Specifications include, but are not limited to: 1. Plant Bed Maintenance: a. The contractor shall maintain all plant beds and tree rings in a ninety percent (90%) weed free condition. All beds shall be kept free of basal sprouts, dead/dying plant material and trash from April 1, thru the third Thursday in November. This will require the Contractor to provide continual plant maintenance services at each location. b. All work will be inspected periodically throughout the contract period. VDOT will inspect the third Thursday of May, July, September, and November. c. Weeding: All plant beds and tree rings shall be kept ninety percent (90%) free of undesirable vegetation (i.e. broadleaf weeds, grasses). Weeding may be accomplished manually and/or with herbicides. Manually removing weeds shall include the entire plant, to include the crown and roots. When using herbicides for post emergent weed control, the weeds must be dead or showing advanced signs of dying at the time of inspection. Any and all herbicides used in the performance of this contract must first be approved by the Contract Administrator. See Section J for requirements regarding pesticide licensing and certification. d. Removal of Basal Sprouts: All applicable plant material shall be kept free of basal sprout growth. Clean, flush cuts shall be made with an appropriate cutting tool (i.e. hand pruner, loppers) to remove all basal sprouts. e. Crape Myrtle Canopy Raising: Maintain mature Crape myrtles by pruning to keep 7 feet of vertical clearance between the ground and the canopy. f. Shrubs and Groundcover: i. Maintain plant materials in a healthy, growing condition by pruning to encourage natural growth forms for each species. ii. Pruning shall be performed in appropriate season as not to remove or prevent fruit or bloom. iii. Every effort shall be made to maintain the natural growth form for each plant species while also keeping them pruned behind the curb or edge of pavement where no curb exists. iv. No Scalping (removal of all leafy vegetation from one or more sides) of plants shall be permitted. Unless necessary to keep vegetation out of roadway or to provide proper site distance allowances and only after authorization from the VDOT Contract Administrator. g. Trash Pickup/Disposal: All trash to include dead and damaged plant material shall be removed from plant beds and tree rings at each event. All vegetative waste generated by the performance of this work shall be removed from the site. All trash and vegetative waste shall be disposed of properly in accordance with local, State, and Federal regulations, at the contractor’s expense. h. Trimming/String Trimming: Contractor shall string-trim grass low to the ground a width of one (1) foot around outer edge of ornamental trees rings. 2. Mulching: a. Mulching shall only be performed when requested by VDOT. b. Mulching will typically be scheduled during winter months, outside the growing season. c. Routes will not be mulched more than once every two years. d. Mulch shall be applied to all ornamental trees, shrubs and ground covers. No volunteer trees shall be mulched. e. Mulch shall be applied to a depth of 2 inches. When forming mulch tree rings, mulch shall not come in contact with the trunk. f. Mulch rings around trees shall have a radius of three (3) feet measured as from trunk. g. Mulch shall be applied to plant beds and extend two (2) feet beyond dripline of plant material. h. No mulch shall remain on pavement or on top of curbing. i. All weeds and trash shall be removed from plant beds before mulching.
