Q. I sowed a few seeds of Java plum and one of the plants is now 18 inches high. I want to grow this outside my house, adjacent to the door that opens onto the side street. What is the right weather to doi this in?

A. Java plum tree, locally known as jamun, is an evergreen fruit tree usually grown in tropical regions. It is one of the most common trees found in the Subcontinent. Scientifically known as Syzygium cumini, the Java plum fruits are a favourite fruit snack. The Java plum trees are usually tall — anywhere between 80 to 100 feet. The tree struggles to grow in winter and it experiences difficulty during the frost season. Since I don’t know what city you’re in, I can only suggest transplanting it just after the monsoon season. Make sure that , during transplanting, you take utmost care of the roots, as you want to keep these intact.

Be warned that by planting a Java plum tree just adjacent or outside the house door may result in a lot of accumulation of dried leaves from the tree overhead, with the risk of fruit dropping from overbearing. The cleanliness of the area beneath is extensively compromised.

Q. I bought bitter gourd from a vegetable seller recently and extracted its seeds. Can I grow it at home?

A. These bitter gourd seeds, as visible in the shared photograph, are whitish in colour. These may not be able to germinate properly. If they were brown in colour, then there would be more chances of it being viable to plant. Next time, look for fruit in your seller’s cart which is ripe, maybe even over ripe. Such ripened bitter gourd would likely turn yellow in colour and its seeds would be viable and likely to be brown in colour.

Your gardening queries answered

Q. I live in Karachi. I have an indoor money plant (a kind that has cuts in the leaves) that is sticking to the window sill in my living room. It was growing healthy but lately, it turns brown a few days after any new leaf grows. I have not made any changes to the routine in its maintenance process. I have checked its soil, added some fresh soil and taken out part of the old soil from the pot; I can’t take it outside. Please advise.

A. Usually, the leaves of most kind of pothos (locally known as money plants) turn brown when they are being over-watered. To check for over-watering, simply insert your finger into the soil. If the soil is not dry, then do not water. Generally, indoor and ornamental plants and vines do not require as much water as outdoor plants which receive direct sunlight.

Other than watering, there are multiple reasons for leaves turning yellow or brown: from an irregular watering pattern, dry spell between watering and water logging of the soil to root rot and less exposure to sunlight.

Q. I read your article about marigold flowers (November 6, 2022) and bought a few plants for myself from the neighbourhood nursery. They were blooming perfectly for the first few days, but recently I noticed that a few of the buds dry up before blooming. Why is this happening? I am watering the plants daily and the pots are getting daily sunlight for half an hour.

A. Even though the marigold is a winter season plant, it thrives when it gets a full day of sunlight exposure. I would suggest shifting the pots to a place where there is sunlight from dawn till evening, or at least till the afternoon.

Q. The market is full of delicious custard apples these days. My father is fond of this sweet fruit and I want to grow its trees, not only for him but for my children as well. I have a big uncovered piece of land where I can do that. Should I sow the seeds right away or wait for a specific season?

A. This is a wonderful gesture. Gardening brings families together; it helps you get quality time with each other and provides you with harvests. You just need to pull in the reins for a few more weeks and prepare to sow the seeds during February and March. This is definitely the best time to grow custard apple plants. Best of luck and happy gardening!

Please send your queries and emails to doctree101@hotmail.com. The writer is a physician and a host for the YouTube channel ‘DocTree Gardening’ promoting organic kitchen gardening

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 11th, 2022