329300 Landscape 2.docx

12-21-16

SECTION 329300

LANDSCAPE

PART 1 - GENERAL

1.1 SUMMARY

A. This section of the specification covers the furnishing of all labor, tools, equipment, and materials for performance of all operations as described below.

B. Work includes, but is not limited to:

1. Packaging, delivery, and storage of all materials

2. Preparation of Planting Bed Soil Mix (growing medium)

3. Providing amended topsoil

4. Field layout of plant material

5. Excavating for plant material

6. Setting and backfilling

7. Provide and installing trees and shrubs

8. Preparation of the ground surface

9. Staking trees

10. Pruning

11. Provide and apply pre-emergent herbicide

12. Provide and install mulch

13. Clean-up and acceptance

14. Guarantee and maintenance of plant materials

15. Provide and application of turf sod

16. Installation of weed barriers

17. Provide and construct decorative planting beds & concrete edges

18. Provide and install landscape boulders

19. Tree protection of existing trees

1.2 RELATED SECTIONS

A. Drawings and general provisions of the Contract, including General and Supplementary Conditions and applicable Technical Specification sections, apply to work of this section.

1.3 QUALITY ASSURANCE

A. Regulatory Requirements: Comply with applicable requirements of Federal, State and Local laws, regulations and codes having jurisdiction at the project site. Contractor shall be responsible for certificates of inspection of plant material that may be required by Federal and Local authorities to accompany shipments of plants.

B. Reference Standards:

1. "American Standard of Nursery Stock" by the American Association of Nurseryman.

2. American National Standards Institute (ANSI); Publication Z60.1; latest version.

3. Commercial Item Descriptions (CID)

4. CID AA1909 Fertilizer

5. Department of Agriculture (DOA)

6. DOA FSA - 1985 Federal Seed Act Rules

7. DOA SSIR - 1984 Soil Survey Laboratory Methods and Procedures for Collecting Soil Samples

8. ASTM C136 – Sieve Analysis of Fine and Coarse Aggregates

9. ASTM D854-02 – Specific Gravity of Soil

10. ASTM D2974 – Standard Test Method for Moisture, Ash, and Organic Matter of Peat and Other Organic Soils

11. ASTM D3665 - Random Sampling of Construction Materials

12. ASTM D2487-11 – Standard Practice for Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes

13. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Official Soil Series Descriptions

14. American Society of Agronomy (ASA) - Methods of Soil Analysis

15. Solvita Organic amendment Analysis

16. ASTM F1647 – Organic Content (Method A) C. Substitutions of plant material will not be permitted unless authorized in writing by the Landscape Architect.

1.4 PREINSTALLATION MEETINGS

1. N/A

1.5 SUBMITTALS

A. Turf Sod

1. Turf Sod Certificate B. Fertilizers, Inoculants & Bio-Stimulants (certification or laboratory analytical data).

C. Mulch: furnish (2) clear zip-lock bags of mulch.

D. Planting Bed Soil Mix & Amended Topsoil Submittals:

1. Submit the soil mix and individual components testing from the supplier showing organic content and Soil Nutrient report. Individual components include the topsoil, organic and other amendment products used in the final mixes.

1.6 CLOSEOUT SUBMITTALS

A. Operation and Maintenance Data: Include complete listing of plant material installed by species with product information of fertilizers and pre-emergent herbicides used during installation operations.

1.7 QUALIFICATIONS

A. Nursery: Company specializing in growing and cultivating plants & turf with five (5) years documented experience.

1.8 PACKAGING, DELIVERY, STORAGE AND HANDLING

1. N/a

1.9 PROJECT SITE CONDITIONS

A. No installation of material shall take place during excessively wet or excessively hot conditions.

B. Contractor shall coordinate delivery and installation times to avoid conflicts with other scopes of work.

C. Contractor shall coordinate delivery and installation times through the Owner’s Representative to avoid conflicts with other scopes of work.

