Q. There is a prevalence of cotton-like stuff on my plants. It resembles cobwebs, but a little more sticky and denser. Is this fungus? Can you suggest any spray, medicine or any other remedy for it?

A. Usually, mealybugs reside in such ‘cotton-like’ formations on the plant. These pests stick strongly to the plant and are difficult to eliminate with spray only. The trick is to remove as many of these pests as possible manually, either with a dry twig or with your fingers. Moving forward, the cheaper option would be to make a solution of one litre of water and put in a few drops of dishwashing liquid soap, along with a few drops of vinegar. Spray this mixture over the plant generously. For even better results, make a solution with one litre water, a spoonful of neem oil and a few drops of dishwashing liquid soap and immerse your plant in this spray.

While spraying, put special emphasis on covering all the branches, stems, leaves and undersides of the leaves. Continue to spray on every alternate day till the complete removal of pests. Once the plant is cleared of pests, continue to spray after every fortnight. This time round, the neem oil mixture should be without the dishwashing liquid soap drops.

All your gardening queries answered here

Q. Today, while wandering in my garden, I came across these very tiny flowers in the grass. One of the flowers is blue and literally the size of my fingertip, while the other one is yellow in colour. I found these flowers to be very vibrant and I think they bring out the glory of spring. I don’t know what these flowers are called and how to take care of them, but I am really determined to grow them this spring. I have currently placed them in a glass jar. Kindly help me out before my tiny plants die.

A. I always suggest mentioning the city from which you are emailing. In this case, it would be extremely beneficial to shortlist the flowers indigenous to your city. The photographs you have attached are captured from quite far away. These are also not clear enough to ascertain the flower variety. Seemingly, you have plucked out small weeds. The flowers seem really beautiful. I hope you keep the plant alive and healthy. If possible, email some better quality and higher resolution photographs from close range.

Q. I am from Karachi and regularly read your articles on gardening. Please tell me from where I can get good quality vegetable seeds? I want to grow them in my garden and flower pots.

A. You can get a wide variety of flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetable seeds from different seed stores and roadside nurseries across the city. You may also purchase these seeds from many online sellers, who are based in different parts of Pakistan. Currently, I extract and harvest my own seeds from the fruits to fulfil my own and my follower’s requirements. Initially though, I myself would usually prefer the old and traditional seed stores located at Empress Market in the Saddar area of Karachi. A number of seed stores, in a healthy competition, are selling gardening related equipment opposite the Old Sabzi Mandi as well.

Q. I was closely following your articles on the tomato plant. I have grown a number of tomato plants in raised beds at my home in Karachi. They have been planted in a queue, with the required distance in between. Now, the plants are bearing lots of green tomatoes. I don’t want all of them to turn red at once, as they will be more than a handful. Is there any way that the tomato ripening duration can be increased or tomato-ripening can occur in phases? It would help to sustain my kitchen’s tomato supply for a longer duration.

A. It is so thrilling to come across people such as you who are motivated to meet their kitchen supply needs through gardening. You can harvest some of these fully grown, green-coloured tomatoes beforehand. The trick is to ensure that the tomato has achieved its maximum size. The tomato will stop growing at that point and it will take a few more days and sunlight exposure for it to turn red. Harvest the green tomatoes at this point. Keep the harvested tomatoes wrapped in a newspaper or within a paper bag in a cool, dry place with shade. These tomatoes will turn red slowly as compared to those still on the plant and fulfil your kitchen’s requirements for a relatively longer duration.

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, March 30th, 2025