I recently had a landscaping service come out to help with some Ficus trees that were growing out of their original stakes. They put in 12 new stakes, and my total charge came to $240. Normally, I would expect a service charge of around $180, so this feels a bit steep to me. Am I overreacting, or is this charge reasonable for the work done?
3 Answers
Honestly, it sounds like the $240 is a bit on the high side, especially since that's added on to the regular service. I think $5 per tree seems low, but if it's $240 extra, you're looking at a total of $420, which can be quite steep. I'd consider asking for a detailed breakdown of the charges to see what you're really paying for!
The thing to remember is that staked trees shouldn’t need constant support. If your Ficus trees have already outgrown their stakes but some are still falling over, they may not need stakes at all. It could be worth reassessing if they’re well-rooted and can stand independently before investing more in stakes.
That's a great point! If they were only planted a year ago, make sure they really need those stakes before putting out more money.
You might want to think about doing it yourself honestly. Hitting up Home Depot for stakes could save you some cash. Just be sure you're comfortable with the work since the stakes do need to support the trees. If that's too much effort and you want the assurance of professionals, then $240 might indeed be reasonable.
Agreed, going the DIY route could really save you in the long run, especially if you're familiar with planting and support.
Yeah, it really does seem like a lot on top of your usual fee. Just talking it out, if they did a good job, it might be worth it, but being clear on the costs is definitely a good idea.