FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF JAN. 3, 2000:
We have several oak trees in our front yard that have grown too tall and we are planning to top them. Our neighbor tells us this is not a good idea. Why not?
Cutting the top off a tree is definitely not an acceptable pruning practice, says JoAnn Robbins, University of Idaho extension educator. "It results in ugly, deformed trees with weak branches," she says. "The trees often become infected with decay organisms and are more susceptible to insects and diseases."
Instead of topping or "heading" cuts–which leave vulnerable stubs–shorten the tree down to lower branches by using what are called "thinning" cuts. Prune just outside a tree’s branch collars–slightly swollen areas that you’ll find at the bases of branches. These branch collars contain cells that fill with decay-blocking chemicals when a branch is broken off or dies. They form a protective area that not only keeps out decay but facilitates healing.
"The challenge for the person pruning off the branch is to leave this layer of cells intact so that it can do its work for the tree," Robbins says.
By the way, don’t bother with wound dressings. According to Robbins, they’re cosmetic only. "Research has shown that pruning paint or wound dressing does not protect cuts from insects or diseases or promote healing," she says. "In fact, some research suggests that wound dressings may actually inhibit the healing process."
My New Year’s resolution is to lose 40 pounds, so I started the Dr. Atkins diet. I thought it would be great to be able to eat all the meat, cheese, eggs and fat that I wanted and still lose weight–or at least that’s what the book said. On the first week of the diet, I did lose 8 pounds, but I miss eating bread and fruits and vegetables. Is this a safe diet?
Martha Raidl, University of Idaho extension nutrition specialist, does not endorse it. First of all, she says, most of the 8 pounds that you lost was water and not fat. With up to 80 percent of calories coming from fat and most of the remainder from protein, followers of the Atkins diet become dehydrated.
"If you would follow a low-calorie diet that had carbohydrate, protein and fat, then the majority of your weight loss would be fat–not water," Raidl says.
She also cautions that the Atkins diet can cause high cholesterol levels, kidney problems and loss of calcium from your bones.
We’re setting up a household budget for the New Year and are wondering what the average family should spend in the various budget categories. Do you have any guidelines?
Spending guidelines aren’t hard and fast rules, says Marilyn Bischoff, University of Idaho extension educator. "One family may choose to spend 40 percent on housing and less on clothing, credit and transportation–while another may choose to spend more on transportation and less on housing."
But here are some common spending guidelines Bischoff uses in her home-study course, "Coming to Grips with Your Finances." These may be useful as you examine your family’s spending patterns:
"You can compare your take-home pay to a pie," says Bischoff. "If you cut one slice too big, all of the other pieces will have to be cut smaller or else you will have to borrow to make ends meet."
The five-lesson home-study course is available for $6.50, including tax and shipping, from University of Idaho Publications. Call (208) 885-7982, fax (208) 885-4648, e-mail agpubs@uidaho.edu, click on http://info.ag.uidaho.edu or mail your order to Publications, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-2240.