Q. I want to grow vegetable plants on the rooftop of my house in Islamabad. Please suggest what kind of vegetable plants I should opt for in this rainy season? I also have soil space in front of my house that is four feet long and half feet wide. I want to grow two flowering plants and creepers, such as night-blooming jasmine or motia (Arabian jasmine) creepers as well as grapes creepers, to utilise this space in a better way.

A. It is very heartening to come across people opting for gardening as a pastime, especially the ones focusing on kitchen gardening while growing their own food. However, before jumping to what to grow, I would like to share some basic tips and suggestions.

The most important thing for gardeners is to assess the direction and duration of sunlight. Plants generally require a stretch of four to six hours to thrive. You need to place your plant containers accordingly. In case of evening sunlight, the roof should be provided with a shade, such as green net, to avoid direct exposure. It is also important that the containers placed on the rooftop do not come into direct contact with the floor, as it may result in the seepage of continually draining water from the pots. For that, many place a log or wood sheet on the floor, with the plant containers and pots placed on that log. It is easier to drag and shift a grow bag, made of cloth and with handles, rather than a cemented or ceramic pot, which is filled with soil and plant. The wind on the rooftop is stronger than the ground, which means that plants would require adequate care, as the weaker plant or saplings may succumb to the winds.

Depending upon your preference and the time you may have to tend to your plants, you can opt for bushy plants, vines, herbs or bigger plants. For the time being, you can grow vegetables and herbs that grow during the summers. They include, but are not limited to, okra, sponge gourd, bottle gourd, cucumber, Armenian cucumber and even brinjal and peppers. Cabbage and cauliflowers can be grown initially, as it produces harvest earlier. Heat-tolerant varieties of both of these vegetables can easily bear the heat during the months of September and October.

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Similarly, the flowers that you mentioned can be easily grown to beautify the space. Tuberose and rain lilies, or any other flowers currently available locally, can also be purchased from the nearby nurseries. As far as the space available outside your house is concerned, you may plant fruit trees, such as banana or papaya and many others, depending upon the depth of the open space available for the fruit tree to grow.

Q. My father and I are stressed about the deteriorating condition of our Araucaria plant. It is turning yellow from the roots all the way up to the leaves. Kindly tell us how to save our plant.

A. I will list some common issues here, along with their remedies. If a plant is water-logged or exposed to too much sunlight, this scenario may occur. You may need to limit the sunlight exposure. Also, it is important to keep the soil moist rather than drenched with water. Closely monitor for any probable pest attack under the leaves and, if so, spray with an organic pesticide. Finally, plants can react in this manner due to transplantation. Find out which issue might be hurting your plant and deal with it as per the above-mentioned suggestions.

Q. I am very fond of my raat ki rani (night-blooming jasmine) plant, but somehow it has contracted a disease. While new leaves are sprouting and growing, they are also wilting. I live in Rawalpindi. The plant is growing outside in the garden. I contacted a plant shop and they gave me a medicine and a powder to spray the plant with after 10-day intervals, but it did not help. Kindly suggest a remedy.

A. Your query and its remedies are almost the same as those mentioned in my response to the query above. Look out for all the issues mentioned there, including the quantity of water, sunlight exposure and probable pest attack. Also, try not to water on the leaves. Instead, water the ground space around the plant directly.

Q. Can I decorate my home with a Snow White plant? I live in an apartment with no direct sunlight.

A. Yes, you can grow it, if there is access to bright light for the plant. However, if the place is devoid of light, then you may not be able to do so.

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, August 25th, 2024