Q. Our mango tree that was planted about 10 years ago has for the first time borne fruit this year. However, the small mangoes are either falling off or rotting while still on the tree. Kindly suggest a remedy.

A. There are many reasons for a mango tree to shed immature fruits. Lack of water, shortage of soil nutrients, and the presence of pests and diseases are the most common ones. Please check for each of these and then ask for advice once you have identified a possible culprit.

Q. I have an East-open garden in Karachi which does not receive much sunlight, maybe even less than two hours. Is there any fruit tree I can plant that does not grow very huge? If there is, in which season should I plant it?

A. Fruit trees need six to eight hours of direct sunlight in order to thrive. I suggest that you forget fruit trees and opt for growing a range of shade-tolerant vegetables and herbs instead.

Q. I am planning ahead for my winter/spring garden and would like to know which flowering bulbs and corms perform well in the Karachi climate.

All your gardening queries answered here

A. There are lots to choose from, including the following: Nargis, lilies, Dutch iris, dwarf iris, ranunculus, anemones, grape hyacinths, crocus, tulips, daffodils, tuberoses, freesias, gladioli and spider lilies.

Q. If I take a persimmon tree from Punjab, will it grow in Karachi?

A. As long as the soil is rich in organic matter and the tree is watered regularly it should be fine. Persimmon saplings usually appear in Punjab nurseries during late winter and are easy to find.

Q. Can persimmons be grown in Punjab or do they only grow in the north of the country?

A. This delicious fruit does well in Punjab as long as it is heavily irrigated in dry weather.

Q. I have cultivated Thai green chilli plants in my garden, but the leaves are curling. I cannot see any sign of pests or disease but still tried spraying, every alternate day, with an organic pesticide made from neem leaves, water and neem oil. There is, however, no sign of improvement. Please advise.

A. Aphids, thrips and whiteflies are the usual culprits for chilli leaf-curl. Spray, ensuring to spray beneath the leaves, not just on top of them, with a mix of one litre warm water mixed with one tablespoon liquid soap, every evening, until all signs of leaf-curl vanish.

Q. My rose plants are attacked by aphids and whiteflies. They congregate on buds and the undersides of leaves. Kindly suggest some locally/online available sprays (pesticides) or any other treatment to get rid of them.

A. There is absolutely no need to resort to using toxic chemical controls. Simply mix up one litre warm water with one tablespoon of liquid soap and spray this mixture, each evening, until pests are eradicated.

Q. I had planted many zucchini plants and most are still standing but, while they flower, they do not bear fruit. Is there any particular reason why this is happening? And is there any way we can help it?

A. Some years it seems that zucchini plants produce nothing but male flowers — male flowers have longer stems than female ones and do not set fruit. This appears to be the problem in your case. There is no solution other than to try again next year and hope that female flowers predominate then.

Q. What is the Urdu name for comfrey and where can I find it in Karachi?

A. As is the case with many other introduced plant species, there isn’t an Urdu name for comfrey. Also, these plants are not generally available in the market but it is relatively easy to grow it from seed. Unfortunately, the seed is also not easy to find locally and may have to be imported. An internet search should help with this.

Q. I live in Lahore and want to grow a green chilli plant. Should I take the seeds out of fresh chillies and plant them or should I dry them first?

A. Green chillies are unripe chillies and the seed is not suitable for planting. All chillies start out green and turn orange, purple or yellow as they ripen. Seed gathered from unripe chillies is also unripe and is unlikely to germinate. Either buy dry red chilies from the shop and sow the seeds of these or spend some money and buy red chilli seeds from your local seed store.

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, June 7th, 2020