Seedings made as late as June have established successfully. Smooth 

 cordgrass vegetative material can be planted year roimd but not with 

 equal success. Early spring planting avoids the winter storms and pro- 

 vides a long growing season for establishment. Late spring and early 

 summer planting may lessen the storm hazard but leave too little time 

 for full establishment, particularly in the more northern latitudes. 

 March, April, and early May probably represent the optimum planting 

 season along the mid-Atlantic coast with the season starting somewhat 

 later and becoming shorter northward. The practical planting season 

 starts as early as February and extends much longer in the more southern 

 extremes. Mid-summer plantings have been successful on the gulf coast. 



(e) Management . Rhizomes and culms of smooth cordgrass 

 are consumed by certain wildfowl, particularly Canada and Snow Geese, 

 and new plantings may be severely decimated near wintering grounds of 

 these species. Depredations have been controlled by netting placed on 

 the surface, and by barriers erected on the open-water side of plantings 

 (Garbisch, 1977). Other animals such as crabs, muskrats, nutria, 

 rabbits, and cattle may also cause serious damage. Insects often affect 

 seed production. 



Litter and debris deposited particularly by storm and spring tides 

 can be heavy enough to smother out stands. The extent of this problem 

 varies widely from place to place. Plantings should be inspected during 

 the first year, and periodic removal practiced when necessary. 



Plantings in nutrient poor situations (very sandy sediments, low 

 sediment and nutrient content of tidal waters, or in some cases, heavy- 

 textured substrates) may fail for lack of nutrients. Nitrogen is usu- 

 ally the first limiting nutrient followed by phosphorus. Where nutri- 

 ent deficiencies are expected on sandy soils, try 50 kilograms per 

 hectare of nitrogen (N) from ammonium sulfate and 50 kilograms per 

 hectare of phosphate (P2O5) from a soluble source such as triple super- 

 phosphate, applied a few weeks after planting or as soon as new growth 

 appears. A second and third application of nitrogen at 6-week intervals 

 will be beneficial in severely deficient situations. Fertilizer applica- 

 tion to heavy- textured soils should be in the planting hole or furrow. 

 The number of applications required by some plantings may be reduced 

 through the use of slow-release materials but this will greatly increase 

 fertilizer cost. Normally, fertilizers are used only during the first 

 growing season to speed plant establishment. They may be helpful in 

 stimulating growth to increase tolerance to wave stress by established 

 stands. 



(2) Saltmeadow Cordgrass . This grass is the most common plant 

 in the elevation zone immediately above smooth cordgrass along the 

 Atlantic and gulf coasts except in heavier soils along the Louisiana 

 and Texas coasts where it is replaced by gulf cordgrass. It is relative- 

 ly easy to propagate and plant. 



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