Don't let your cactus move or tree job turn into a shit show.

Before anyone touches your cactus

A saguaro can live for well over a century. It can also die from one careless afternoon. Moving a big cactus is heavy equipment work, and the damage often doesn't show up for months, long after the crew has been paid.

• Nobody marks the north side. A cactus has to go back in the ground facing the same way it grew. Turn it around and the side that has always been shaded gets full Arizona sun, and it burns.
• They talk about lifting it by the arms. Big saguaros weigh thousands of pounds. They get cradled and padded with the right straps and the right-sized machine, not yanked by whatever sticks out.
• No talk of permits or tags. Arizona protects saguaros and many other native plants. Moving or hauling them usually needs a permit and tags from the Arizona Department of Agriculture, and your city or county may have its own rules too. A pro brings this up before you do.
• "Just water it a bunch when it's in." Roots get damaged in any move, and a flooded, wounded root is an invitation to rot. A good mover gives you a watering plan and can explain it. It usually doesn't start with soaking it the same day.
• Nobody calls 811. Digging a big hole without having utilities marked is how a cactus move becomes a gas leak. Arizona 811 is free.
• Vague answers about the root ball. Ask how they dig and how much root they keep. "We'll get it out" is not an answer.

Before anyone climbs your tree

Bad pruning doesn't look bad on day one. It looks tidy. The trouble shows up later as weak regrowth, sunscald, broken limbs, and a tree that never quite recovers.

• They offer to "top" it. Cutting the whole crown back to stubs is one of the worst things you can do to a tree. Any arborist worth hiring will tell you no.
• Climbing spikes on a tree you're keeping. Spikes punch holes through the bark every step up. They're for removals, not for trees that are supposed to survive the visit.
• Everything on the inside gets stripped. A tree with all its inner branches cleaned out and a puff of leaves at the tips looks neat, but it's weaker in wind and exposed to sun. Removing too much canopy at once stresses the tree hard.
• They knocked on your door after a storm. Some are honest. Plenty aren't. Be extra careful with anyone who shows up unasked and wants an answer today.
• They want it all paid up front. A deposit is normal. Full payment before the work starts is a risk you don't need to take.

How to hire so it doesn't go sideways

1. Look up the license. Ask for their Arizona Registrar of Contractors license number and check it at roc.az.gov. Make sure it's active and the name matches the company you're dealing with.
2. Get proof of both kinds of insurance. General liability and workers' comp cover two very different disasters. See why you want both below.
3. Check credentials for tree work. An ISA Certified Arborist isn't required for every job, but it means someone passed a real exam. You can verify one at treesaregood.org.
4. Get the scope in writing. Which plants or trees, what gets done to each, where moved plants end up, what equipment is coming, who hauls the debris, and what the payment schedule is.
5. Read the warranty before you sign. Know exactly what's covered, for how long, and what voids it. Overwatering a moved cactus or having someone else prune a warrantied tree are common deal-breakers.

Insurance: ask for both, every time

Cactus moving and tree work mean heavy loads, tall ladders, chainsaws, and machines on your property. When something goes wrong, the question is whose insurance pays. If the answer is "nobody's," it can end up being yours.

General liability covers your stuff

This pays for damage the crew causes to your property or your neighbor's: a saguaro that tips into a block wall, a limb through the roof, a machine that cracks the driveway or tears up the irrigation. Without it, you're stuck chasing the contractor for the money yourself.

Workers' comp covers their people

This pays when a worker gets hurt on the job, and on this kind of work, injuries happen. If a crew member falls out of your tree and the company has no workers' comp, you could end up in the middle of it, and your homeowner's policy may not cover it. Arizona generally requires employers with even one employee to carry it.

• "We're covered" with nothing on paper. Ask for a certificate of insurance for each policy, sent to you directly by their insurance agent. A photo of an old certificate proves nothing, since policies lapse when payments stop.
• "I don't have employees" from a crew of five. A true one-person operation may not need workers' comp. But if a crew shows up, those people are someone's workers, and someone needs to be covering them.
• A policy that doesn't cover this kind of work. Some liability policies exclude tree work or limit how high the crew can work. Make sure the certificate covers what they're actually doing at your place.
• Limits too small for the job. A dropped tree or a damaged wall can get expensive fast. Look at the coverage amounts and the policy dates, and make sure the policy runs through the end of your job.

If a contractor has insurance, they don't mind showing it. Asking for proof is a normal part of hiring, and anyone who gets evasive about it has already answered your question.

If anything looks off, call the insurance agent listed on the certificate. They can confirm in a couple of minutes whether the policy is active.

Printable checklist — all of the above on one page, ready to print or save as a PDF.

Take a good look at the trucks and the crew

Before you sign anything, look at what pulls up to your house. A contractor who takes care of their equipment usually takes care of your property too.

Bottom line: Licensed contractors with a real business invest in good equipment and a professional crew. If what shows up looks like a mess, the job will probably end up one too.