Spacing Plants per 1,000 square feet 



inches meters 



12 0.30 1,000 



18 0.45 445 



24 0.60 250 



36 0.90 111 



2. Planting Dates . 



March, April and early May constitute the ideal planting season at 

 the latitude of North Carolina, late enough to avoid the worst weather, 

 and early enough to allow a long growing season. S. alterniflora can be 

 transplanted successfully the year round, but not with equal success. 

 Planting in winter subjects transplants to more severe weather, stronger 

 wave action, and greater erosion or deposition hazards. Summer planting 

 reduces the time for establishment before winter. Circumstances will 

 often warrant consideration of planting times which are less than optimum. 



Elevation . S. alterniflora will usually grow in any area, roughly 

 between MHW and MLW for locations with low tide ranges and from MHW to 

 MSL for higher tide ranges. Since there will be variations where wind 

 setups are large, upper and lower limits of growth of natural stands in 

 the vicinity should be checked. 



3. Fertilization . 



Plantings may respond to the addition of nutrients in nutrient-poor 

 situations -- very sandy substrate, little or no clay or silt moving into 

 the area, and low concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in the 

 surrounding water. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the most likely limiting 

 nutrients. Chemical assays are useful only to identify extremes. Conven- 

 tional tests for available phosphorus were developed for uplands and are 

 not reliable- for coastal conditions. There are no convenient chemical 

 methods that will satisfactorily forecast available nitrogen supplies. 



4. Seeding . 



a. Seeds. Harvest seed as near maturity as possible (late September 

 and early October in North Carolina) and store in estuarine water at 2° 

 to 3° Centigrade over winter. 



b. Method . Broadcast at low tide and cover 1 to 3 centimeters by 

 tillage. Tillage is better before and after broadcasting. 



c. Rate. Seeding rate should be based on viable seeds since quality 

 varies widely. Optimum rate appears to be around 100 viable seeds per 

 square meter. Adequate stands are possible under favorable conditions 

 with half this rate. 



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