Start with the drawing note both sections open with: confirm that the landscape plan delineates every seeded and sodded area, with a separate hatch or label for each turf type and seed mixture, and that the turf limits agree with the grading, paving, and planting plans. Then check that the planting dates, seed purity and mixture tables, sod species, topsoil source, soil preparation, seeding method, mulch, erosion control, and watering kept in the issued Sections 32 92 19 and 32 92 23 match the legend, the details, and the construction schedule, and that topsoil stripping, irrigation, and establishment sit in the sections the turf sections send them to.
Assemble the review package
Gather the landscape or turf plan with its legend and seed and sod areas, the seed mix and sod schedules or legend notes, the grading plan with finished grades at walks, curbs, and paving, the erosion and sediment control plan with its stabilization measures and swales, the planting plan and plant schedule, the irrigation plan or the note on how the turf will be watered, the demolition, staging, and phasing plans with the limits of construction and any existing turf to be renovated, the soil or geotechnical report and topsoil tests, the construction schedule, and the issued Sections 32 92 19 and 32 92 23 with Section 32 05 33, Section 31 00 00, the irrigation section, and Sections 32 92 26 Sprigging and 32 93 00 Exterior Plants where used. Follow one seeded area and one sodded area from the legend to the grading plan before assuming the others match.
WBDG publishes UFGS 32 92 19: Seeding as a public guide-specification reference (accessed November 5, 2026). Use your project’s issued specification and amendments for the actual comparison; the guide specification does not automatically govern your project. The checklist below is an original suggested review workflow, not a reproduction of the UFGS requirements.
Eight checks to run against the issued set
Use one record per location or system. The CSV contains the same eight prompts plus fields for source revisions, observed evidence, the review owner, the decision, and closure references.
| Check | Sources to compare | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Turf areas and types on the drawings | Opening drawing note in Sections 32 92 19 and 32 92 23 + Extent of Work articles + landscape plan, legend, and grading plan | Does the landscape plan clearly show every area to be seeded or sodded, with each turf type delineated where more than one is specified, as both opening notes require, and since the Extent of Work articles also cover every newly graded surface unless indicated otherwise and any area the contractor disturbs inside or outside the limits of construction, is each graded or disturbed area given a turf, planting, or paving treatment? |
| Seed mixtures, purity, and planting dates | Seed Classification, Planting Dates, Seed Purity, and Seed Mixture by Weight articles and the seed designer note + seed mix legend or schedule + construction schedule | Are the planting date, seed purity, and mixture tables filled in for each season the legend uses, from the local extension service as the notes advise, does each botanical name in the tables match the seed mix on the plan, is one seed classification kept, State-certified, State-approved, or endophyte-enhanced, and if temporary seeding is listed, does the schedule allow for the later permanent planting the mixture article says must replace it? |
| Sod species, certification, and wildflower sod | Sods Classification, Purity, Planting Dates, Proportion, and Sod Farm Overseeding articles + Wildflower Sod articles + sod certificate submittal + sod legend + construction schedule | Do the sod species and proportions in the edited section match the sod callouts on the plan, are the warm season and cool season laying dates filled in, is the sod farm overseeding paragraph kept only where the design calls for it, is the bracketed wildflower sod article deleted unless the plan shows wildflower areas, and does the certificate submittal name the sod type in the terms of the TPI guideline the section cites? |
| Topsoil source and composition | Topsoil, On-Site Topsoil, Off-Site Topsoil, and Composition articles and their designer note + Topsoil Composition Tests submittal + Section 31 00 00 + grading and demolition plans | Is one topsoil option kept in each section, does on-site topsoil agree with the stripping and stockpiling in Section 31 00 00, are topsoil borrow areas indicated if that option is kept, is one set of the bracketed silt, clay, sand, pH, and soluble salt limits chosen to suit the turf and the soil tests, and are these paragraphs replaced by a cross-reference where a Division 31 section already carries the topsoil properties, as the note directs? |
| Soil preparation and finished grade | Seeding Topsoil article + Sodding Soil Preparation and Finished Grade and Topsoil articles + Soil Conditioner and Fertilizer Application Rates articles + grading plan and walk, curb, and paving details | Does the finish grade on the grading plan allow for the topsoil depth the preparation articles place to meet indicated finish grade, is the prepared surface under sod set below the adjoining walks, curbs, and paving within the limit the Finished Grade and Topsoil article sets, so the sod does not stand proud of them, and are the bracketed conditioner and fertilizer rates kept only as bidding quantities tied to the laboratory soil analysis the articles call for? |
| Seeding method, mulch, and erosion control | Seed Application Method, Broadcast and Drop Seeding, Drill Seeding, Hydroseeding, Mulch, Mulching, and Erosion Control Materials articles and their designer notes + erosion and sediment control plan + grading plan | Is one seeding method chosen, with the edit the seeding note asks for when hydroseeding is the only method, is only one mulch type specified, as the mulch note directs, is wood cellulose fiber mulch kept off the steep or drought-prone slopes its note warns against, and are erosion control blankets, fabric, or nets shown in the swales, ditches, and slopes where the grading and erosion control plans concentrate flow, as the erosion control note asks? |
