How to Plant Uniola Paniculata

Choose a planting location with full sun. Turn the soil with a pitchfork before planting, chopping up large chunks of soil to create a finer planting medium.

Perform a soil test and modify the soil if necessary. A pH between 6.9 and 7.9 is preferable for Uniola paniculata. Adding lime to the soil will raise a pH below 6.9, and peat moss lowers a soil pH above 7.9. Mix the lime or peat moss in with the broken soil, according to the manufacturer’s instruction label on the package.

Create the planting holes for the Uniola paniculata using a hand shovel. The holes should match the size of the nursery containers, with 24 to 36 inches between each hole.

Plant Uniola paniculata when the threat of frost is over in your planting zone. Remove the sea oats from their nursery containers, leaving all soil attached to the roots intact. Set one plant in each hole.

Backfill each hole. Water the soil generously to a depth of 1 inch, using a garden hose. Maintain this level of moisture through rain and supplemental watering for the first growing season, until the Uniola paniculata is well established. Uniola paniculata requires very little water to survive once established, so supplemental watering will only be necessary during droughts.

Feed Uniola paniculata a slow-release fertilizer immediately after planting. A 13-13-13 fertilizer is ideal for sea oats; apply it according to manufacturer’s instructions.