I recently did a soffit/gutter clean on a really nasty one story house, which required some 3%. I did soak down the foliage with water but apparently it killed their fir tree. I initially tried to avoid that section due to the tree but she insisted.
This is a house right around the corner from me, they approached me on a nightly walk and I agreed to give them a slightly discounted rate but it turned out to be a nightmare, took me WAY longer than it should have.
I got a call yesterday and they said their ātree turned brown the day afterā and cut it down. This was about two weeks ago, Iām scheduled to do her small driveway and front steps, sheās quite old but keeps pointing out āspots I missedā under her front entry that need hand cleaning.
I plan to just talk with her tomorrow about the plan of action, just curious what you all would do in this situation.
Iāve never seen one turn brown in a day, especially the whole thing. Was the gutter dumping on it?
About all you can do is go buy a tree and plant it. But canāt believe they cut down without calling you to come look at first.
Wow a whole tree dead in one dayā¦ā¦did you spray directly on the tree? That is wildā¦.not sure what I would do. I guess most likely I would buy another tree and plant it. You have before pics of the tree?
Rare occurrence, and it wouldnāt die in a day. Even if it did, we tell people to give it a few months to recover, if possible. Most things will revitalize in time. One unusual one was a bush where the downspout ended maybe 3" from the base. It got a bag on it, but the kink required backed up and the bag popped offā¦ we just bought them a new bush right away (once the Mrs. of the house stopped cryingā¦)
Unfortunately no before pics, it did go above their roof so a fairly sizable tree. I donāt see planting another tree to be a viable option as it probably had pretty deep roots and God only knows what utilities lines are down there.
Also I did some Google-fu and it seems to have been a hemlock or larch, has really short, flexible needles.
Uh, I think whoever the lumberjack is killed the tree. You may have shocked the tree but I highly doubt it was dead. Like others have said, sometimes itās best to wait a few weeks to see if it starts coming back around. Personally, I wouldnāt reimburse anything as you were never notified of the ādamageā before someone destroyed the evidence.
An update, I finally got the second half of the job done, she was super nice about it and her daughter felt a little embarrassed for cutting the tree down. I took $200 off her driveway so sheās happy and will hand out my business cards.
Iām taking @Racer advice and using a pump up sprayer for āsurgicalā stuff like that.
good for you and for trying to make it right with the customer. Looking at your pic, and depending on the tree type and itās condition at the time, I seriously doubt you did that. In your pic the flowers are downhill from the gutter and they look healthy. The tree was above that level. Some tree roots go out and some go down, so maybe it hit the roots hard. One day, that seems pretty dodgy. Iāve watched some trees get hit by a poison in the ground in my field, it normally takes weeks for them to turn brown.
I was being silly. The other plants in the photo sure look healthy and they are far more delicate. With your experience and your track record, if you were using methods dangerous to vegetation you would have figured it out a while back. Another vote for the lumberjack.
This year I started using flat (not fitted) bed sheets for vegetation near porch rails that need extra strength due to lichen. I got a whole bunch in a large 55 gallon bag from a hotel for $5.00. I still pre wet the vegetation, but the sheet keeps the mist/overspray from hitting the flowers or bushes. They are reusable vs the painters plastic I was using. The water on the trees bushes kept them in place. On flowers a single layer worked great, wouldnāt snap them and it breathes so I can wash the other side of the house while the mix works on the lichen. Less trash for me at the end of a job. Remove them and mist the plants again.
I work solo so this works for me. I have a lot so I just hang them over my garden fencing to dry, bonus if it is going to rain that night. Not practical for everyone, just thought Iād share. Also great to use when painting a deck with a water based product, not oil (that didnāt work as well).