| Slopes, ditches, rolling, and watering | Sodding Slopes and Ditches, Finishing, and Rolling articles + Seeding Rolling and Watering articles + Water article and its note + grading plan, irrigation plan, and Section 01 50 00 | On the slopes and ditches the grading plan shows, is sod laid and anchored as the slope and ditch article requires, with its bracketed anchoring and bottom-of-slope paragraphs kept where they apply, are the slopes the rolling articles exclude identifiable on the plan, is the water source located where it is Government furnished, as the Water note asks, in coordination with Section 01 50 00, and does the irrigation plan or a temporary watering note deliver the wetting depth the watering articles require? |
| Renovation, protection, restoration, and establishment | Renovation of Existing Turf Area articles (aeration, vertical mowing, dethatching, overseeding) + Protection of Turf Areas and Restoration articles + Stand of Turf definitions + Related Requirements + Section 32 05 33 + staging and phasing plans | If renovation paragraphs are kept, are the existing turf areas to be aerated, vertically mowed, dethatched, or overseeded indicated on the plan, do the phasing plans keep a paved pedestrian route and a paved vehicular route to each building clean, as the renovation and restoration articles require, are new turf areas protected from construction traffic, and does Section 32 05 33 judge establishment against the stand of turf definition of the section that covers each area, since seeding and sodding define it differently? |
Worked example: one hatch for two seed mixes and sod set flush with the walks
Illustrative example: a new dormitory and parking lot have sodded lawn panels at the building entrance, a seeded play field, and seeded swales and fill slopes along the parking lot, with existing lawn to be restored where the contractor’s laydown area sat. The landscape plan uses one hatch for all seeded areas although the legend lists a lawn mix and a slope mix, the issued Section 32 92 19 keeps broadcast, drill, and hydroseeding with every rate blank empty and both straw and wood cellulose fiber mulch, the planting dates table lists only temporary seeding, the grading plan sets the lawn finish grade flush with the walks where sod is laid, the erosion control plan shows blankets in the swales that the seeding section deletes, and the renovation paragraphs are kept with no renovation areas indicated.
Ask the landscape architect to delineate the lawn and slope mixes separately, choose one seeding method and one mulch, fill in the planting dates and rates with the local extension service, and add the permanent season that will replace the temporary seeding to the schedule. Ask the civil engineer to set the prepared surface under the sod below the adjoining walks within the limit the sodding section sets and to coordinate the swale blankets with the erosion control material article, and ask the landscape architect to indicate the laydown area for restoration or renovation, or delete the renovation paragraphs.
Avoid a false conflict
Sections 32 92 19 and 32 92 23 cover turf from seed and from sod. Section 32 92 26 Sprigging, Active on WBDG, published in August 2017 with Change 1 in August 2021, covers turf grown from sprigs by broadcast sprigging, hydroplanting, row sprigging, or seed over sprigs, opens with the same drawing note, and asks for lawn and field areas to be defined on the drawings; check it wherever the legend shows sprigged turf. Trees, shrubs, ground covers, and vines follow Section 32 93 00 and the planting guide, moving existing plants follows Section 32 96 00, establishment and pesticide use follow Section 32 05 33, and topsoil stripping and stockpiling follow Section 31 00 00. The related requirements of all three turf sections name Section 32 84 24 Irrigation Sprinkler Systems, while 32 84 23 Underground Sprinklers is the other UFGS irrigation section, so check the one your project issued before calling a requirement missing. Seed species, mixtures, rates, planting dates, and fertilizer and conditioner amounts are local decisions the notes leave to the extension service, and the opening notes send draft turf specifications to the cognizant landscape architect or natural resources specialist for review. The current guide sections cite ASTM C602, D4427, and D4972, the Federal Seed Act, and the USDA Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory Methods Manual, and the sodding section adds the TPI Guideline Specifications to Turfgrass Sodding; confirm the editions your project invokes.
When requirements disagree, follow the project’s document-control and clarification process. Do not assume that drawings always override specifications, or the reverse. Identify the exact sources and request an authorized decision.
Close the issue across the affected documents
Record the location or tag, drawing and specification references, issue dates, observed difference, and the decision needed. Assign an owner and keep the item open until the response identifies the governing requirement. Check the revised drawings and specification references together; a response email alone may leave the issued package inconsistent.
For the overall process, use the guide to drawing and specification conflicts. Mark an inapplicable checklist row with a reason, and distinguish a verified correction from a question that still needs design information.
Where Groundbook fits
Groundbook’s drawing and specification review helps investigate potential disagreements in the documents you supply. Include the relevant specification sections and drawing references, then verify the cited evidence with the responsible reviewers before acting on a finding.