Q. My grapefruit, kinnow, pomegranates and guava trees are infested with fruit flies. The fruits are fine as long as they are unripe but once they ripen, they rot from the inside, so I concluded that it is because of fruit flies. Can you please recommend a remedy?

A. Fruit flies are notoriously difficult to eradicate without resorting to the use of toxic chemicals which, as readers are aware, are not advocated here. There are, though, a few natural remedies you can try. Firstly, garden/orchard hygiene should be scrupulously enforced by removing all infected fruits, including those that have fallen off the trees and disposing of them in a rubbish bin well away from your garden. Fallen leaves and other plant debris around and beneath the fruit trees should also be disposed of in the same way. Do not, under any circumstances, add any of the infected fruit/potentially infected debris, to the compost heap. Then, in late autumn through until very early spring, apply grease bands — you can make these out of strips of jute sacking, about four inches wide — heavily coated on one side with some form of grease (Vaseline is fine).

Tie these bands around fruit tree trunks at a height of two to three feet above the ground and below the lowest limb. Any female fruit flies — these are not able to fly — that have bred in the area beneath the tree, will automatically attempt to crawl up the tree trunk to eventually lay their eggs in developing fruit but they get stuck in the grease bands and can climb no further. Changing the grease bands once a month throughout this crucial period is a good idea. Do this on a yearly basis to keep your fruit free of these destructive pests.

All your gardening queries answered here

Q. I live in Faisalabad and am very interested in gardening. Can you kindly recommend which winter flowering plants are good to grow here and which flower seeds can be sown now? I also need to know how to care for these seeds.

A. Please refer to this column on the first Sunday of each month as it contains details of flower, vegetable and herb seeds to be sown during the month ahead. Also refer to the column of November 17, 2019 — easily found on the internet — for seed-sowing advice.

Q. Does lavender grow in Karachi and can it be grown in a pot?

A. Lavender is perfectly at home in clay pots and can, with dedicated care, be cultivated in Karachi.

Q. I planted green chilli seeds at the end of last October in Karachi. I water them every evening but the plants are very small and many have died. What was the reason for this? How long does it take for green chillies, grown from seed, to start producing fruits?

A. Chillies are hot weather plants and best sown from mid-spring through until the end of July in your location. Different varieties take different lengths of time to produce fruit but, in general, from seed sowing to fruiting takes two to three months.

Q. It is my ambition to grow cherry tomatoes in Karachi. I tried back in March with absolutely disastrous and disappointing results of zero germination. I planted the seeds in seed trays with soil used from my garden but nothing happened. What did I do wrong? Was it the timing or the soil? Or are we destined to buy cherry tomatoes at unholy prices? Please guide me as I am fast losing hope of ever having the experience of casually plucking a cherry tomato from my garden.

A. March to September are the best months for sowing tomato seeds in Karachi although, with care, they can be grown all year round. Try again but use good quality, organic seed-sowing compost rather than garden soil to get them off to a good start. In addition, read this column dated September 16, 2018 (simple to find on the internet) for tomato-growing details.

Q. I am interested in growing an olive tree in my garden near district Jhelum. Is this possible and how should I proceed? If it isn’t possible in this location, can it be done in Shaheed Benazirabad in Sindh?

A. The first location is fine but I am not certain about Shaheed Benazirabad. I suggest that you contact your local department of agriculture for information on exactly which olive variety is best suited for your garden and where to obtain the saplings or seeds.

Q. My mother is an avid follower of your articles on gardening. She wanted me to ask if you could kindly let us know where she can find Queen Anne’s lace seed in Pakistan. I am based in Islamabad and checked with all the major seed sellers in Pakistan.

A. Botanically called Daucus carota, Queen Anne’s lace is commonly known as ‘Ammi’ here. This ‘wild carrot’ is also known as ladies lace, bishop’s flower and birds nest flower. Packets of its seed are easily available from seed stores in Islamabad and I am amazed that you have faced difficulty in finding some. Better luck next time.

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

Published in Dawn, EOS, January 5th, 2020