"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
.. .
I've got a conifer hedge which is about 6m long by 2.5m high
by 2m wide. I'm not sure what type of conifer -- I don't think
it's Leylandii as it doesn't grow that fast -- it only needs
one or occasionally two cuttings per year to keep it very
neat. I do normally keep it cut very square, but I noticed
brown areas on it earlier this year and wondered if I'd cut
it too much last year, so I've let it shoot a bit.

However, I've just heard about Leylandii aphids this year,
and the damage does seem to exactly fit with this. Reading
up, it seems I should cut the hedge as normal now, but not
in autumn. There's also talk of getting trees sprayed - is
that any good? I imagine spraying something of this size
effectively is a professional job? Won't it all wash off
next time it rains?

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

RHS have detemined that cutting back conifer hedges in the autumn is the
biggest cause of browning followed by the conifer aphid