Customer Complaining About Weeds

[kirk1701]

Originally Posted by Patriot Services

Pro's with a license use Snapshot or other pro label product. Preen is homeowner pre~em and does nothing for a weed that has already germinated.
Posted via Mobile Device

I used Preem in the garden and very pleased

That is pleased with part and unsatisfied in another part because it washed under the beans before they were up and rotted the seed

Next year I'll plant the beans two weeks ahead of the tomato's

[Smallaxe]

Originally Posted by kirk1701

Not to change the subject guys but its along the same topic here.

I put the landscaping paper down under my mulchbed I did a couple years back, against some of you guys advice then not to.

It's worked out pretty well but never did understand why not?

Usually the fabric silts up and holds water like plastic sheets under the mulch and keeps the water out of the soil... when there is any kind of slope the mulch slides down the slippery fabric slope and becomes exposed... spraying is not always the simplest thing in the world once the beds start growing like crazy, so when weeds appear they should just be pulled, however when they root through the fabric they do not pull...

Wood mulch rotting into the surface of the soil, creating its own hydrophobic barrier that pushes water to the plants around it works just fine w/out the hassle... freshen up the look each Spring with some new stuff and you're good to go...

None of these issues have affected you at all???

[Mark Oomkes]

Originally Posted by Smallaxe

having weeds appear w/in a week is just negligence... good luck...

Originally Posted by Gmgbo

let everything die before you pull it

Originally Posted by jvanvliet

pre-emergent; no bitching about weeds for 4-6 months. Go spot spray her weeds.

Originally Posted by 32vld

Yes how long did you wait after you weeded before you put the mulch down to make sure the weeds gone?

Originally Posted by Smallaxe

The idea of anything coming back in a week means that there were too many shortcuts involved...

another example is quackgrass... if that stuff isn't killed off completely, down to the last rhizome... it is networked throughout all the fresh mulch before you can say, "Business Killer"...

Originally Posted by Patriot Services

Maybe I missed something. Where did the OP state he had Horseazz anything growing?
Posted via Mobile Device

Originally Posted by jvanvliet

Dunno... Oomke brought it up.

Nobody said there was. Just several generalizations that if the OP had done his job properly (which I have no idea if he did or didn't) that he should NEVER see a weed as well as applying a pre-m would completely eliminate weeds for 4-6 months.

I too that generalization and pointed out 2 types of weeds that would make this generalization false and wrong. If the OP is dealing with these types of weeds, it is highly likely that they returned in a week. For that matter, Roundup\glyphosate won't even hardly brown horsetail in a week's time.

[Kiril]

An appropriate mulch material, applied at the appropriate depth, will keep out 95% of your weeds. No geotextile and no preem required.

[kirk1701]

Originally Posted by Smallaxe

Usually the fabric silts up and holds water like plastic sheets under the mulch and keeps the water out of the soil... when there is any kind of slope the mulch slides down the slippery fabric slope and becomes exposed... spraying is not always the simplest thing in the world once the beds start growing like crazy, so when weeds appear they should just be pulled, however when they root through the fabric they do not pull...

Wood mulch rotting into the surface of the soil, creating its own hydrophobic barrier that pushes water to the plants around it works just fine w/out the hassle... freshen up the look each Spring with some new stuff and you're good to go...

None of these issues have affected you at all???

Yu know Smallaxe I'm starting to notice that, my Oak tree's for the last two years in front have started looking like the leaves are drying up mid summer?

Early this spring I pulled back a lot of the landscaping paper from around the tree's but I don't think it was enough. I'm still seeing one tree that looks like the leaves are curling up so I left the hose on around the bottom last night for about 4 hours.

Should I pull it all up? I defiantly don't want to loose these tree's hell I had enough problems with tree's

Also, it's not mulch, it's pine bark and I freshened up this spring and last spring also, didn't take any out. Could I have that stuff around the bottom to thick smothering the roots?

[phasthound]

Originally Posted by landscapetastic

Well I did mulch for a customer last week. The beds were prepared first, with weeding and weed killer. Today the customer complains that there are small weeds coming through the mulch. Well I said I did my best that I could. And the rest is nature. I never said that I could back everything I do to prevent
weeds 100%. The customer says how dare you blame nature. She says that I need to weed again. I said that you refused to put down the paper, which actually I had seen results with in other jobs.

What do you guys do in this sitution.?

I would find some training in customer relations. Not only is she rightfully upset about your work and your response , she is now telling everyone she knows not to hire you. And I don't blame her.

[Dr.NewEarth]

Kiril is the only one I can see, who mentions the depth of the mulch. How deep was the mulch you installed?

I recommend bark mulch be three inches deep.

Also, can you post a picture of the weeds?

[Smallaxe]

Even w/out any mulch whatsoever,,, weeds appearing within a week doesn't occur in my garden maintenance with the bare soils...
My point is that the so-called "Prep", was no prep at all...

[treedoc1]

You should be happy to go back and spot spray weeds for "x" dollars if it wasn't included in the original proposal.
Do nothing for free, but do exactly the work stated when you sold the job.
Go backs will kill your business, change orders and upsells will add to your profitability.
Always offer a solution and price it accordingly. A free service has exactly that value...$0.00.

[Patriot Services]

Originally Posted by treedoc1

You should be happy to go back and spot spray weeds for "x" dollars if it wasn't included in the original proposal.
Do nothing for free, but do exactly the work stated when you sold the job.
Go backs will kill your business, change orders and upsells will add to your profitability.
Always offer a solution and price it accordingly. A free service has exactly that value...$0.00.

Sorry, but you come across as big a noob as the OP. He stated he "prepped" the beds by removal AND weedkiller. Obviously he did it wrong. Not enough removal, not enough chemical and not enough mulch would be my guess. Weeds coming up after only a week is unacceptable. So is giving a lame excuse for corner cutting on his part. By all means continue doing business this way. It will guarantee your business demise and give someone else a chance to profit by fixing your rookie mistakes.