Q. I read your gardening related articles every week with great interest. I have a problem with my one-year-old peach tree. I am sending you a photograph as an attachment. It seems that the tree is facing some kind of a fungus attack. Please suggest a solution for it.

A. Thank you for your kind words. I never like breaking bad news — be it to a patient or their attendants or even to a gardening enthusiast, who may come to me hoping for a quick solution to their queries. I have gone through the attached photograph, which is a bit blurred at some places. Even then, the photograph revealed enough for me to deduce the issues, which your poor peach tree might be facing at the moment. Although, it is certainly a known fungus attack that might be the culprit, there are a few pests and insects which might be there on your tree as well.

It seems like your tree has been attacked by a peach leaf curl, which is a fungal infection occurring in hot and humid environments. This infection is caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans. There is this characteristic curling, wrinkling and thickening of leaves on the peach tree, which sadly matches with your photograph. The affected stems, leaves and even the fruit become more susceptible and vulnerable to changing cold weather.

The bad news is that it is considered to be almost impossible for a peach tree to bounce back after being hit by a peach leaf curl. Peach leaf curl can, however, be stopped early on — prevention is the biggest tool in this regard rather than the cure. Many believe that commercially available copper-based fungicides and pesticide do wonders in deflecting off approaching peach leaf curl.

All your gardening queries answered here…

Apart from the peach leaf curl, there are ladybugs present on the leaves as well. Although they enjoy many other insects and mites, the ladybugs usually feast on aphids! So, there are likely to be aphids or some other critters present on the plant as well. Usually, we do not recommend removing ladybugs to help the continuity of nature’s cycle. If, however, the aphid infestation is also compromising the plant’s well-being, then you may spray it with any of the organic pesticides, such as neem [margosa] oil.

I have given you the two reasons of concern and their possible remedies, but they had to be tackled early on. Although it’s too late now to go for these options, you have nothing to lose. You may take a long shot, try these remedies and, maybe these might work for you.

Q. We have two potted plants of round purple brinjal (eggplant). The pots are large sized. We harvested dozens of brinjals from both these plants, which is contrary to our earlier experiences. I want to keep the seeds of these plants for the next season. Is this plant going to bolt or the seeds within the fruit can be kept aside? Please advise.

A. Usually, leafy vegetables and herbs bolt, but that is not the case with eggplants. To collect seeds, opt for the seeds in the flesh within its fruit. However, there is a catch. You cannot harvest seeds from the fruit directly. Instead, you may need to leave behind one or two round eggplants on the plant. With the passage of time, these would turn yellowish while still on the plant, as shown in the photograph. These can, then, be harvested and the seeds within maybe extracted. The seeds should be kept in dry conditions till the next season.

Q. My tomato plant is not producing any flowers or fruits. I grew it a few weeks back. It is strong and healthy with lots of leaves. It is as green and bushy as any other tomato plant. How can I make it flower and fruit? I am from Karachi.

A. I am assuming that you are growing a tomato plant which belongs to the determinate variety. Mostly, Karachiites growing tomatoes at home opt for the determinate tomato variety. However, it is currently not the right time to grow the determinate tomato variety. With the rise in mercury, there is an increased tendency of the buds to not form well and even the flowers getting scorched. Also, the fruiting tends to slow down, while the fruit is malformed and reduced in quantity with the increase in temperature. Therefore, the best time to grow it in Karachi would be after mid-October, or once the temperature starts to go down.

Q. I have got the seeds of Hybrid Vinca flowers in a bag with no instructions from my cousin in Punjab. Can you kindly tell me if it’s sowing time here in Karachi?

A. Yes, it is the perfect time right now to sow the seeds for this summer flower in Karachi.

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, May 26th, 2024