Scott's Cutlass on Leylandii

appletrees12

New here - Hi - sorry could not find anything about this on Search. I need to control growth of a Leylandii hedge which I did not plant. Cutting down/pruning is very expensive where I am and I cannot do it myself ( 75 + female). There is a product called Scott's Cutlass which I do not seem to be able to find for sale . It is supposed to inhibit growth of plants like leylandii - can only see it on Amazon.com (America) and in expensive quantities. Does anyone know where to order it from? Thanks

Thankthecat

Cutlass was withdrawn years ago. For a while there was something called Stop Grow but I believe that has also now been withdrawn. Sorry not to be more helpful! If such a product does exist out there I'd love to know, as I also have a much-disliked leylandii that gives me a headache twice a year!

appletrees12

Thanks so much - at least one knows! Very useful site! I don't think people realize what an expensive nightmare leylandii can be!

pansyface

Yes, maleic hydrazide was the active ingredient. A plant growth inhibitor which was introduced to the market in the Good Old Days when you could, if you were so inclined, spray DDT on your bedbug riddled mattress and sleep on it the same night without a care in the world.

Nowadays, it would appear, it is not seen as such a great idea to apply plant growth inhibitors to healthy plants. Maleic hydrazide came back to bite us in the bum in the form of cancer.  See here. A bit technical, but you get the gist.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/368621

floraltips

Are there any community organizations that could help. In my area one such helps with decorating, gardening, transport and more for those that are unable to do it themselves. And the charge is minimal, just covering their overheads.