FOR RELEASE THE WEEK OF MAY 28, 2000:
We have a big linden in our yard and are thinking about hanging a swing from it for our kids. What can we do to avoid damaging the bark–or is harming the tree inevitable?
"You really put me on the spot," says Jim Fazio, University of Idaho forestry professor. "If I say it’s okay to put the swing on your linden limb and it breaks or causes damage, there’s a fair chance some lawyer will talk you into suing me for giving you bad expert advice. On the other hand, who wants to deprive kids from doing something that has kept kids happy since trees were invented?!"
Without seeing the tree, it’s impossible for Fazio to give advice on its condition. However, he says linden has fairly strong wood–stronger than boxelder but not as strong as oak. According to Fazio, you should be able to secure the swing with large screw-eyes without permanently damaging the tree. Let the eye of the screw-eye loop protrude a little from the limb. "If the tree is vigorous, it should seal over the wound quickly," he says, "but, as with any opening you create, there is a chance that rot-causing organisms could enter, so it is extremely important that you inspect the limb regularly."
Another option would be to loop ropes over the limb. Tie several layers of old carpet to the top of the limb to keep the bark from abrading. "Depending on use, you’ll probably have to replace the cushion material occasionally, but there will be no wound to the tree," he says.
"Good luck with your project–and remember to inspect the swing several times a year."
I have some older pans with non-stick coatings that are flaking off. Is it still safe to use these pans for cooking food?
Yes, the pans are safe to use, says Sandy McCurdy, University of Idaho extension food safety specialist. "For aesthetic reasons, you should scrub the loose coating to remove it before using the pan, but if some of the non-stick coating gets into your food, there's no danger to you in eating it," she says.
According to McCurdy, Teflon or tetrafluoroethylene was approved by the FDA for food contact surfaces in 1960. The non-toxic, inert coating will pass directly through your body and will not be absorbed–like food fiber.
Unfortunately, as you’ve no doubt already noticed, the flaking pans don’t perform as well as unscratched pans–and there’s no cost-effective way to recoat them. If you’re buying new pans, McCurdy notes that Teflon comes in several levels of quality and the more you pay, the more resistance to scratching you’ll get. Whatever you decide to pay, though, it pays to use plastic or wooden utensils to preserve the finish.
Every year, some of my rose leaves develop flat, dark spots that merge together. The leaf areas around the spots turn yellowish. My neighbor tells me it’s blackspot. Is it too late to spray for it this year?
It’s too late to kill the fungus where it’s already struck in the leaf, but it’s not too late to keep it from spreading to new leaves, says Bob Forster, University of Idaho extension plant pathologist.
First, rake up all of the dead leaves and dispose of them in the landfill or burn them. Then, treat the foliage with a protective fungicidal spray or dust that will keep new infections from developing. Several products–including Captan, Immunox, Daconil and Kop-R-Spray, are registered and packaged for home use.
"In our dry environment, we don’t need to treat as often as they do back east or down south, where the disease pressure is much worse, but if you’re having a problem with black spot, it’s likely that you’ll need to use protective fungicides several times a season," Forster says.
Forster advises organic growers to do whatever they can to prevent rose leaves from getting wet in the first place. If possible, use furrow or drip irrigation. If you need to sprinkle, do it during the late morning or early afternoon so the foliage dries before evening. Remove dead and diseased leaves from the bases of plants. And, when in the market for new roses, select resistant varieties.
There is a beautiful stand of butter-and-eggs along a trail where we hike. Could we transplant these to our garden so they’ll bloom for us here next year?
You could, but you would be doing so in violation of Idaho’s Noxious Weed Law, says Don Morishita, University of Idaho extension weed scientist.
Butter-and-eggs, or yellow toadflax, is a real looker, Morishita agrees. It’s in the snapdragon family and was originally introduced to the U.S. from Eurasia in the mid-1800s as an ornamental. However, its extensive root system makes this summer-blooming plant difficult to control. It’s an aggressive invader of rangelands, unpalatable to livestock, displaces desirable grasses and could easily take over a flower bed.
"Don’t take things home from public lands without knowing what they are and how they grow and reproduce," Morishita advises.