1.10 SEQUENCING AND SCHEDULING

A. No installation of material shall take place without the water source being readily available.

B. Contractor shall be responsible for ensuring that all sod areas will be mature and suitable for foot traffic per date to be established by the Owner. Contractor shall coordinate all deliveries and installation with the Owner’s Representative.

PART 2 – PRODUCTS

PART 1

PART 2

2.1 PLANT MATERIALS

A. The following quality requirements apply to commercially grown plant material:

1. Plants shall be typical of their species and variety; have normal growth habits, well developed branches, densely foliated, vigorous, fibrous root systems.

2. Plants shall be free from defects and injuries. A Certificate of Inspection by the State Entomologist's Office of the State Department of Agriculture shall accompany each shipment or delivery of plant stock. All shipments of plant stock shall comply with existing State and Federal laws and regulations governing plant disease and infection and interstate movement of nursery stock.

3. Quality and size of plants, spread of roots, and size of balls shall be in accordance with ANSIZ60.1, "American Standard for Nursery Stock" as published by the American Association of Nurserymen.

4. Plants shall not be pruned before planting.

5. Plants shall be freshly dug and nursery grown. Collected stock shall be rejected. Nursery grown plants larger than 11/2" caliper shall have been transplanted or root pruned at least once in past three years.

6. All trees must have straight trunks with single leader intact. Bark shall be free of abrasion, all cuts over 11/4" shall have callused over.

7. Multi-stem trees shall have between two and four leaders.

8. Trees shall not be accepted which have had their leaders cut (or which have leaders damaged so that cutting is necessary).

9. Trees shall be true to name. Contractor shall furnish the Landscape Architect a list indicating the source of each of the different plants to be supplied.

10. All plants shall be balled and burlapped or container grown unless otherwise indicated on the Plant Schedule.

11. Plugs shall have a minimum size of 2” diameter and 4” depth and shall be thoroughly rooted through the container.

2.2 SOD FOR TURF AREAS

A. Sod: Sod shall be nursery grown (cultivated) Turf Type Tall Fescue; “Bladerunner II Tall Fescue”.

B. Machine cut sod at a uniform soil thickness of 1/2” within a tolerance of 1/4”, excluding top growth and thatch.

C. Sod shall be composed of healthy living stems and roots providing a heavy and dense sod not less than 10 months old that is mature and free of weeds, disease and insects.

2.3 INOCULANTS FOR TREES AND SHRUBS

A. Product: Nutri-Cast, Vermitechnology, Inc., P.O. Box 130, Orange Lake FL 32681, Phone: (352) 591-1111, Fax: (352) 591-4550; or approved equal.

B. Rate for Shrub Beds: 15lbs/1,000sf C. Rate for Trees: 1lb/caliper inch

2.4 FERTILIZER FOR TREES AND CONTAINERIZED SHRUBS

A. Agriform Tablets, Scotts-Sierra Companies; or approved equal B. Rate: 2 (21 gram) tablets per every containerized shrub including:

C. Rate: 1 (21 gram) tablet for each ½” caliper tree.

2.5 MULCHES

A. Wood Mulch: Hardwood chips of long, fibrous nature, 2” to 4” in length. Material shall have been stockpiled a sufficient length of time to prevent burning and nitrogen depletion cause by decomposition. Do not use mulch derived from walnut.

2.6 PLANTING BED SOIL MIX

A. Planting Bed Soil Mix shall be installed for all planting beds and container plan backfill. Final soil mix shall be a blend of compost, bark fines & topsoil.

1. Blended Mix Criteria: shall have a pH of 6.0 to 8.5 and 5-7% Organic Content minimum.

2. Product: “Planters Mix” from www.coloradomaterialsinc.com or approved equal.

2.7 AMENDED TOPSOIL

A. Amended topsoil shall be blended screened topsoil and organic.

B. Soil criteria shall be as follows:

1. Topsoil shall be a natural friable soil, possessing characteristics of representative productive soils in the vicinity from which it is obtained.

