MD Notes: This section is currently found in Section 708 of the existing spec. The
items highlighted in yellow are additions to the existing spec language.
SECTION 251
SEEDING
251.01 GENERAL
This work consists of seeding areas disturbed by construction activities.
251.02 EQUIPMENT.
A.
Class I, II, and V Seed Mixture Equipment.
Use a grass drill equipped with double disk furrow openers that are:
 Spaced no greater than 8 inches apart
 Individually mounted
 Adjustable
 Spring loaded
 Fitted with depth bands that ensure a planting depth of 0.50 to 0.75
inches
 Packer wheels meeting one of the following requirements:
 Mounted individually to each furrow opener and have an
adjustable spring tension
 Mounted independently with a press wheel positioned to follow
directly behind each furrow opener
Equip the seed box with a:
 Positive feed mechanism that meters free flowing introduced (tame)
grasses in a uniform manner with agitators which prevent seed bridging
 Baffles or partitions that keep all seeds uniformly mixed during drilling
If chaffy native grasses (Sideoats Grama, Big Bluestem, or Indian grass) are part
of the seed mixture, equip the seed box with a positive picker-wheel mechanism
with oversize teeth and augur style agitators that meters the chaffy native
grasses either in a mixture or separately in a uniform manner.
B.
Class IV Seed Mixture Equipment.
Use a press drill equipped with an agitation system or other system that provides a
uniform flow of seed at the required rate.
C.
Other Equipment.
Use power sprayers, blowers, hydraulic applicators, or broadcasters on slopes steeper
than 3:1, areas too small to be seeded with a drill, and areas designated as wetlands.
251.03 MATERIALS.
A.
General
Furnish seed that meets or exceeds Pure Live Seed requirements for the specified seed.
Ensure that the seed is:


B.
Free of all prohibited noxious weed seeds, as classified by the North Dakota State
Seed Department
Less than 0.5 of 1.0 percent by weight of restricted noxious weed seeds
The Department will not accept seed that is wet, moldy, or damaged in transit or in
storage.
Seed Testing.
Provide seed that has been tested within 9 months of the planting date by one of the
following:
 A State Seed Lab
 Commercial seed testing lab
 A registered member of the Society of Commercial Seed Analysts
Provide the certified test report before beginning seeding operations.
C.
D.
Labeling.
Ensure each seed bag is labeled with the following:
 Name and address of the supplier
 Supplier’s lot number for each kind of seed in the mixture
 Origin (where grown) for each kind of seed
 Purity and germination for each kind of seed
 Date of latest test.
 Pounds of bulk seed of each kind of seed in each bag.
 Total pounds of bulk seed mixture in each bag.
 Pounds of pure live seed of each kind of seed in each bag
 Total pounds of pure live seed mixture in each bag
Seed Classes.
Ensure the class of seed and the minimum amount of seed per acre is as follows:
POUNDS
PURE LIVE
GRASS SPECIES
VARIETY
SEED PER
ACRE
Class I
Western Blue Grass
Park
40
Perennial Rye Grass
-10
TOTAL 50
Class II
Western Wheatgrass
Rodann or Rosanna
8
Switchgrass
ND-965-98, Nebraska 28, or Sunburst 4
Green Needlegrass
Lodorm
6
Sideoats Grama*
Killdeer or Pierre
6
Slender Wheatgrass
Revenue or Primar
5
TOTAL 29
Class IV (Temporary Cover
Crop)
Oats
30
GRASS SPECIES
VARIETY
Rye
Winter Wheat
TOTAL
POUNDS
PURE LIVE
SEED PER
ACRE
50
50
130
Class V
As specified on the Plans
Class VI
Oats
15
* Substitute Thickspike Wheatgrass of the Critana or Elbee variety if Sideoats Grama is
unavailable
E.
Fertilizer
Apply a fertilizer mixture that contains a minimum of 20 pounds of Nitrogen (N) and 20
pounds of Phosphorous (P2O5) per acre.
251.04 CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS.
A.
General
Clear seeding areas of all detrimental materials. Shape the cleared areas before
seeding.
Seed 10 pounds of oats per acre immediately before or while seeding Class I, II, or V
grass mixtures, even if Class IV temporary seeding has been placed.
Do not seed:
 When wind velocity is greater than 15 mph
 In frozen ground
 In standing water
Operate equipment parallel to the contours of the ground.
Additional tilling is not required once temporary seeding has been placed.
B.
Topsoil.
Use topsoil that is loose, friable, loamy, and free of excess acid, alkali, and objectionable
amounts of sod. Ensure the topsoil has demonstrated the growth of healthy crops or
grasses.
C.
Types of Seedbed Preparation.
Cultivate or disk seedbed to a depth of approximately 3 inches. Break up lumps and
clods exposed by the initial pass of tillage equipment into pieces less than one inch in
diameter. Ensure the seedbed is smooth and firm. Ensure the seedbed on sites that are
to be hydro seeded are left in loose condition.
Use a harrow or cultipack to place seeds at a depth of 0.5 to 0.75 inches.
1. Seedbed Preparation, Type A.
Type A consists of seedbed preparation when stripping and stockpiling topsoil is not
required.
Ensure the top of the backslopes are rounded before seeding.
Cover the exposed backslope with existing topsoil during the finish grading work
without loading and transporting the topsoil.
2. Seedbed Preparation, Type B.
Type B consists of seedbed preparation when topsoil is salvaged and replaced
during grading operations.
3. Seedbed Preparation, Type C.
Type C consists of seedbed preparation when placing topsoil from borrow areas to
form a seedbed.
Scarify the surface to a depth of 2 inches before placing the topsoil. Uniformly spread
the topsoil in the seedbed.
D.
Seasonal Limitations.
When seeding Class I, II, and V mixtures between June 15 and September 1, and the
seed mixtures fail to achieve 100 percent coverage during the current or subsequent
growing season, reseed the failed areas. If choosing not to seed Class I, II, and V
mixtures between June 15 and September 1, seed the area with a Class IV mixture.
E.
Seeding Requirements.
1.
Class I, II and V Seeding Requirements.
Use a no-till method of application for seeding in areas seeded with Class IV that
has achieved greater than 25 percent vegetative coverage determined by the
Engineer.
2.
Other Equipment Seeding Requirements.
Seed at a rate of 120 percent of the normal rate in areas specified in Section
252.02 C. Use a drag harrow to cover the seed. Use a light packer over the
seeded area.
Ensure the application is uniform.
F.
Fertilizer.
Do not mix fertilizer with seed mixture.
251.05 METHOD OF MEASUREMENT.
The Engineer will measure, completed and in place, as specified in Section 109.01.
251.06 BASIS OF PAYMENT.
Pay Item
Seeding-Type__ Cl__
Temporary Cover Crop Cl__
Pay Unit
Acre or Mile
Acre or Mile
Topsoil for Type__ Seeding
Topsoil for Seeding
Cubic Yard
Cubic Yard
Such payment is full compensation for furnishing all materials, equipment, labor, and incidentals
to complete the work as specified.