Q. We reside in a small village outside Rawalpindi and have recently acquired a reasonably sized piece of land attached to the existing boundary of our home. My husband intends turning it into an orange orchard but our teenage son insists that this would be monoculture and bad news for the environment, as the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and weedicides, would be doing more harm than good. He insists on a mixed orchard with other things growing beneath the trees using only natural methods. I have not given an opinion because I know this would antagonise them further. If you offer advice, maybe they will listen and household peace can be restored. Please help resolve a family dispute.

A. I agree with your son. An orchard of mixed fruit trees provides you with fresh fruit over a long period, perhaps even all year. It is also excellent for the local environment and biodiversity as a whole, especially if organic principles are used and if vegetables, herbs and flowers are included in the project too. I am delighted that your son, and hopefully others of his age group, have a real understanding of exactly what greening up our beloved country involves. I sincerely hope that your husband can be convinced to peacefully follow suit.

Q. I recently shifted my dieffenbachia to my terrace in Bahria Town, Karachi, but it seems to be dying. I am watering it daily but it is still very sick.

A. Sadly, you are killing your dieffenbachia by watering it daily. These plants have extremely fragile roots which cannot stand being wet for any length of time. Ideally, only give water when the top two inches of soil in its pot is completely dry. Thriving in partial to full shade, these attractive plants are best watered just once a week from late spring until mid-autumn, and just once every two weeks during the cooler months of the year. I hope your plant survives.

All your gardening queries answered here

Q. Can mangosteen be grown in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Karachi? Also, I would like to inquire about the various lemons, limes and fig varieties to grow. Some lemons or lime used to grow in my grandmother’s house and the fruit used to be green, small and tart. Unfortunately, the people living there cut that beautiful plant and I was very young to have salvaged the seeds for my garden. Can you suggest such a variety?

A. I have no personal experience, but have heard of someone growing mangosteen in Karachi, and they are worth trying. Turkish brown figs, the fruits are quite large in size, are highly recommended for Karachi. Desi lemons are the best for your location but I am unaware of a specific variety of lime to suggest. It is a shame that you were too young to save seed from your grandmother’s limes and I hope you manage to track down something similar at least.

Q. I recently came across an online seed promotion for growing fava beans in Pakistan. What are these called in Urdu and will they really grow here? I have space to plant some in my garden in PECHS, Karachi, but don’t want to waste time if they are not suitable for our climate.

A. Fava beans, also known as broad beans are unlikely to succeed in Karachi. They can be grown, over the winter months, from Lahore northwards. But for some strange reason, they rarely produce well in Pakistan and certainly do not produce the bountiful crops they reliably give in Egypt and Turkey.

Q. My tomato plants in Lahore look fairly healthy but the tomatoes rot before they reach full size. They start going bad from the bottom upwards and some have also split open. I cannot see any sign of pests but sprayed with a chilli/garlic/liquid soap mix anyway but this did not solve the problem. What can I do to save them?

A. Your tomatoes have been stricken by something called ‘blossom end rot’. This occurs when soil is lacking in calcium and/or when the soil has been allowed to completely dry out in between watering. If you can find Epsom salts, add a teaspoon full to each five litres of water and apply this around their roots every other evening for 10 days and once a week after that until the plants have finished fruiting. In conjunction with this or on its own if you cannot find Epsom salts, ensure that enough water is given, preferably on a daily basis, so that the soil never dries out completely. Tomatoes are very thirsty plants!

Q. I found a bee resting inside a hollyhock flower this morning. I was very surprised. Is this normal?

A. Yes. Perfectly normal. Bees often sleep inside their favourite flowers, hooking a leg over the central stamen so that they don’t fall out. Such a wonderous sight to see.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. The writer does not respond directly by email. Emails with attachments will not be opened

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 26th, 2022