Q: I want to grow lychee and grapes in my ground floor gallery in Karachi. It is 120 sq ft and receives plenty of sunshine. Is this possible and, if so, when should I plant them and what care do they need?

A: Grapes should do well in your gallery but not lychees: Lychees grow on a large tree which cannot be accommodated in your gallery and, I understand, the species is not climatically suitable for Karachi. Grape vines are usually available from the end of December through to the end of February and can be cultivated either directly in the ground or in large clay pots. They require well drained soil with lots of organic material worked in. A mix of 40 per cent sweet earth, 20 per cent old, well rotted, organic manure and 40 per cent organic compost is ideal.

When planting the vines place a handful of iron, not stainless steel, nails in the bottom of the planting hole along with a handful of organic bone meal or a chunk of clean beef bone (boil this to remove all traces of fat and gristle) as these will feed the vine for a very long time to come. Grapes need lots of sunshine and regular watering. It is important that you do not allow the vine/s to bear fruit until they are at least four years old, any flowers which form should be sniped off until then. Allowing grape vines to fruit too early results in poor quality, small, sour grapes forever so please be patient about this.

Q: I am new to gardening and don’t know anything much about the subject. I have one plumeria but it is not flowering and a raat-ki-raani which has formed flower buds but they do not open. I also planted coriander without success. Please tell me what is wrong. A: Plumeria, often called Frangipani, takes time to reach flowering stage so please be patient: The plants require regular watering and prefer partial shade to full sun. I am not sure what is happening with your raat-ki-raani. Do the flower buds drop off before opening? If so, then you could be over or under watering it. Small amounts of water on a regular basis is better than drowning the plant once in a while. Try coriander again as perhaps the seed was not good. Sow, thinly, just under the surface of good quality soil, keep watered but not in excess, place in a sunny spot and hopefully you will have results next time.

Q: I would like to know how to speed up the growth of plants and how to keep them in good health. A: As long as soil conditions are good, there is regular addition of organic material/compost, and overcrowding is not allowed to occur, most plants will thrive. Plants grow at the rate which nature intended and trying to ‘speed’ this up is asking for trouble!

Q: Please do not laugh at my question: Can I grow plants by sowing leaves and flowers instead of seed?

A: There is nothing to laugh about! Some plants, rubber plants and a few species of begonia for example, can be multiplied by cutting small slits in their leaves and pegging these into the earth but the vast majority of plants is either multiplied by taking cuttings or must be grown from seed. Planting flowers themselves does not work.

Q: Please tell me how to get rid of white ant. I have tried all solutions available in the market but nothing has worked.

A: Persistence is the answer to this. Dig up and remove infested soil, ensuring to take out all ant nests — white ant nests are ball shaped and can be quite large — in the process. Lay new soil and keep your fingers crossed. This process may need to be repeated at intervals.

Q: I grow coconut trees in Karachi and have observed that malis normally cut back the green leaves and that this decreases the growth of the trunk and of the fruit. Plants whose leaves are not cut are healthy and give good fruit. I would like your opinion as to whether or not to let the mali cut the leaves.

A:You have answered your own question here. Do not cut the leaves as this is detrimental to plant health, growth and fruit formation.

Q: I live in Karachi and have a small terrace attached to my room. I want to decorate this terrace with flowers. Can you please suggest some names and tell me how to care for these plants?

A: This being autumn, your local nurseries should have or soon have a wide range of winter season flowers available in pots. You can ask for pansies, nasturtiums, dianthus, phlox, sweet sultan, verbena, antirrhinum, asters, alyssum, clarkia, godetia, linaria, lobelia, stocks and select others when you see them. These are all easy to care for and a light watering in the evening should suffice.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. Answers to selected questions will appear in a future issue of the magazine. This takes time. The writer will not respond directly by e-mail. E-mails with attachments will not be opened. Please note: The writer’s garden is not open to the public.