PLANTING 231.04
231.01 Description
This work consists of providing, handling, planting, and establishing plant materials.
231.02 Materials
Provide materials in accordance with the following subsections: Material: Subsection: Plant Materials 735.02.A Organic Mulch 735.02.C Water 735.08
231.03 Equipment
If machine -planting trees, the equipment must be capable of digging, lifting, carrying, and placing a plant into a hole (dug by the same or an identical machine) without damaging the ball of soil or the plant. Obtain the Resident Engineer's approval of the equipment before use.
231.04 Construction Metho Ds
A.General Perform this work under the supervision of an experienced nurseryperson. Provide credentials to the Resident Engineer before starting work. Maintain and protect new plants and existing trees, shrubs, and turf from damage or injury before, during, and after planting, establishment, and maintenance operations. For the purpose of Section 231, “Planting,” BR refers to bare -rooted and B&B refers to balled and burlapped.
B.Product Delivery, Storage, and Handling Deliver plant material from the growing site to the planting site with special care and prevent excess drying of the roots and balls and wind damage to the foliage. The Department recommends tarps or covered vehicles. Pick up trees by the container or rootball, n ot by the trunk. If unable to plant BR plants within 2 hr of delivery and B&B or container plants within 24 hr, heel -in using moist soil or mulch or store in a protected area. Maintain heeled -in plants and water as necessary until planted. Remove contain er grown plants from containers at planting time only. The Department will not accept plants that remain heeled -in during the summer.
231.04 Planting
Replace plants that the Department determines unfit for planting, at no additional cost to the Department.
C.Planting Pr ocedures
1.Planting Seasons and Weather Restrictions Plant deciduous B&B and BR plants from November 25 to March 31, evergreen plants from October 1 to May 15, and container plants from September 15 to April 30. suspend work when the temperature is below 25 °F [-3.8 °C], the wind velocity is over 25 mph [40 km/h], the natural ground or topsoil is frozen or wet, or the continuation of prevailing weather will damage plant materials regardless of the specified planting dates. Complete planting operations as early in the specified season as possible. Remove plants that are not in accordance with the specifications after planting, and replant immediately. If the current planting season is over, replant during the next planting season.
2.Plant Locations The R esident Engineer may adjust plant locations indicated to suit actual field conditions. Kill existing vegetation with an herbicide approved by the Resident Engineer before planting. Remove debris before planting.
3.Planting Hole Make plant holes vertical and cylindrical unless using an approved tree -digging machine. When excavating in rocky subsoil (or in impervious material that would hamper proper drainage, normal root development, and growth), loosen the soil with the Resident Engineer’s approval. Dig a large planting hole as deep as the rootball and two to three times as wide as the diameter of the top of the rootball. Ensure that the planting hole is at least three times the diameter of the container, and at least 8 inches remains between the fully spread roots of a BR plant and the sides of the planting hole. For holes in material impervious to drainage (rocky or heavy clay), loosen the bottom and sides of the hole. Loosen or till the soil to a depth between 8 inches to 10 inches if planting g roupe d plants (shrubs) in a bed . Remove thick turf before tilling. Ensure the plant hole diameter is large enough to allow at least 8 in [200 mm] of backfill between the fully spread roots and the sides and bottom of the hole. Make plant -holes for containerized plants 3 -times the diameter of the container and to a depth so that the natural flare of the stem or trunk is at, or slightly above, grade. If the Plans show grouped plants in a plant bed, loosen the plant bed to a depth of at least 6 in [150 mm] and break up clods before excavating the plant holes. Uniformly spread excess material from plant -hole excavations over the surrounding area. If the excess material is not appropriate for spreading, dispose of it as approved by the Resident Engineer . PLANTING 231.04
4.Planting Procedures for B&B, Container, and BR Plants
a.Prune Prune sparingly. Examine the tree for injury to roots or branches. Cut crushed roots at a point just in front of the break. Prune only broken branches, making sure to leave the branch collar intact.
b.Fertilizer Never apply a high -nitrogen fertilizer at planting time. The Department will specify the requirement for additional fertilizing in the plans.
c.Soil Use existing, native soil to backfill the hole.
d.Tree Placement Never carry trees by the trunk. Set the top of the rootball of the tree or shrub slightly above finished grade. Soil must be added to slope from the top of the root ball to the ground level. For B&B trees and shrubs, The Department will allow the burlap tie to be higher than the original soil line.
e.Filling Plant Hole If planting B&B, cut the twine and remove the burlap from the top of the root ball after placing the tree in the planting hole. Cut and remove a minimum of one -third of the burlap from all sides of the root ball to prevent the burlap from exposure to direct air contact. Remove a minimum of one -third of any wire baskets from the root ball after placing the tree in the hole. Completely remove all containers, peat pots, and root control bags.
f.BR Planting Spread -out the roots when placing BR plants in the planting holes. Backfill the hole with thin layers of friable native soil. Carefully tamp the soil around the roots to prevent damage or bruising. Use the same process of watering and adding soil as needed.
g.Tree Well Make a shallow saucer -like depression from the trunk to 18 in [450 mm] outside the plant hole and construct a 6 in [150 mm] high, 3 in [75 mm] thick ridge of compacted soil in a circle 18 in [450 mm] outside of the plant hole (at the edge of the depression) around the tree.
h.Excess Soil Uniformly spread excess soil from plant -hole excavations over the surrounding area. If too much excess soil exists, dispose of it as approved by the Resident Engineer.
5.Machine Planting of Trees
a.Digging Ensure each excavated tree has a ball of soil encompassing the root system. Provide a ball size in accordance with the requirements of ANSI Z 60.1.
