Advice for tree planting quotation ?

[hazzygawa]

Hi guys

 

I have to price for getting and planting 4 silver birch. I know I will need a couple of bags of compost and 4 small stakes and binders. The trees are about 6 ft.

 

How much do you recon I should charge to plant them as it will be in the next town, 5 miles away.

 

Trees are about £20 on the net.

 

Thanks for your time

 

H

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Find a good local nursery to get your stock, you need to look at the trees before you supply them to a client as some suppliers are shocking. Get decent trees to start with an you can charge more and not have the worry of them failing. Remember they are paying you for your ability to supply, plant and tree knowledge.

Don't sell yourself short or get a reputation for supplying crap.

[born2trot]

I'd be trying to find out how big the rootball is as this is obviously going to determine how big a hole needs to be dug ( assuming hand digging ) possible backbreaker 200-250 ?

 

More chance of local suppliers knowing this i would think ..

[Spruce Pirate]

Talk them out of planting 6' trees, put in 40-60's instead, pence to buy, planted in minutes, they'll take a couple of years getting to 6', but in the grander scheme of the lifespan of a tree what's five years or so?

[Goaty]

Talk them out of planting 6' trees, put in 40-60's instead, pence to buy, planted in minutes, they'll take a couple of years getting to 6', but in the grander scheme of the lifespan of a tree what's five years or so?

 

Agreed, but who listens! Also young tree will outgrow a more mature one. I wouldn't bother with compost, particularly for birch they grow on rocks, sand, wet or dry soil. Get healthy young trees. Any birch should of put on a minimum of 30cm growth, this season by now if its 2ft or more in height. Dig hole and fork bottom of hole over to a spits depth.

 

Assuming you take 30-40 minutes per tree. (Room for error and unexpected obsticles/delays) Id say you want to be £7 minimum a tree for your labour to cover getting to site and other costs.

 

Do not pay silly £40 for a 6ft birch in a 10 litre pot. I subby for a wholesale nursery. You would get it for less than £10. They mess around with irritating landscapers because they are trade, why not you? We grow grafted cultivars in 2 ltr pots at 4ft- 6ft and they go to other nurseries for around £4 each! However wholesale growers do not like to mess around with dippy indecisive customers.

 

I can plant 10 large rootballed trees and stake them in around 4 to 5 hours. So if you arent a chatterbox and a tea supa should be done in a morning .

Edited August 3, 2012 by Goaty
extra info

[hazzygawa]

Great stuff. Thanks for all your advice.

[Jesse]

Hi guys

 

I have to price for getting and planting 4 silver birch. I know I will need a couple of bags of compost and 4 small stakes and binders. The trees are about 6 ft.

 

How much do you recon I should charge to plant them as it will be in the next town, 5 miles away.

 

Trees are about £20 on the net.

 

Thanks for your time

 

H

Hi how about you give us a proper BS spec for the job look at bs4428 and bs4043 for ideas from that i am sure we will give a competitive price guide also now is not the best time to plant trees and the net is not the best source, try local growers and try personally selecting the trees, remember cheapest is not always best especially if you are going to provide a guarantee which i hope you are, hope that helps and i will be first up to indicate what costs you should charge.

[Jesse]

Also whats with the compost ?

[face cord]

Talk them out of planting 6' trees, put in 40-60's instead, pence to buy, planted in minutes, they'll take a couple of years getting to 6', but in the grander scheme of the lifespan of a tree what's five years or so?

 

Agreed, but who listens! Also young tree will outgrow a more mature one.

 

But they would have to wait to winter then for bare root planting & people want instant gardens theese days like they see on chelsea flower show etc programs

 

 

 

 

Iv'e just noticed millions of silver birch seedings growing wild along a FC forestry track that will be mowed down along the verges soon no doubt also oak.

[hazzygawa]

Unfortunately it's what the customer wants Jesse.

 

He wants the instant garden and a cheap job, otherwise he gets someone else in an d I lose the work.

Compost is for the of 50/50 soil mix.

Your right about trying to find a tree by a visual inspection first.