Q. You often advise the sowing of seeds for vegetables and flowers outside what are considered to be traditional sowing times and I am a little confused by this. I am not questioning your expertise, as having been a reader of this column for many years, I am aware that you are also familiar with traditional planting times. Please explain why you now increasingly suggest seed sowing times which are either earlier or later than what has always been considered normal.

A. The reason is quite simple: Climate change. Unfortunately though, dealing with climate change and its effect on all growing things is far from being a simple procedure, especially when it comes to that all-important seed sowing. The traditional time for sowing, for example, hot weather vegetables such as chillies is the beginning of May. Since climate change moved in with a vengeance, it could be that temperatures are already high enough for sowing chillies at the beginning of April or depending on what the weather is up to. It may not be hot enough until the end of May or even the beginning of June. This varies from region to region and year to year throughout our huge country. With such obviously ‘mixed up’ weather patterns, traditional sowing times are rapidly becoming obsolete. If a gardener sticks with traditional sowing times, they may or may not, get the anticipated results and the same applies to commercial growers. It is imperative that anyone sowing seeds, be they of vegetables, flowers, herbs, cereals, etc, give full consideration to climatic conditions, sowing seeds when these are correct for the species to be grown rather than relying on traditional sowing times which do not always now apply. I realise that this may sound both confusing and complicated to some gardeners but please do not let it put you off. If you feel that climatic conditions are good for the sowing of certain seeds a few weeks before or after traditional sowing time, then get on with the job: Experiment as you feel and understand that even so-called ‘experts’ are having to relearn and adjust to what are now varying and not fixed sowing times.

Working with climate change is the only way to grow!

Q. We have two lemon trees in our Lahore garden. The trees have, over the last three years, produced bumper crops but this season all indications are that the crop is very poor. What little fruit we get is small in size too. Please advise remedial measures.

Productive, well fed, lemons, Photos by the writer

A. It sounds like your trees have used up much of their strength in giving massive crops for three years in a row and are now, in a manner of speaking, reminding you that they cannot give what they do not get: Feed them, with generous amounts of organic compost/organic liquid fertiliser, each and every year whether they are cropping or not and maintain regular irrigation, especially when they are in flower or developing fruit.

Q. My Gul Mohr trees have budded heavily these last three years but have failed to blossom. What needs to be done? I reside about 2km from the sea in Defence, Karachi.

A. This is an interesting problem! It could be that the trees were over watered during the winter months, thus developing extra brittle twigs which were too weak to take bud weight/sea wind so broke off taking buds with them. It could also be that the tree roots, due to location, have hit heavily saline sub-soil and do not like it or, quite possibly, that growing conditions have, somehow, become too alkaline for Poinciana regia (Gul Mohr), which prefers a soil pH of 5.6 to 6.5 maximum. As for advice — sorry, I am still scratching my head about this!

Red hot chilli peppers, Photos by the writer

Q. I would like to freshen up my lawn by planting some more Dhaka grass. When is the correct time of year to do this?

A. This depends on your location which, unfortunately, you omitted to mention. Generally speaking, winter/spring in Karachi, late winter/early spring in Lahore, spring or autumn in Rawalpindi/Islamabad and spring in both Peshawar and Quetta.

Q. I have a fairly large fig tree in my Islamabad garden. When is the right time to prune it and how much can be cut off?

A. During the winter months after the tree has shed all or most of its leaves. Remove no more than the top one-third of a branch during any single pruning season.

Q I have grown garlic chives from seeds in pots on my terrace in Islamabad. Seedlings were transplanted in bunches, as you previously advised and have since developed into thriving plants. My problem is that I do not know when to harvest it or how to use it in the kitchen. Please explain.

A. Cut the fresh, green leaves, when they are at least 4–6 inches tall. Cut them about an inch above the base of the plant. Use chopped in raita, omelettes, salads, soups, as a garnish or in any way you use green onions and green garlic leaves and stems. The plants will re-grow, providing they are watered, year after year.

Q. I normally grow trailing petunias in hanging baskets but in the last couple of seasons, they have not done very well. Please suggest colourful alternatives.

A. Trailing nasturtiums, especially those with variegated leaves, are magnificent providing that they are grown in a water retentive compost/soil mix to help them beat the heat over a long period of time. Other suggestions are: Lobelia in white, dark rose, pink, lavender, dark blue and sky blue mix; Tradescantia, zebrina are both excellent, trailing foliage plants or see if you can get hold of Thunbergia alata — Black-eyed Suzie/Clock vine — in tangerine, cream, white and yellow.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to Uzahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. Answers to selected questions will appear in a future issue of the magazine. This takes time. The writer will not respond directly by e-mail. E-mails with attachments will not be opened. Please note; The writer’s garden is not open to the public.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, November 9th, 2014