continue to be satisfactory (Clark L. Moore, Horticulturist, Arroyo 

 Grande, California, personal communication, 1976). Although European 

 beachgrass can be readily transplanted, Barbour (1976) believes it can- 

 not establish naturally. It is the only available species that will trap 

 and stabilize relatively large volumes of blowing sand near foredunes in 

 this region. 



1^ Planting Methods . Planting specifications are the 

 same as described for the North Pacific region. Plants are set 30 to 35 

 centimeters deep in moist sand and sand firmed around them to exclude air 

 pockets. Transplanting is by hand on small areas and rough or steep 

 terrain. Machine planting, using tractor-drawn transplanters to open 

 furrows, and to place and cover plants, is preferable on large smooth 

 sites. Planting should be limited to periods when the temperature is 

 less than 16° Celsius for several days and the sand is moist to within 

 8 centimeters of the surface. Meeting temperature and moisture require- 

 ments is critical to the successful planting of European beachgrass. 

 Planting to full depth of 30 to 35 centimeters is particularly essential 

 in dry climate to keep the plant in the moist zone through its period of 

 establishment. 



2_ Planting Date . Temperature and moisture conditions 

 determine the planting date. These conditions are usually favorable after 

 winter rains have wet the sand. 



_3 Planting Stock . Plants should be shaken free of sand, 

 separated, cleaned of dead stems and trash, and pruned to an overall length 

 of 50 centimeters. Stock may be stored for short periods by heeling-in in 

 narrow trenches in well-drained soil. For long-term storage, clay-dip, 

 bundle and hold at about 1° Celsius. Three to five stems per hill are 

 usually planted because good stands are critical with this species under 

 the wind conditions common to this region. A survival rate less than 90 

 percent will require replantings, 



4_ Spacing . This is a critical factor in determining 

 the success and cost of a planting. Planting costs are roughly propor- 

 tional to the number of hills planted. Stands that are too open may 

 blowout. Spacing and planting pattern should be adapted to the site 

 and the result desired. In general, a planting, 45 by 45 centimeters 

 on center with three to five stems per hill, will suffice except on 

 critical sites such as steep windward slopes and the tops of foredunes. 

 A graduated planting pattern (Savage and Woodhouse, 1968) would probably 

 be better for building a foredune by allowing the center ridge to develop 

 rapidly and avoid the steep seaward dune slope that typically occurs with 

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

 30 centimeters on centers, with spacing increasing in rows forward and 

 backward from the center will build a more stable foredune at less cost 

 than a uniformly spaced planting. Suggested spacings from the center 

 strip are 45 by 45, 60 by 60, and 90 by 90 centimeters. Total width of 

 planting, which depends on volume of sand anticipated, is probably about 

 20 to 40 meters. 



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