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You could use a fungicide to treat, but i would never waste chemical spraying a hedge 'just in case' unless there was a known issue.
Has something changed around the hedge? Other shrubs or trees grown up around it causing shade or loss of air movement making a damp environment?
I'm not sure there is anything to spray to prevent mildew (I'm probably wrong) it's more about making sure the plants are healthy and have the correct environment to grow in.
Just a thought......do you live in a hard water area? Has the customer been watering? Could it be limescale on the leaves?
I would say that spraying anything (except maybe weeds) is not generally considered routine maintenance. Maybe they or their previous gardener used to do it so is normal to them. Perhaps every plant in the garden should be sprayed, preventatively, for green fly as well ! Just to put it in perspective, I have some very fussy clients too. The type that many trades people dare not touch lol
What size are the laurels ?
A garden i have worked in for years has several mature laurels , huge things but planted as a screen and sound barrier to drown out traffic noise from the main road but prominent from the customers window .
To be honest they go through stages of looking distressed from fungal and leaf hopper attack , they seem sensitive to weather conditions but forgiving shrubs and tend to sort themselves out without any intervention from sprays .
If your customers are young shrubs and its the new growth getting attacked then might be worth spraying to see if it helps but from my experience spraying wont prevent it happening on laurels you can only address it after it happens .
Laurels are more of a functional shrub and never look a pretty sight in my opinion they seem to attract all manner of insects pests and disease but seem to thrive on neglect , you could probably spend your Two hour slot checking over the laurels .
If you value the customer Just say sorry a misunderstanding , spraying the laurels , roses or anything else for that matter needs to be discussed initially .
sometimes i have used my intitiative without being asked , sprayed or removed a weed and being pulled up by the customer .
some customers are opposed to spraying anything with chemical spray and prefer their own homemade recipe of soapy water or lavender water .
Laurels are pretty hardy and as people have said, will generally recover well from most pest & disease attacks.... Preventative sprays are not the norm (except by growers) but there are a few sprays you can apply as a protective against basal rot, downy & powdery mildew.... Amistar is one that can be applied under EAMU...but your clients may wish the'd never asked when they see the cost !
Richard