Gardening: Seed selection

Published November 24, 2013

Q. Is Osmanthus Olea Fragrans’ — sometimes called ‘Sweet Olive’ — cultivated in Pakistan? It has very fragrant white blossoms and grows in China and Nepal.

A. Yes. I have seen this delightful, smallish tree/large shrub, being grown in Chak Shehzad just outside Islamabad. I suspect that saplings may be found in Islamabad nurseries; if not then I suggest specialist nurseries in Lahore or Pattoki.

Q. Please specify as to what is ‘sweet earth’. Thanks.

A. ‘Sweet earth’ is the soil/river sand/silt, manure mix generally sold at nurseries or by soil sellers at the roadsides here and there but, not all is as good as it should be, so please select carefully and avoid any which contains large stones, lots of obvious strawy matter, visible weed stems/heads and/or remains of plastic bags, etc.

Q. I live in Islamabad and want to grow mushrooms at home but I don’t know where to get the spawn from. I do not want to travel all the way to the University of Agriculture in Faisalabad to get it.

A. There are — or certainly used to be — a number of mushroom farms in the Islamabad area, especially in the back roads of Chak Shehzad. I suggest that you approach one or more of these and politely ask if they will sell you a few prepared bags containing the special compost and spawn. You could also ask then for specific growing directions and, in this way, perhaps even obtain both oyster mushrooms and button mushrooms. It’s worth a try.

Q. Where can I purchase a Passiflora plant or seeds in Islamabad, please?

A. Many nurseries in and around Islamabad have Passiflora plants so take some time to check out a few and before making your purchases, try and select different varieties with emphasis on those producing edible fruits. Compare prices too as these can vary greatly. Choose only obviously strongly growing plants and avoid any that, no matter what the seller may say, look a little weak and remember to check for bugs on both the underside as well as the upper sides of the leaves and also on the stems.

Q. My village is located near Murree and a few years back my husband brought back plum, apple, persimmon, pear and peach trees from Tajikistan. All have started fruiting but the trees are weak and the fruit small and tasteless. The leaves are also wrinkled. It seems all our efforts are in vain. I also planted avocado about six years back and it is fruiting. The fruit is fine on this. Kindly guide me what to do about all the other fruit trees please.

A. Presumably you live at a much lower altitude than Murree as avocado does not tolerate the very low temperatures experienced up here. At a guess I would suspect that you are closer to Tret than Murree itself and this would also explain why your apples do not do so well. In fact, all of the trees brought in from Tajikistan are developed for much colder winter climates than those acceptable to avocadoes, except, of course, for the persimmons and peaches which are perfectly happy at lower elevations and in higher summer temperatures.

Aside from obvious climatic differences, the soil conditions will be very different too and it will take much hard work and lots of top quality soil, organic manure and organic compost to feed your trees and make them, in time, stronger than they currently are. They may never completely adjust climatically and the fruit may not come up to the high standard expected but please do persevere.

Good feeding and regular irrigation should, in the long term, help, plus, pay careful attention to the pruning of the apples during December and January as this is essential for good crops. The type of pruning depends on whether or not the apple trees are tip bearing or spur bearing varieties. If you are not certain of the latter please request further information.

Q. Please provide information on grape cultivation suitable for District Chakwal.

A. I recently devoted a column to grape cultivation so I suggest that you go through the back issues of the magazine and study this.

Q. I read your article about lavender cultivation in the Dawn archives. I live in Khuzdar, Balochistan, at an altitude of approximately 4,000 feet. The climate is harsh in winter and summer is hot and dry. Is lavender suitable and, if so, where can I find the seeds in Pakistan?

A. Lavender, once established should be fine there but young plants may benefit from protection during their first two to three winters. You may be able to source seeds in either Lahore or Islamabad but it will not be easy. The best could be to import them yourself. Sorry but I cannot be more helpful as it is against the policy to mention individual suppliers or growers. Good luck with your search.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer will not respond directly by e-mail. E-mails with attachments will not be opened.

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