Q. I reside in Islamabad and had to stop buying organic manure as it contains termites and these have now infested my front garden flower bed. The termites are damaging the plants. I have a plan to exterminate them and wonder if it is viable: what if I take out all the plants and fill the bed with a few inches deep layer of powdered charcoal topped firstly with burnt ash and then live lime and then water it for a few days until the lime has released all its heat. After this I would layer it with two to three feet of new sweet soil then replant. This may deter termites for some time and perhaps forever. What do you think?

A. I think you have a plan! Whether or not it remains effective in the long-term I really do not know but it is certainly worth a try with, that is, a minor alteration: the lime will need longer than ‘a few days’ before it has released all of its heat. I suggest that you allow four to six weeks for this. This may be overly cautious but it is better to err on the side of caution than to replant too soon.

Also, purely organic manure should not contain termites and I am surprised that you have highlighted this. Termites are more liable to be brought in with new soil rather than with manure. Please check any new soil, thoroughly, before buying and taking it home. Even a minuscule trace of termites in soil is enough for this dreadful nuisance to be introduced to your garden.

Q. I have a small garden in PECHS, Karachi and recently got a fig plant. It is just six to eight inches in height and already has figs on it. How should I care for it please?

A. Simply plant it in a well prepared planting hole — as detailed in a recent column on planting saplings — in a well drained, sunny location which has good air circulation as the latter helps to prevent problems with mildew and other humidity associated problems. It should be watered just twice a week, at the most, over the winter period and then every other day once temperatures begin to rise. Figs are easy to grow, crop well and perform extremely well in Karachi, although you may need to net the fruit to prevent the birds from stealing it.

Being cautious is better than to err should be the rule in gardening

Delicious figs, Photos by the writer

Q. I have grown a mango plant and need to know how to protect it in December and January. I am 12 years old and I love plants. Please explain in detail.

A. I am delighted to hear this and wish you all the very best. Unfortunately, you have not given your location: This is important as climatic conditions vary greatly throughout the length and breadth of our wonderfully diverse country. Mangos are indigenous to Pakistan and in areas where they are cultivated, no winter protection is necessary for mango saplings. In very cold locations, the young plant will need to be brought inside the house but, in such areas, mango trees, once large enough to be planted into the ground, will not survive to reach maturity. I sincerely hope that you live somewhere that your mango will survive and thrive.

Q. We have recently moved from Rawalpindi to Western Canada. We don’t really have a garden and so keep potted plants indoors. We use lots of thyme and basil in cooking and wonder if we can grow these indoors, on a sunny windowsill, all year round. Winter temperatures go down as far as below 30C so they would not survive outside.

A. Basil sown in late spring should be fine and last through until the autumn providing you continually nip out flower buds as soon as they begin to develop. It will not grow over the winter months as natural daylight is short in Canada and these plants need natural light, as well as warmth, to grow.

Glorious pelargonium, Photos by the writer

Thyme may last longer but will not produce much new leaf in the winter, if any at all. So harvest and either dry or freeze as much as possible over the summer months.

Q. I have made a small nursery in my home garden in Karachi but don’t know how to go about finding buyers for my plants. Can you advise please as I really need to make an income?

A. Try contacting the local horticultural societies — there are a few — and request that they circulate your nursery details among their members. Otherwise, spreading information by word of mouth, through posters on notice boards and in shop windows, etc. is worth a go.

Q. Which seasonal flowers, easily found in local nurseries, can be grown in shade in Karachi?

A. Nasturtiums, salvia, balsam, cineraria, penstemon, alyssum, lobelia, pansy, viola, phlox and bedding geraniums / pelargoniums should all, as long as the shade is not total, suit your needs.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer will not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, December 28th, 2014