A few weeks ago on the radio show, we had a caller ask about a product that could lower his time spent with a pair of pruners in his hand. He had a barrier of Eleagnus that was growing wild and it was hard for him to keep the Eleagnus contained in the space he wanted it to stay. We recommended two growth regulators he could try. Atrimmec is a spray on growth regulator and Cutless .33G is a granular growth regulator.
Growth regulators are used for many different applications in the horticultural world. Growers of annuals use them to get that tight little branched plant you buy from the local garden center. The grower wants to keep that plant in that flat until it reaches your garden; otherwise, the plant might need repotting in the garden center which would be very costly.
Turf managers use growth regulators to lower the need for mowing, edging, trimming, and for aesthetics. You can spray a lawn and not have to mow for a month in July
 If you do not want to do your whole lawn, you can concentrate your efforts on spraying bed lines, driveways, curbing and sidewalks to lower the time spent with an edger. Sloped areas along ponds or areas around trees and signs can also be treated so the string trimmer can take a break. The grass plant will “tighten up” having less internode spacing and giving the plant a darker green look.
We sell growth regulators for trees to reduce growth. For trees under power lines or in front of businesses, we sell various products that will slow the growth of trees for up to three years with one application.
Many business owners want their sign and their business to be visible from the street, so they have these growth regulators applied to their trees to keep them from growing too much. People also use them to keep trees from growing into their house or to keep trees from growing over their swimming pools.
Fruit production in trees can also be managed with the use of growth regulators. Sweet Gum trees are the biggest market for this product locally. Clemson University‘s main campus buys growth regulators from us to manage the nuts of various trees because the nuts become projectiles when mowing.
Treating shrubs with growth regulators can save a huge amount of time. Bonnie Sanders was nice enough to share this picture of a holly plant that she sprayed half of with a growth regulator. Bonnie also took the picture of the mole that was in last weeks article (her husband John, risking his life, was holding the monster mole). The picture was taken three to four weeks after treatment. When blown up, you can easily see the effect on the plant. The growth regulators can last for several months. No pruning, yeah!
Growth regulators can save a huge amount of time, landfill space, wear and tear on equipment, fuel, and can improve the look of certain plants. This article is just the tip of the iceberg of the many uses for growth regulators.
Always read, understand, and follow product label.

Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply, 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511).  Fax your questions to 406-2700 or e-mail them to your newspaper’s editors. You can also call in your questions to “ The Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from 12-1 p.m. on 1250 WTMA  (The Big Talker).