Q. How can I propagate my Gerberas and where can I find more colours? My existing plants have just pink and cream blooms and I would like to have many more colours.

A. Your Gerbera, sometimes referred to as ‘African daisies’, should be in full bloom right now as they usually flower during February and March, and, if you are lucky, put on a second show in autumn. They can be propagated from seed or by root division. Gerbera seed does not keep well so it is best sown as soon as it is ripe: allow choice blooms to die back naturally and sow the seeds harvested from them immediately, in a good quality, well draining, organic compost. Alternatively, divide the roots of established clumps in either March or October. If sowing imported, packaged seed, this should be done in March or early autumn but be warned, germination rates are poor. It’s best to visit nurseries when Gerbera are in bloom to select additional colours and patiently take it from there.

Q. I have some very old geranium plants, in pots, on a veranda in Abbottabad. They have become overly tall and no longer flower as they used to do. What can I do to get their vigour back?

A. Geranium plants have a tendency to outgrow their own strength in time and this is what has happened to your plants. Prune them hard back, now is ideal, taking cuttings four to six inches long from the strongest stems. Push the cuttings, to one third of their length, into pots of well draining compost / soil, keep them lightly watered and they should begin to grow fairly soon. You may hang on to the original plants if you like but the new ones will outperform them.

Q. I have a desi lemon plant for about three years. It is three feet tall now and gets full sun but has still not fruited. What can I do?

A. Unfortunately you have failed to mention if the lemon is growing directly in the ground or in a pot. Whichever it is though, I suspect that soil conditions are incorrect. Lemons need fertile soil, rich in organic matter and must be watered and fed — liquid organic manure is ideal — on a regular basis. Improving the soil is the first obvious step to take and then establish a strict watering regime: every three days throughout spring, summer and autumn and just once a week in winter should suffice.

Have a splash of colours this spring by planting multi-coloured varieties of floral plants

Q. Can I grow Spaghetti squash in Islamabad? A friend kindly sent me some seeds from overseas and I have no idea if they will grow or when to plant them if they might. What growing conditions do they need?

Blazing red geranium, Photos by the writer

A. The answer is yes, you most certainly can. Sow the seeds, three feet apart, in a sunny spot at the beginning of March. Soil should be rich in organic material as, like all members of the ‘Gourd’ family, Spaghetti squash are heavy feeders and prolific growers. The plants need to climb up, or over, a very strong support as, when fruiting, they become surprisingly heavy.

Q. I built kiaries along our boundary walls and they get light for one hour in winter and three hours in summer. I have tried to grow many vegetables there but failed to get good results. Only a Money Plant is happy but I want to have flowers and vegetables. Please guide.

A. The kiaries do not get enough sunlight for the vast majority of vegetables and flowers to grow. I suggest that you opt for shade tolerant species such as lettuce, coriander, mint, borage (this also bears blue or white flowers), nasturtiums (brilliantly coloured edible flowers and sharp tasting leaves), chives and perhaps some loose leaf cabbage.

Q. I have some land in Deh Chellaro, Mirpurkhas, Sindh on which I planted a mango orchard about 20 years ago but the trees have never fruited properly even though two thirds of them grew quite well. I used gypsum and animal manure on the soil. I lost one third of them for unknown reasons and, on taking local advice, I replanted with chikoo but after a lapse of 10 years even these are struggling and have failed to flower / fruit. What can I do to improve the orchard? I am 84 years old and desperately want to see results for the hard years of work that have gone into this. Irrigation is not a problem.

A. Soil salinity could be the problem and, if so, then adding more gypsum may be the answer. However, before proceeding, I strongly recommend that you arrange to have the soil tested — perhaps your local Department of Agriculture can do this — at various places and from various depths in the entire orchard and base future interventions, organic ones please, on these results. I admire your perseverance and sincerely hope that a solution is soon identified.

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.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, February 8th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play