[sandim]

Installed 30 white pines back in early May. The homeowner does not live there, and even if he did, they're on the border of his property which is probably a good 2/10 or 3/10 of a mile away from the house. Well, it got hot nasty and yukky recently and the rain is gone and I'm not sure how to save these pines as they're now showing signs of drought stress. Don't know if there's access to water at the house and not even sure if there was if I could get that kind of water pressure out there.

Any suggestions?

[Stonehenge]

Why are you watering your client's trees? Are they paying to have the trees watered? Did you agree to water them?

If you did, pick up some tree gators, fill up a truck with water at the house (throw down a rubber liner or a tarp in the bed), then put those watering bags around each tree and fill 'em up.

But only if there was some sort of agreement that you were responsible for the trees after they were planted. Otherwise, it ought to be the client's job to take care of their plants. If mom forgets to feed a new baby for a month, it's not the doctor's fault.

[sandim]

*SIGH*
Basically I'm an idiot. There really is no other way around it.

We warranty all of our material for one growing season. I warrantied the pines. I knew there was no water. I foolishly thought we'd get enough rain to see them through. (Believe me, I cringe at saying that!)

[jwholden]

Sandi,

You are not an idiot.

This will end up being a learning experience for you. I want you, and every other contractor on this site, to get over the idea that you are somehow beneath your clients because you work outdoors with your hands. People hire you to do jobs they don't know how to do or jobs they don't have time to do.

I cannot believe that the homeowner thought you were going to water the trees. You need to be crystal clear regarding what the warranty covers and who is resbonsible for what. EVEN IF IT MEANS YOU DO NOT GET THE JOB.

Call him and explain that the pines are flagging due to lack of water and heat stress. You cannot warranty trees that don't get watered. Period. Will he handle the watering or would he like you to do it for XXX per visit 2 - 3 times per week. Explain to him that you want to do everything in your power to make sure his planting survives.

[Fine Edge]

Any basic landscaper's warranty, unless specifically written in the contract, shouldn't include having to water plants for your customer.
Did he think he was getting cactus?
I just love those customers who think that all plants will magically take care of themselves once installed.

Tell him you can't warranty plants due to insufficient watering ( that part should be in your contract!)

[VoodooChile]

It is not too late to incorporate a moisture retaining polymer into the soil immediately outside of the White Pine's rootballs. Soil Moist is the brand in my cabinet right now. Work up the soil adjacent to the rootball 4"-6" deep, apply at label rates, and then flood the soil to helps settl the polymer more deeply into the soil.

I planted 10 bare-root fruit trees with this stuff in April and haven't watered them since. Then again, we are drowning from rain...

[my big dog]

never used it before but bio plex advertisements look like a miracle drug

[jshilan]

A warranty or guarantee is predicated on the fact that the homeowner assumes responsibility to minimally provide water for the plantings. This is expressed or implied in any planting guarantee. Can you post what your guarantee says?

Like Stonehenge said, this is something that you should be paid for regardless of your lack of experience or wishful thinking. If you haven't already, you should discuss the issue with your client and not assume full responsibility for the replacements if the trees die due to lack of water. You should explain the situation and the options available to them (gator bags, water truck, fire truck, moisture retaining polymer, whatever) and let them know the various costs associated with each solution.

Some clients will agree with you and thank you for being on top of the issue and many clients will do the guilt thing and say, "well if you knew they needed water, why did you plant them so far away?" You can counter with "Why did you ask me to plant them so far away. Since everyone knows plants need water, how did you plan on keeping them watered?" (ixsnay the hoping for rain part, that won't help your argument). This puts it back in their court?

You absolutely cannot assume full responsibility to water the plants at your cost and than replace the trees at your cost. Let them pay for the watering solution so that you can maintain their warranty. I would talk to them in person and follow up with a nice reminder letter (that has a return receipt). It's OK to make mistakes, and learn from your mistakes, but you don't always have to pay for them.

For the future, I would tie the guarantee into your payment structure. We require full payment within 2 weeks of the completion of the project (or one week of billing date) otherwise all guarantees are null and void. Since our industry is silly enough to take responsibility for the plants, we should at least get paid in full as quickly as possible. This should be written in your contracts because it will hold up in court (assuming all work was completed as per contract).

If nothing else works you can always try this.
YouTube - IRD

[sandim]

Good points all. Yeah, I have to admit, sometimes when times are tight and the mortgage is due, just about anything looks good. I have to be honest and I may be banned after this for stupidity...we knew water was an issue. Just had a bad moment of major stupidity. I did email the client but will call him tomorrow. Offered to split the cost of the gator bags with him.
Voodoo, thanks for the heads up. Thought about the soil moist before, much after the fact but thought it was too late to do that. I will most definitely pick some up and install at the recommended rates. Man, the landscaping is so easy, it's the business part that's hard. I've clearly been out in the sun too long because I guess I wouldn't have it any other way. The lesson's we've learned...well, let's just say they've been hard and we'll never forget them. Needless to say the contracts have changed but hopefully this guy will be reasonable.
Thanks all for not throwing tomatoes at me!!

[jshilan]

We would, but they've all been recalled.

[sandim]

Good thing for me! ; )

[Helios]

While on the subject of hydrogels....
Terra-Sorb is a hydrogel made by Plant Health Care (PCH). I always stress that this stuff is not a magic-bullet watering substitute, but can help in the event the homeowner misses a scheduled watering..... forgets, long weekend or maybe a short vacation etc etc. I think using a hydrogel also makes the warranty issue a little easier- not only did you select a vigorous, healthy plant, you installed it correctly AND even used a hydrogel... if it dries out and dies after all that, it is fair to say the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the client. In short, there is nothing more you could have done other than water them yourself. I also find that hydrogel/mycorrhizal supplements are a good selling points and add relatively little to the overall cost of the project.

I'll add that one nurseryman I know warns that hydrogels can cause problems for plants that prefer drier soil (some perennials, grasses), particularly if the gel is concentrated around the root ball. I can imagine a scenario where an employee simply dumps this stuff in the hole and covers it up, creating a layer or pocket of pure hydrogel around the roots. When properly applied I don't think there would be a problem.

Hydrogel is incorporated in PCH Tree-Saver, which also includes mycorrhizal fungi. Seems to help in those situations where you know the trees/shrubs will get no love other than what mother nature provides.