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Spent a whole afternoon trying to save a 'rare' tree that was just a weed
Got a call about a sickly 'Japanese maple' in a backyard in Springfield. The homeowner was really worried, said it was a special gift. I spent about four hours checking soil, looking for pests, the whole deal. Finally, my new ground guy, fresh from a landscaping job, walks over and says, 'Hey, that's just a big Norway maple seedling.' The homeowner admitted they planted a random sapling from their woods as a joke years ago and forgot. Lost a good $300 in billable time being too polite to ask for a picture first. Anyone else ever get totally fooled by a client's plant ID?
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dakota_patel985mo ago
Ever read that article about common plant mix-ups? It's wild how often this happens, and @piperm38 is right that it's just part of the work. At least you got a funny story out of it!
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piperm385mo ago
Honestly, that's just part of the job sometimes. At least it was a funny story and not a real emergency.
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jamiew535mo ago
Keep a list of the most common look-alikes on your phone. I mean, I have a note saved with pictures side by side, like poison hemlock and wild carrot. Saves so much time when someone calls in a panic. You can just pull it up and walk them through the differences. Idk, maybe it's just me but having that ready makes those mix-up calls way less stressful for everyone.
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