Nuts and bolts: Eliminate paper, dump phone book

Declutter da litter: If you’re overloaded with yellow and white pages, you can do more than vow to recycle them. Yellowpagesgoesgreen.org is on a mission to stem the tide of unsolicited phone books with an opt-out service. Unlike the national “do not mail” lists, you don’t have to provide much information, just your name, address and e-mail.

Will it work? We can’t guarantee it, but we’re willing to give it a try.

Speaking of unnecessary paper, get the scoop on how to decrease pre-approved credit card offers, catalogs and other unsolicited mail at www.heraldnet.com/ecogeek. Have you had any luck decreasing junk mail? Which services work best? Share your stories with The Herald’s Eco Geek at Ecogeek@heraldnet.com.

Prune it or not: We asked pruning goddess Cass Turnbull, who founded PlantAmnesty to prevent the rampant malpruning of trees and shrubs, to shed some light on when to prune.

It all started when a reader of Mudrakers — The Herald’s gardening blog at www.heraldnet.com/mudraker — asked why it’s a bad idea to prune trees in April and October.

Here’s what Turnbull said: “People are overly concerned about when to prune and not concerned enough about how to prune. A hundred thousand more plants are damaged by bad pruning than by pruning at the ‘wrong time.’

“The late, great Dr. Alex Shigo explained that when leaves are emerging (spring) and when leaves are falling (which are different times in the fall for different trees) are low-energy times for trees and they are more susceptible to fungal infections and other stresses. So pruning in times other than those are preferred.

“Generally speaking, if you are pruning selectively and in moderation, any time is the right time to prune.”

There’s lots more information in “Cass Turnbull’s Guide to Pruning.” A holiday gift idea?

Herald staff