2. Topsoil shall be classified according to the USDA soil textural classification. USDA definitions are as follows:

Sand – 270 mesh (0.05mm) to 18 mesh (1.0mm) Silt – 0.002mm to 0.05mm Clay – < 0.002mm

3. Topsoil shall have a pH of 6.0 to 8.5 and a 4-7 percent organic matter content.

4. Product: “Amended Topsoil” from www.coloradomaterialsinc.com or approved equal.

2.8 GEOTEXTILE WEED BARRIER

A. Weed barrier shall be a 4 oz. (minimum), non-woven filter fabric.

2.9 CONCRETE EDGING

A. Concrete edge for landscape and decorative planting beds: 6” wide x 4” deep, set on 4” gravel base.

2.10 LANDSCAPE BOULDERS

A. Landscape Boulder (type 1): Elk River Moss Boulder

1. Type: sandstone

2. Size: 60”x60”w x 36”ht maximum and (30”x30”w x 18”ht) minimum.

3. Source: www.coloradomaterialsinc.com B. Landscape Boulder (type 2): Desert Blend Boulder

1. Type: sandstone

2. Size: 48”x48”w x 30”ht maximum and (24”x24”w x 12”ht) minimum.

3. Source: www.coloradomaterialsinc.com

PART 3 – EXECUTION

1.

2.

3.

3.1 GENERAL

A. Planting Seasons: Actual planting shall be performed only when weather and soil conditions are suitable and in accordance with locally accepted practice and as approved by the Owner’s Representative.

B. General Conditions for Planting Period:

1. Fall: September 15 until frozen soil conditions prevent work.

2. Spring: Unfrozen soil condition through June 1.

C. Layout: The Landscape Contractor shall stake out the locations of all plants before digging holes, and request approval from the Owner’s Representative prior to digging.

D. If underground construction, obstructions or large rocks are encountered in excavation of planting areas, other locations for the planting may be selected by the Owner’s Representative.

3.2 PREPARATION OF SOIL FOR ALL SOD AND PLANTING BEDS

A. Prior to any planting work, amended topsoil and planting soil mix shall be placed and spread as indicated by the Drawings.

1. Topsoil shall be free of stone measuring ½” in any dimension and free of all sticks, roots, rubbish and other extraneous material.

2. Unless noted otherwise, provide and install a minimum of 6” amended topsoil depth in all turf/lawn areas and 6” minimum planting soil mix in all planting beds. Depth shall be measured after watering and settling.

3. Contractor shall provide fine grading in accordance with lines and grades shown on the drawings to a maximum tolerance of ½” for turf areas and ½” for planting areas.

4. Finish grades for planting soil mixes shall accommodate the required 4” mulch depth per the planting plans.

3.3 PREPARATION OF GROUNDCOVER BEDS

A. Undercut planting bed area to a minimum depth of 10” to allow for 6” of planting soil mix and 4” of mulch cover.

3.4 PLANTING EXCAVATION

A. Excavation for planting shall include removal and stacking of soil excavated for trenches, tree holes, plant pits and planting beds. Over excavate planting holes as shown and backfill with planting soil mix.

B. Plant pits shall be excavated as shown in details on drawings. Plant pits shall have vertical sides and flat beds.

C. Where existing turf areas are damaged by planting operations, they shall be replaced with equal quality turf by the Contractor at no cost to the Owner.

3.5 TREE AND SHRUB PLANTING

A. Do not plant in obvious poor drainage. Notify the Owner’s Representative in writing of all soils or drainage conditions considered detrimental to growth of plant material.

B. Orient plants for best appearance from dominant view.

C. Set all plants plumb and straight. Set at such a level that after settlement, a normal or natural relationship of the crown of the plant with the ground surface will be established. Locate plant in the center of the pit.

D. When planting container grown stock, use soil similar to the soil in the container to amend existing soil excavated from the pit. Apply specified fertilizer at label rates.

E. Backfill each plant about 2/3 to top. Flood the plant and allow soil to settle. Bring the backfill to grade. Water should be available through quick couplers from the irrigation system. Any settlement shall be brought to grade with topsoil.

