bare areas, take root and spread (Fig. 2); or seeds may drift onto such 

 sites at optimum times, germinate and establish new stands (in Sec. 

 Ill, see Fig. 11). It has not been unusual to see both means of coloni- 

 zation taking place at the same site. These observations indicate that 

 the species lends itself to propagation by three general methods: 

 transplanting of established plants obtained by digging and dividing mature 

 plants from natural stands or from "nursery" plantings, direct seeding 

 with seeds that have been suitably processed and stored, and transplanting 

 of seedlings produced in the greenhouse or under other controlled or semi- 

 controlled environments (E.W. Garbisch, Jr., personal communication). 

 Attention was devoted to the first two methods, since they seem to have 

 wider application under North Carolina conditions. The third method is 

 technically feasible, but we have not pursued it on a field scale. 



Initial emphasis was determined largely by availability of plant 

 material and flexibility in use of this material. Use of field-collected 

 or -produced planting stock has several advantages. Seeds do not have to 

 be collected in advance, and planting stock can be obtained from sites 

 producing few or no seeds. Planting material can be carried over from 

 year to year, or can be held in reserve for unforeseen needs. Further, 

 it requires less initial investment, and seems likely to be more economical 

 than producing plants in the greenhouse. Direct seeding, where feasible, 

 appears to be a rapid and very economical approach. It requires prior 

 planning to ensure adequate quantities of seeds. Greenhouse-grown seedlings 

 may have advantages (as less transplanting shock) under rigorous condi- 

 tions, but their requirements for prior planning and investment, depend- 

 ence on suitable seed supplies, and unsuitability for carryover without 

 additional handling may limit their use. 



1 . Transplanting . 



a. Plants . Choice transplants consist of a large, single stem (culm) 

 with small shoots or pieces of rhizomes left attached, or discarded 

 (Fig. 3). Plants were obtained initially by hand digging in natural 

 stands, usually those of recent origin growing on sandy substrates. 

 Planting stock is more difficult to dig and process from older marsh 

 because of the dense root mat. Plants from older marshes are usually 

 smaller, of poorer quality, and tend to be subjected to considerable wear 

 and tear during the digging process. 



A substantial amount of size variability will be encountered among 

 plants from any given site. Thus, in 1972, a test was conducted at Drum 

 Inlet to determine the effect of height and stem robustness of plants on 

 their value for transplanting purposes. Plants dug from a natural stand 

 near Drum Inlet were graded into four groups, transplanted, and later 

 compared (Tab. 2). Both the thin- and large-stemmed tall plants were 

 growing along the open water's edge, but the thin-stemmed plants occurred 

 in more dense stands. The short, large-stemmed plants were from new plants 

 originating from rhizomes invading open areas. The short, thin-stemmed 

 plants came from thick stands 1 to 2 meters behind the tall plants. For 

 most measures of first-year growth (aerial dry weight, number of flowers, 



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