely upon the volume of moving 

 sand anticipated. 



6^ Fertilization and Management . Fertilization is 

 extremely important to the establishment of European beachgrass back of 

 the foredune. It is probably less critical within the foredune but 

 because of high-energy conditions there stimulation by fertilization is 

 desirable. Response is limited to nitrogen, with 40 to 60 kilograms of 



85 



