May 03--No green thumb? No need to worry, said Kmart, announcing a new lifetime guarantee on certain plants sold at its lawn and garden centers.
Customers who buy a tree, shrub or perennial with a "Plants for Life, Guaranteed" tag can, upon the plant's untimely passing, receive a replacement or store credit if they return the "Guaranteed Plant remains" with an original receipt, the discount retailer said Monday.
Unless, that is, the expired shrub or tree wasn't adequately watered or otherwise neglected.
Additional exclusions may apply: Plants damaged by vehicles, lawn mowers, snowplows, chemicals, animals or vandals are out, too, according to the fine print on the company website. Same for plants finished off by "acts of God, including, but not limited to: disease, insects and related plant pests, or weather."
"They've covered just about everything that's going to go wrong," said Ken Johnson, a horticulture educator with the University of Illinois Extension whose specialties include plant pathology.
"There would have to be something wrong with the tree itself, with its genetics," he said.
In any case, Johnson said, determining a plant's cause of death is tricky. The University of Illinois Plant Clinic can test samples for fungus, bacteria or other pathogens, but it's more effective with ailing plants than the already withered.
"Once they're dead, it's hard to tell," he said.
That might be why Kmart included two caveats in the exclusions listed on its website: "We reserve the right to limit or refuse any lifetime guarantee or exchange at our discretion. We reserve the right to modify or discontinue this program."
Asked about the range of exceptions, Kmart said in a statement that the guarantee "provides customers with peace of mind that the eligible plants they get from Kmart will last."
"If a plant dies as a result of a covered problem Kmart will replace it. Like any guarantee, there are certain exclusions for things like abuse, mechanical damage or extraordinary weather events," the company said. Kmart is owned by Hoffman Estates-based Sears Holdings.
Many nurseries offer yearlong guarantees on some plants, Johnson said, though they sometimes insist on planting guaranteed trees themselves and may also have exclusions.
In most cases, if a tree or shrub makes it through the first winter, it's likely to live a long and healthy life, said Jack Leider, a volunteer with the Morton Arboretum's Plant Clinic.
"It's good publicity, and since most companies give a one-year warranty, going beyond that probably isn't going to cost them a lot," Leider said.
lzumbach@tribpub.com
