Subcontractors ghosting after I send the invoice - what's the deal?

I'm so pissed off with these landscaping subs. I hire them for mulching and planting beds on a big residential job, everything goes smooth until I send the invoice through Jobber. They start making excuses about the Stihl blowers they rented or some crap with the bulk mulch delivery, then just disappear. It's like every time I subcontract out the hardscaping part, this happens. Someone in the Landscaping Professionals Facebook group mentioned switching to weekly payments, but that feels like I'm babysitting grown men. Saw a similar rant on r/landscaping last month about it. Anyone got a better way to lock in these guys before they flake on the money?

how do you even find reliable subs in the first place? mine always show up late too.

felt that. lost 500 bucks last season to a no-show sub on a retaining wall gig.

this is why i hate subcontracting. always the same story.

total BS, i've had subs argue over the square footage of sod laid like it's my fault.

we're all getting screwed by these unreliable assholes.

yep, the whole sub game in landscaping is a joke.

screw these subs, they treat us like ATMs after the job's done.

collective rage indeed, time to unionize or something lol.

try using contracts with milestones, worked for me on a tree planting sub job.

what kind of contracts? got a template for landscaping stuff?

fuckin hate when they vanish right after invoicing, makes me wanna quit subs altogether.

ugh, same frustration here after a patio install gone wrong.

haha, my sub once said his dog ate the invoice. yeah right.

picturing a sub running from a pack of landscapers with pitchforks, hilarious.

these subs are killing small landscaping ops, we gotta fight back.

SharkBite for plumbing subs maybe, but for landscaping? nah, need ironclad agreements.

been there with a flaky irrigation sub, lost a whole week.

nah wait i meant my irrigation guy, but yeah pissed.