Q: I planted a fig tree last year in my garden in Defence, Karachi. It has started to fruit but it turns yellow and is not good from inside. The tree itself is growing well and making new leaves. Can you tell me the reason for small size fruit that is turning yellow? Could it be because it is its first year?

A: I suspect that growing conditions are incorrect with either over-watering or bad drainage being the culprit. Figs much prefer to have relatively dry growing conditions and if their roots are wet for a period of time then all sorts of strange things can happen: Yellowed leaves which drop out of season and spoilt fruit as you have described, but this is unlikely to be the cause of small fruit. Small fruit is possibly due to the variety of fig you are growing but, having said that, it is also possible that the tree needs feeding.

If you omitted to place a handful of rusty iron, not stainless steel, nails in the base of the planting hole along with a clean beef knuckle bone, then the tree may be short of essential elements, minerals and nutrients. To overcome this: Put half a kilo of iron nails, any size, in a bucket, add one dozen crushed, dry baked, egg shells, a shovel full of old, well rotted, organic manure and fill it up with water. Stir morning and evening — it will stink — for 10 days. Remove the nails and then, at three-day intervals, spread some of the resultant gunk on the ground around, but not touching, the tree trunk. A regular bucket will provide approximately six applications and the result, all going well, should be evident in the next growing/fruiting season.

Q: I recently bought a honeysuckle fragrance for my room and really liked it. I now want to grow honeysuckle myself. Please tell me the Urdu name so that I can get it from a nursery in Islamabad where I live — if it grows here, that is. I also need to know how to look after it.

A: The Urdu name of honeysuckle is ‘Phut’ and the botanical name is Lonicera and yes, it can be grown in Islamabad. This climber requires partial sun and rich, well drained soil. It is fairly trouble free and, once established, grows quite fast.

Q: There are two famous creepers which belong to the common nasturtium family: Tropaeolum peregrinum or ‘Canary creeper’ and Tropaeolum speciosum or ‘Flame creeper’. Can they be grown in Lahore as perennials or are they just annuals?

A: These glorious members of the Tropaeolum family are unlikely to survive the relatively cold winter weather in Lahore unless you are able to provide their roots with adequate protection. Such protection could, depending on how low the night temperatures fall, be concocted with use of a heavy mulch covered with thick plastic. Otherwise, it would be best to treat them as annuals.

Q: Thank you for providing information about pineapple cultivation. The fruit is now light green and 15 inches long and I am wondering if it is ready to pick.

A: It doesn’t sound like it! A ripe pineapple has a deep golden or reddish tinge, sometimes both and is highly aromatic so please be patient for a while longer.

Q: For the last one year I have been trying to grow chillies in Karachi. The plants reach a height of five to 15 cm but then the leaves curl. There are no flowers, buds or fruits. I have tried both local and imported seeds but the result is the same. I have also tried bell peppers, small peppers, round peppers and thin long ones but the same thing happens. Please suggest what I can do.

A: The problem is probably a combination of poor, infected soil and lack of direct sunlight. All members of the capsicum family, be these hot or sweet, require rich soil/compost, good drainage and as much sunshine as they can get. Please discard any old soil used in the plant pots and disinfect the plant pots while you are at it. Start afresh with new soil/compost mix, ensure that drainage is adequate and place the pots in full sun. Water regularly, evening watering is the best and your plants should flourish. The leaf curl is usually due to the presence of aphids of some kind and these can be controlled with either garlic water or hellfire spray — recipes for both of these have been provided in previous columns.

Q: Which fruit can I grow in Nawabshah?

A: You are in the perfect location to cultivate mangoes, dates, guava, bananas, chicoo, falsa, jammun, pineapples and, in the cooler months, strawberries too.

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.