F. Balled plants shall be placed in the plant pits on loosened soil. Backfilled soil shall be carefully watered to fill all voids. In no case shall cloth be pulled out from under balls. Do not plant if ball is broken or cracked during the planting process. ALL TIES, STRINGS, BAGS AND BASKETS SHALL BE REMOVED PRIOR TO BACKFILLING.

G. Container grown plants shall have containers cut open and the plants carefully removed so that the earth around roots of plants remains unbroken. Plants shall then be planted in the same manner as balled plants.

3.6 STAKING

A. All trees shall be staked or guyed per the plans. Staking shall be installed immediately after trees are positioned and ties removed from the ball of roots.

3.7 PRUNING

A. Subject to approval by the Owner’s Representative, pruning shall not be done before plants are firmly in place. The intent is to remove any dead or marginalized limbs or branches.

3.8 APPLICATION OF INOCULANTS

A. Provide and install per manufacturers recommendations and rates.

B. Preserve and submit to Owner’s Representative packaging and containers to verify installation of materials.

3.9 APPLICATION OF FERTILIZERS

A. Trees and Shrubs

1. Provide tablets at the rates and sizes recommended by manufacturer.

2. Preserve and submit to Owner’s Representative packaging and containers to verify installation of materials.

3.10 APPLICATION OF PRE-EMERGENT HERBICIDE

A. Prior to application of preemergent herbicide, the area shall be smooth and be free of weed growth, clods and debris larger than 1". Follow rates of application shown on the label as per Federal law. One full application prior to mulching or two half applications, one on the soil before mulching and the other on top of the mulch after mulching.

3.11 INSTALLATION OF MULCH IN PLANTING BEDS

A. Place mulch after applying preemergent weed killer.

3.12 INSTALLATION OF SOD

0. Prior to placement of any sod, the topsoil must be completely settled and smoothed to the required grades as shown on the Drawings and Details.

A. Sod exhibiting heat or drought stress and not installed within 36 hours after cutting will be rejected. Sod cutting and shipping shall be coordinated with the sod grower. Moisten prepared areas before sod installation to a minimum depth of 4”.

B. When placing sod, the Contractor shall use great care so as not to disturb the finished grades of the topsoil. Contractor will make provisions to avoid rutting of the topsoil areas to receive sod. Equipment used to lay sod shall have large floatation tires. Equipment is not allowed to drive over laid sod.

C. The first row of sod should, if possible, be laid in a straight line with subsequent rows placed parallel and tightly against one another. Lateral joints shall be staggered to promote more uniform growth and strength. Do not stretch or overlap sod pieces. All joints must be butted tight in order to prevent voids. Lap ends of sod rolls 6" and cut new tight joint.

D. Sod laid adjacent to hard surfaces shall be laid flush with the tops of adjacent surfaces.

E. Water and Rolling: The sod shall be watered immediately after installation to prevent drying during progress of the work. The Contractor shall have adequate equipment available to water the sod as specified herein. As sod installation is completed in any one section, the entire area shall be thoroughly irrigated to a one-inch depth below the new sod pad. After a short drying period, the sod should be rolled to firm the sod pad.

3.13 INSTALLATION CONCRETE EDGING

A. Refer to drawing details.

3.14 ACCEPTANCE: SOD

A. The Owner's Representative will inspect the turf at the end of each day. Unacceptable turf will be removed and replaced the following workday. Daily approval does not guarantee final acceptance. Final acceptance will follow Owner’s Representative’s final approval of the punch list and the following criteria:

B. Turf has rooted into the topsoil to a depth of 3 inches.

C. The turfgrass lawn surface has a smooth appearance.

D. Cracks and Gaps are top-dressed and filled.

3.15 MAINTENANCE: SOD

A. Current cultural management practices may be modified in accordance with tissue test results or environmental conditions.

B. The groundskeeper of the site will not assume maintenance of the turf until after Substantial Completion and after the turf has been inspected and approved by the Owner’s Representative. Until that time, the Contractor shall perform all maintenance for a period of 60 days minimum until accepted.

