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The green thumb.

Article Excerpt
Q. My husband has been a farmer for years. He is also an avid gardener and weather forecaster. He is very accurate. How can he be more accurate than a weather man?

A. A lot of people ask the same question. Medical journals often have articles saying there is something to this. We asked our doctor and he says that when there's a drop in barometric pressure you get an increase in humidity which causes many arthritic people's joints to act up. These changes are the ones that precede a storm. Experiments verified the patients' claims that their arthritic symptoms were associated with the weather. Patients whose arthritis is under control tend to suffer less when the weather changes, but it appears to affect all types of arthritis. The dryer the weather, the less pain patients seem to experience. The fact is, neither medical experts nor people with arthritis can agree on the role of weather. So it's best to listen to your body rather than the forecast. You know when you're hurting, even if you don't know why.

Q. I have flowers and shrubs along my driveway that look diseased. Is it because of the salt I use during the winter? Is there a safe salt that doesn't damage plants?

A. Tight budgets may compel municipalities to de-ice streets and roads this winter with sodium chloride rather than plant-safer calcium chloride or sand. Just as salt raises people's blood pressure, so it can have devastating effects on plant roots and...

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