717Roadside Improvement Material

717.01 Fertilizer Fertilizer shall be commercial fertilizer h aving available elements

in conformity with the standards of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemist. The fertilizer shall be furnished in unopened bags with the weight, contents, and guaranteed analysis shown there on or on a securely attached tag. a Grass Seed Fertilizer shall be Property Specification Breakdown of Property Nitrogen (N) 23 percent At least 50 % from slow release sources Phosphorus (P) 0 percent No phosphorus Pottasium (K) 12 percent 40% from potassium magnesium sulphate Iron (Fe) 1 percent From iron sulphate b Slow Release Fertilizer tablets - Planting Tablets shall be a long lasting 20-10-5 plus minors ¾ ounce tablet. c Water Soluble Fertilizer shall be: Property Specification Nitrogen 20 percent Phosphorus 10 percent Potassium 20 percent Completely water soluble, non-corrosive, without chlorides or c arbonates, and containing a color tracer dye. 717.011 Humic Acid Soil Conditioner Humic Acid Soil Conditioner shall come from naturally occurring dry granular unaltered oxidized lignite, also called Humate, or equivalent product approved by the department’s landscape architect, crushed to a particle size which passes a US standard 7 mesh screen [1/8 inch]. Humate or equivalent product shall have a Humic Acid equivalent content of 70% (by weight).

717.02 Agricultural Ground Limestone Agricultural ground limestone shall have the

following mechanical analysis: Sieve Designation Percentage by Weight Passing Square Mesh Sieves No. 10 100 7-54 No. 20 90-100 No. 100 50-100 Total Carbonates >=80 Agricultural ground limestone may be shipped in containers or in bulk. Packaged material shall be delivered in the manufacturer's standard containers. The containers shall be new and so constructed to assure safe arrival at the site. The net weight of the contents shall not exceed 100 pounds per container. The manufacturer's name, a guarantee analysis, and the net weight shall appear on each container. Bulk shipments shall be accompanied by certificates stating manufacturer's name, weight, and guarantee analysis. Liquid lime may be substituted for agricultural ground limestone when seeding hydraulically. Liquid lime shall be water soluble and contain the following analysis: Property Specification Elemental Calcium (Ca) 19 percent Nitrogen (N) 15.5 % of which 1% is from Ammoniacal Nitrogen and 14.5 % is from Nitrate Nitrogen Liquid lime shall be delivered in the manufacturer's unopened containers. The manufacturer’s name, a guaranteed analysis, and the quantity shall appear on each container.

717.03 Seed All seed shall be certified as to mixture, germination, purity, and live seed.

Each variety shall conform to the following: Property Specification Germination >80 percent Pure Live Seed >85 percent Purity >85 percent Weed Seed <1.0 percent All seed shall be from the current year’s crop unless recent tests by an approved testing agency demonstrate that older seed meets the above requirements. Seed Mixtures shall consist of seed proportioned percent by weight as follows: Method #1 - Park Mixture Property Specification Creeping Red Fescue 45% +/- 4% 7-55 Kentucky Bluegrass 25 +/- 4% Chewings Fescue 15 +/- 4% Perennial Ryegrass 10 +/- 2% Annual Ryegrass 5 +/- 2% Method #2 - Roadside Mixture #2 Property Specification Red Fescue 35 % +/- 4 % Sheep Fescue 35 % +/- 4 % Red Top 5 % +/- 2 % White Clover 6 % +/- 2 % Annual Rye 19 % +/- 2 % Method #3 - Roadside Mixture #3 Property Specification Crown Vetch 50 % +/- 4% Perennial Lupine 25 % +/- 4% White Clover 4 % +/- 4% Perennial Rye Grass 21% +/- 4%

717.04 Mulch

717.05 Mulch Binder Shall consist of a commercially developed product for the tacking

of hay or straw. Binder shall be free of refuse, physical contaminants, material toxic to plant growth, or asphalt. Paper fiber mulch may be used as a binder at the rate of 5 lb/unit. Paper fiber mulch shall consist of 100 percent post-consumer newsprint processed to be applied hydraulically. 717.061 Erosion Control Blankets Shall consist of a machine produced rolled blanket of biodegradable fibers, evenly distributed over the entire area of blanket, of a consistent thickness, sewn into a biodegradable mesh on the top and bottom surface using a cotton blend thread. The blanket shall remain in place when subject to shear stress of 1.55 lb/ft2. The blanket shall remain intact until grass is established. The blanket shall be a product 7-57 currently listed on the department’s Qualified Products List (QPL) of Rolled Erosion Control Products. See Section 618.10 - Seeding, Maintenance and Acceptance. 717.063 Ground Anchors Shall consist of metal staples or biodegradable stakes as recommended by the manufacturer of the erosion control blanket to be used.

717.07 Herbicide The herbicide shall be an approved chemical registered in the State of

Maine for the required treatment.

717.09 Humus Humus shall be an organic substance meeting the following:

Property Specification pH 4.5 to 8.0 1 inch Sieve Designation 100 percent passing Soluble Salts Content <4.0 mmhos/cm Organic Matter 35 percent, minimum Dewar Self Heating >5 stability Humus may be a natural peat from sedge, sphagnum or reed origin, or compost from source separated materials that may include leaf and yard trimmings, food scrapes, food processing residues, manure and other agricultural residuals, or biosolids. Humus shall contain no visible admixture of refuse or other physical contaminates or any material toxic to plant growth.

Roadside Improvement Material in other states

• Idaho 711 · ROADSIDE IMPROVEMENT MATERIAL