C. The Contractor shall be responsible for the performance and operation of the turfgrass areas during the construction, maintenance period and until final acceptance. The Contractor shall keep technically qualified personnel on-site and maintain adequate labor, equipment and supplies in reserve to immediately repair the system or components in the event of any deficiency or failure during the interim maintenance period.

D. The Contractor shall provide all operations necessary to maintain the field through the date of acceptance. The following list of items represents the minimum operations necessary to maintain the turfgrass lawn areas.

E. Mowing: Mow turf to a height of 3”-4” ht. Not more than 1/3 of the grass leaf will be removed by the initial cutting or subsequent cuttings. Turf will be maintained to a neat appearance.

F. Fertilization: Apply as needed based on tissue and soil tests.

G. Weed and Pest Control: The Contractor is to maintain the turf free from disease and infestation. Required treatments will be made according to the needs of the turf as determined by the Owner’s Representative. Comply with applicable requirements of Federal, State, and Local laws, regulations and codes having jurisdiction over chemical treatments.

H. Maintenance Log: The Contractor shall maintain a log of all maintenance activities on the construction site at all times. Make a daily record of all work performed until final acceptance of the work, including:

I. All cultural maintenance activities such as mowing, sample collection and seeding shall be recorded.

J. Irrigation applications – Any use of the irrigation system should be documented, As well as any problems with coverage or system components.

K. System repair logs for each system must be maintained. Record replaced or repaired items such as irrigation heads and valves, or any drainage components in the appropriate system repair log.

L. Contractor shall top dress cracks, voids and deadspots.

M. Watering: maintenance shall include a thorough initial watering with hand watering of all turf areas and as required thereafter when soil moisture is below optimum level for establishment and growth, and all other watering that is necessary for the proper growth of all turf areas.

3.16 MAINTENANCE: TREES AND SHRUBS

A. Planting Beds: Weed, fertilize and irrigate planting beds and keep pest free, pruned and mulch levels maintained. Do not permit planting beds to encroach into turf areas. Maintain breaks in edging between turf areas and planting beds. Fertilize plant materials to promote healthy growth without encouraging excessive top foliar growth. Remove noxious weeds common to area from planting beds by mechanical means.

B. The Contractor shall maintain all materials beginning immediately after the work is started and continuing until final acceptance. The Contractor shall visit the site frequently to satisfy himself that satisfactory maintenance is being performed, including watering. Any deficiency shall be noted in writing by Contractor and brought to the attention of the Owner.

C. Watering: Maintenance shall include a thorough initial watering with hand watering of trees and shrubs and as required thereafter when soil moisture is below optimum level for establishment and growth, and all other watering that is necessary for the proper growth of all plant materials.

D. Replacing Dead and Dying Plants: Plants that are dead or dying shall be replaced within reasonable time, if seasonal conditions permit. Dead Plants shall be removed from the premises immediately up their decline of or notification by Owner’s Representative.

E. Pest and Disease Control: Weeding shall be scheduled as necessary to keep all mulched areas weed and grass free. All mulched areas around trees and shrubs and in beds shall be weed and grass free for final acceptance.

3.17 WARRANTY PERIOD AND REPLACEMENTS: TREES & SHRUBS

A. Guarantee all plants for one year and to fully leaf-out the first spring following final acceptance of the work.

B. At the end of the Warranty Period, the Contractor shall notify the Owner’s Representative and request End-of-Warranty-Period inspection. Approval of all plants and required replacements shall designate completion of the work under this section.

C. Replace any plant that dies or partially dies to the point that the main leader has died back or there is a 25 percent or more of the crown dead, as determined by the Owner’s Representative.

D. Replacements shall be plants of the same size and species, planted within reasonable time following removal of the dead or dying plant, if seasonal conditions permit, or during the next planting season.

E. The Contractor will be liable for any damage to structures, utilities or surfaces resulting from replacement operations.

F. Warranty shall cover all work including final grade prep, fertilization, planting, mulch, etc. until planted areas are established.

----- END OF SECTION 329300 -----

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