231.04 Planting
b.Transporting Transport the tree from the digging location or nursery to the new locations using the same machine that excavated the tree.
c.Planting Place the tree in a hole dug by the same size spade used to excavate the tree. The holes must be at least 3 in [75 mm] larger in diameter than the root ball. Scarify or loosen the sides and bottom of the hole to allow water to drain before placing the tree. Place the top of the ball at a slightly higher elevation than the surrounding ground. Remove the machine, backfill the hole with existing native soil or a 50/50 mix of nat ive soil and planting mix, water, mulch, and stake the tree.
D.Staking Stake container trees with calipers 1 in [25 mm] or larger, and B&B and machine planted trees with calipers 1½ in [12.5 mm] or larger. Use nylon staking ties (webbing or strapping) to attach the stake to the trunk. Place the staking ties loosely around the trunk just above the lowest set of branches and attached to stakes placed outside the perimeter of the tree well. Leave at least 3.5 ft [1 m] of the stake above ground. Leave the st akes for at least 1 year but not more than 2 years.
E.Organic/Mulch Establish and maintain a 6 in to 8 in [150 mm to 200 mm] thick layer of approved, organic mulch in a 6 ft [1.8 m] diameter around the newly planted tree including filling the tree well. Do not use landscape fabric or plastic. Pull the mulch away from the tree trunk to provide aeration. Do not make mulch volcanoes.
F.Watering Water plant material regularly until start of establishment period. Provide at least 1 in [25 mm] of water per week; water slowly and thoroughly. If 1 in [25 mm] or more of rainfall occurs during one week, the Department will not require supplemental irrigation for that week. The Department will not allow turf irrigation.
G.Plant Establishment Period and Contrac tor’s Warranty Take responsibility for the proper maintenance, survival and condition of all plants for the establishment period specified in the Contractor’s landscaping warranty bond or on the plans after final acceptance in accordance with Subsection 105.17(c) , “Final Acceptance .” Notify the Engineer upon completion of installation of all plants. Mowing as part of the Planting work will be identified in the Contract. Continue any mowing of the Planting areas speci fied in the Contract throughout the establishment period. The cost of mowing during the establishment period will be included in the cost of other bid items. PLANTING 231.06 Provide a Landscaping Warranty Bond to the Department in the amount of the total sums bid for all landscape items as evidence of warranty during the plant establishment period. The cost of the bond will not be paid separately, but will be included in the costs of other bid items. The Department will conduct interim inspections of all landscape items d uring the plant establishment period, as well as at the end of the plant establishment period. As part of the warranty to the Department, and at no cost to the Department, replace dead, dying, or unhealthy plants with plants of the same size and variety d uring the appropriate planting season. Healthy plants should have at least 85 percent of the canopy alive with leaves the appropriate size and color for the species. At the end of the establishment period, the Department will release the Contractor from f urther warranty work and responsibility provided all plants are established and all previous warranty and remedial work, if any, has been completed to the satisfaction of the Department.
H.Carry -Over Work Stop planting operations at the end of the initial planting season, even if the planting activities are incomplete. The Department will not extend the initial planting season for failure to complete the work. Continue and complete the work during the next planting season. The Department will charge time from the beginning of the next planting season until remaining planting is complete. The Department will not charge time from October 1 to November 25 for deciduous plants or for replanting operations.
231.05 Method of Measuremen T
The Resident Engineer w ill measure healthy plants by each category.
231.06 Basis of Payment
The Department will pay for each pay item at the contract unit price per the specified pay unit as follows: Pay Item: Pay Unit:
A.TREES (KIND) Each
B.SHRUBS (KIND) Each
C.VINES OR GROUND COVERS (KIND) Each
D.TREES MACHINE PLANTED (KIND) Each Include the cost of water for watering plants, mulch, and fertilizer in the unit price of the relevant trees shrubs, or ground covers pay item.
232.03 Seeding
SECTION 232 SEEDING
232.01 Description
This work consists of preparing seedbeds, providing and planting seeds, and seeding for temporary and permanent erosion control.
232.02 Materials
Provide materials in accordance with the following subsections: Material: Subsection: Seed 735.03 Water 735.08
232.03 Equipment
A.Hydraulic Seeder Use a factory -designed hydraulic seeder. Ensure the tank holds at least 1,000 gal [3.8 kL], and include a mechanical agitation system with an operating capacity that can suspend and homogeneously mix the seed and water. The distribution hoses must be large enough to prevent clogging and include spray nozzles that provide uniform distribution. Mount the equipment on a traveling unit capable of distributing the seed without operating on the area requiring seed.
B.Grass Seed Drill Use an approved native grass seed drill equipped with two or more planter boxes and two planting mechanisms that will simultaneously plant large chaffy seed and fine clean seed. Ensure the drill has the following characteristics: A mechanism for accurately adjusting the rate of seed flow; Double -disk op eners for opening furrows on maximum 8 in [200 mm] centers; Disk, each with a depth -regulating band 1 in [25 mm] from the disk edge; and Furrow openers, each with heavy press wheels to compact the soil behind the opener and leave the seed covered to a depth of from ¼” to approximately twice the diameter of the seed being planted.
C.Corrugated Roller Seeder Use a corrugated roller seeder equipped with two planter boxes and two planting mechanisms that will simultaneously plant large chaffy seed and fi ne clean seed. Ensure the roller wheels are corrugated, mounted on tandem axles, spaced on 2 in [50 mm] centers, and capable of placing the seed from ¼ in to ½ in [6 mm to 12 mm] deep. The seeder shall also include a mechanism for adjusting
Source: Oklahoma Standard Specifications for Highway Construction, 2019 Edition. Pages 173–177 of 935.