Q. The Ajwa date palms we grew from seed in Karachi have now fruited. The fruits are yellow but we don’t know how to process them into edible dates. Please explain how to process them.

A. Ripe dates can be eaten straight from the tree. The taste and texture is different from that of the dried dates sold in shops. If you find them too dry then simply soak in hot water before eating or cooking with them. Commercially-dried dates go through a number of processes, at least one of them using an acid. Congratulations on your first crop.

Q. Are jade plants available in Karachi? If so, exactly where and what do they cost?

Your gardening queries answered

A. Crassula ovata (Jade plants) are found in many Karachi nurseries. Prices vary. Take a look in the gardening section of the advertising supplement and you may find something there.

Q. Some years ago I brought daylily bulbs from my garden in Toronto in the hope that they would thrive as potted plants in Karachi. They produced lots of leaves but no flowers and after two years the mali threw them out. Did they need more time to acclimatise as in Toronto they got a long winter rest which does not happen in Karachi. I have now moved to Lahore and wonder if they would be more successful here. I know I can buy daylilies here but would like to have some of my own from Toronto. The same goes for Muscari and sage. What chances do they have in Lahore if I bring some over?

A. Your longing to have plants from your Canadian garden to enjoy in your Lahore home is understandable. Importing plants without the necessary licence is, however, against the law unless they are declared at customs on arrival when according to law, they will be handed over to the Plant Protection department for a period of quarantine. This is to prevent the accidental introduction of pests and diseases and to prevent the importation of potentially invasive species.

This aside, it could quite conceivably take generations of daylilies descended from your Canadian plants to fully acclimatise to conditions in Lahore. Having said this, plants are pretty amazing life forms and they may just take to Lahore straightaway as may sage. Muscari, being bulbs, is a simple matter providing that the bulbs are transplanted in late autumn/early winter although they may only flower once in the following spring and then completely fade away.

Q. How can you make mulch at home or where can I get mulch in Lahore?

A. Mulching material is easy to create at home. You can simply shred/tear up newspaper, lay pieces of cardboard as mulch, spread dry leaves, use thin layers of fresh grass clippings and other pest/disease-free plant material. Tea leaves, coffee grounds, dried and crushed eggshells and homemade compost are also mulching materials. If you prefer to purchase something to use as mulch then bhoosa (chopped straw) is widely available by the bale. Organic compost, coir (from coconuts), leaf mould and tree bark composts are other alternatives.

Q. Please share your experience with regard to biostimulants/plant growth regulators.

A. Organic biostimulants, correctly used, are very effective in promoting over all plant health, flowering/fruiting capability and appear to improve resistance to pests and diseases. My own favourites being those easily made at home (compost teas, seaweed solutions, liquid fertilizers brewed up from comfrey leaves, from organic manures, etc) which are then used as foliar sprays. I have no experience of biostimulants containing chemical interventions as I only use organic growing methods.

Q. How can we identify male and female papaya plants for fruiting purposes?

A. Male papaya flowers are shaped like elongated trumpets or bells and hang downwards with fuzzy anthers displayed. Female flowers are shorter, fatter and have a bulbous base — from which the fruit develops) and do not have any fuzzy bits. Some trees are 100 percent male, some 100 percent female and others may have both male and female flowers.

Q. Kindly suggest a beautiful, indigenous tree suitable to grow in sandy soil near Mandi Bahauddin.

A. Bauhinia (Kachnar) Bombax Malabaricum (Silk cotton tree) Cassia fistula (Amaltas) Ficus indica (Banyan) and Melia azadiracta (Neem) all suit your requirements.

Q. I have grown two jamun saplings from seed. They germinated two weeks ago and are in pots. When should I transplant them into the ground?

A. Keep them in their pots until they are one foot, preferably two foot tall and have well-established stems. Transplant them only during the winter months with February to March being ideal.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. It is important to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened and commercial inquiries will be ignored.

Published in Dawn, EOS, October 8th, 2017