Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with prune

Without Imprunity?

stavx — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:26:18 -0800

Is a 12oz. glass of prune juice daily harmful? (mild disclaimer - digestive details to follow inside) I suffer from the "H" in the medicated cream Preparation H, and "daily traffic" most of the time is difficult and painful.

When I asked my Dr. if I need surgery or treatment for the Hemorrhoids all he said was to increase my fiber, vegetables and water intake, which I have done, but the movements are still quite uncomfortable, painful and distressing.

I've tried different fiber additives to my diet over time and the best result I have ever gotten was from drinking a glass of prune juice in the evening. Ninety minutes later it's like someone yelled fire in the theatre of my southern regions and the bum rush ensues which is quite soft, satisfying and most importantly pain free.

But I have read online that prunes have a natural chemical which over time is the same as being dependent on laxatives which is dangerous to the bowels. I asked my doctor and he said prune juice is safe and there is no harm at all. He just dismissed me and said it's juice and has fiber and potassium and it's great no problem at all.

Should I get a second opinion? or am i overthinking this and go with what works.

Sharpening my pruning katana as we speak

TungstenChef — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:14:31 -0800

Help this young grasshopper become a tree pruning ninja. The good news is that the previous owner of our house had the foresight to plant a lot of cool trees and shrubs 20 years ago (primarily ficus, oleander, and acacia). The bad news is that he was terrible at pruning and we seem to have inherited every conceivable problem...tree branches growing against the house, ugly dead wood in the center, wild overgrown tangles, and lack of leaves in many shaded areas to name a few.

'Tis the season for pruning in Arizona and I want to learn how to be really good at it. As in, Japanese garden good. Does anyone have any recommendations for really good books on the subject? Or other ways to learn how to do it right? I can find some basic info on the web but I want to go far more in depth.

Help me maintain my ivy topiary

widdershins — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 08:49:40 -0800

Please help a recovering black thumb gardener with burning questions about a gorgeous ivy topiary... We bought a potted ivy topiary plant about 4 months ago. It's been on our porch step ever since and is clearly thriving - which is great since I've previously killed just about every plant I've owned and am only just starting to get the hang of this plant thing. Here are my questions:

The ivy is trained around a square iron 'trellis'. At this point, the topiary has plenty of ivy on it and it's getting overgrown, so I'd like to trim it. My question is - how? Where do I cut and how much? And is there a way of getting the cuttings to sprout roots so I can create my own topiary?

Also, it's getting colder (I live in CT) and I'm unsure how much longer I can keep the plant outside. And once I bring it inside, how do I best maintain it?