Planting Methods. Planting shall occur after several winter rain events have moistened the sand to a depth of at least six inches and shorter photoperiods and cooler daily temperatures reduce the stress on new plants (typically November – February). When feasible, planting will be scheduled during periods of cool weather when precipitation is forecasted. Installing container stock during the winter when the sand is moist maximizes the odds of success, especially in the absence of an irrigation system. Planting in the early fall prior to the onset of winter rainfall should be avoided. During this time of year, daily temperatures are warmer, the photoperiod is longer, and sand is dry to a greater depth due to the absence of rainfall in a Mediterranean climate. Planting shall occur in areas where invasive non-native plant removal has been completed. Planting is not necessary where existing healthy dune vegetation is already present. Following the determination of plant layout, plants will be installed by hand digging a planting pit in the sand, carefully extracting the plant from the container with minimal root disturbance, placing the plant so it is sitting vertically in the hole and backfilling and compressing the sand around the plant by hand. Care should be exercised to not break off or bend the root ball during planting.
Planting Methods
