(8) Planting Maintenance . Debris deposited by high tides is defi- 

 nitely a hazard to plantings of this grass on many sites in the Pacific 

 Northwest. Regular inspection and removal should be practiced where wood or 

 litter deposition is heavy. Tufted hairgrass is grazed by wildfowl which 

 could interfere with establishment in concentration areas. Storm damage 

 should be repaired by replanting damaged areas. 



(9) Summary . 



(a) Planting type - sprigs. 



(b) Plant spacing - 1.0 meter (10,000 per hectare). 



(c) Minimvmi width of planting - none. 



(d) Salinity range - fresh and brackish water. 



(e) Elevation - MHHW and above. 



(f) Optimal planting period - April, May, and June. 



(g) Fertilization - may be necessary in nutrient-poor sediment. 



VII. PLANTING SPECIFICATIONS FOR OTHER USEFUL SPECIES 



In general, the previously described primary species are effective 

 pioneers in the intertidal zone. Once established they provide an environment 

 to which many other species will invade over time. However, there are 

 specific instances when incorporating additional species into the initial 

 planting may be warranted. The additional species potentially useful for 

 shore stabilization plantings include black needle rush, common reed, cord- 

 grasses (big, gulf, and saltmeadow) , mangroves (red, black, and white), 

 saltgrass, seaside arrowgrass, and siltgrass. 



1. Black Needle Rush {Junaus voemevianus) . 



This plant is an important and extensively occurring high marsh species 

 along the Atlantic and gulf coasts. Success in transplanting this species has 

 been erratic. Plants from young, uncrowded stands are definitely preferable 

 to older plants. Seeds may germinate as soon as shed. They require direct 

 sunlight and constant wetness. Black needle rush seeds are more difficult to 

 harvest than seeds of the cordgrasses. Plantable seedlings have been produced 

 in peat pots (Garbisch, Woller, and McCallum, 1975) and plastic containers 

 (Broome, North Carolina State University at Raleigh, personal communication, 

 1980) but take more time and are more erratic than the cordgrasses. In light 

 of the difficulties encountered in direct establishment of this species and 

 the propensity it has for invading stands of other marsh plants after stabili- 

 zation, direct planting of black needle rush as the primary species is rarely 

 justified. Growth and spread is extremely slow, probably about 10 centimeters 

 per year (Fig. 30). It is much easier to stabilize the area with smooth 

 cordgrass, saltmeadow cordgrass, or big cordgrass and allow black needle rush 

 to invade naturally where it is best adapted. If large grass plantings are 



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