The seed string needs to be outplanted or submerged in chilled seawater within 36 hours of leaving the hatchery tanks. Try your absolute best to get the seed outplanted onto your growlines during this time. This is the best way to give your seed the highest chance of success during the transfer process.

However, if the weather turns foul or there are other unforeseen circumstances, you can buy yourself time by hanging the spools from a dock or buoy near your farm site. To reduce spool trauma to a minimum, try to hang them in an area with salinity similar to that of your farm site. Make sure that they’re well-suspended in the water, so they don’t bump or rub against each other or another object. The delicate blades are very sensitive at this time and could easily slough off. Spools should only be stored like this for a few days to a week, maximum. Waiting any longer than a week creates a risk for the holdfasts to develop on multiple layers of seed string, causing them to possibly tear when the string is unspooled during outplanting.