d. Planting Dates . March, April, and early May are ideal planting 

 months for North Carolina. Spartina altevniflora can be transplanted 

 year round, but not with equal success. Winter transplants are sub- 

 ject to severe weather, strong wave action, and 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. 



e. Elevation . Spartina altevniflora will usually grow between 

 MHW and MLW for locations with low tidal ranges, and from MHW to MSL 

 for higher tidal ranges. Since there will be variations in adaptation 

 where wind setups are large, upper and lower limits of growth of 

 natural stands of Spartina altemiflora in the vicinity should be 

 checked. 



f. Fertilization . Plantings often respond to the addition of 

 nutrients in nutrient-poor situations, characterized by a sandy sub- 

 strate, little or no clay or silt moving into the area, and a low 

 concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus in the surrounding water. 

 Nitrogen and phosphorus are the likely limiting nutrients. Chemical 

 assays are useful only to identify extremes. Conventional tests for 

 available phosphorus were developed for uplands and are not reliable 

 for coastal conditions. There are no convenient chemical testing 

 methods that will satisfactorily forecast available nitrogen supplies. 



2. Seeding . 



a. Seeds . Seeds should be harvested near maturity (late Septem- 

 ber and early October in North Carolina) and stored in estuarine 

 water at 2° to 3° Celsius. 



b. Method . Broadcast the seed at low tide and cover 1 to 3 

 centimeters by tillage. Till before and after broadcasting. 



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

 quality varies widely. Optimum rate is about 100 viable seeds per 

 square meter. Adequate stands are possible under favorable conditions 

 with one-half this rate. 



d. Planting Date. The best time is probably immediately after 

 natural seedlings appear (March along the North Carolina coast) . 

 Earlier seeding is susceptible to weather risks. Spartina altemi- 

 flora can be seeded as late as the end of June in North Carolina. 

 This produces greatly reduced first-year growth. If the stand sur- 

 vives the winter, growth equals that of earlier seedings by the end of 

 the second growing season. 



e. Elevation. Seeding should usually be confined to about the 

 upper half of the tidal range. 



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