Q. How deep should I plant avocado seeds? Each seed has two parts, should I separate these? How often do they need watering? Out of the 24 that I planted, only two came up and in the summer they lost their leaves.

A. Avocado seeds (the large centrally contained brown ‘stone’) are planted with the top one-third exposed. The soil should be kept moist at all times to encourage germination. If the soil dries out at any time then seeds may fail to germinate. Perhaps incorrect watering was the reason for the poor germination rate mentioned and for the saplings’ loss of leaves. Avocados do not tolerate saline soils or saline/brackish water. Avocado trees grown from seed often do not bear any fruit or, if they do, the fruit is very small. If a fruiting tree is what you are aiming for, it is better to purchase a grafted one from a nursery.

Q. Do roses grow and flower all year round or specifically in winter only? The roses I am talking about are not premium rose buds but commercially grown ones used mostly for rose petals. Are there places/farms in Sindh that grow and sell these roses?

All your gardening queries answered

A. Desi gulab – ‘Rosa centrifolia’ are grown all year round in Sindh and Punjab but generally produce less flowers over the summer months. Those you see in the market are grown on a commercial basis by a number of small to medium-sized farms in the aforementioned areas and transported, on a daily basis, to central marketing points in all major cities. One acre of land can be planted with 5,000 rose bushes and these are capable of producing approximately 5,000 kg of flowers over a year. Depending on how many such bushes you have space for in your Karachi garden, it is possible to produce a surprising amount of rose petals for use in various ways. Bare-rooted bushes are generally available in local nurseries from December through until the end of February.

Q. Can you suggest some low maintenance indoor plants, preferably plants that flower and/or are not very bushy?

A. Many varieties of flowering cacti may be suitable for your needs, providing that there are no small children in the house. Otherwise, as long as there is sufficient natural light, African violets, Cyclamen, Begonias, spider plants – Chlorophytum, Caladium, Calocasia, Coleu’, dwarf Dracaena, Tradescantia and Zebrin’ are all possibilities, although some are purely seasonal.

Q. From the start of this year, my cousin and I have been hearing about the disadvantage of conocarpus trees so we decided to replace some that are near our home with neem and Flame of the Forest/Gul mohr. We also sowed both neem and Gul mohr trees at our home. About 150 out of 200 neem seeds germinated and are doing well but the germination of Flame of the Forest was very poor. Where did we go wrong? We want to grow lots of these for plantation on August 14, 2019.

A. Poinciana regia – better known as Flame of the Forest or Gul Mohr, is fairly simple to grow from seed but it is essential that the seed is scarified first. Simply rub one side of the hard seed against a sheet of coarse sandpaper for a few seconds to thin out or even remove a tiny bit of its outer shell. Next, soak in water for 12 – 24 hours and then plant as usual. Without scarification, the germination rate is often less than five percent.

Q. Can citronella plants be grown in Karachi? Where to get them and what care do they need? Are they easy to propagate?

A. The plant commonly known as citronella is Pelargonium citrosum or lemon geranium, so called because of its lemon-scented leaves. The plant from which citronella oil is obtained is Cymbopogan – lemongrass. Both of these can be grown in Karachi, lemon geranium in well-draining compost, in pots placed in light shade, and lemongrass either in pots or directly in the ground. The latter enjoys sandy loam with good drainage and either full sun or very light shade. Lemon geranium plants may be difficult to find but lemongrass is often available in local nurseries.

Q. I planted 30 olive trees in Lahore about five years ago but there still isn’t any fruit production. What should I do?

A. Patience, please. Some varieties of olive do not begin to fruit until they are seven to nine years of age. Expert pruning may encourage fruiting and, at the very least, will assist the trees to fully develop their fruiting potential, while amateur pruning can delay fruiting and seriously damage an olive tree.

Please continue sending your gardening queries to zahrahnasir@hotmail.com. Remember to include your location. Answers to selected questions will appear in a future issue of the magazine. This takes time. The writer does not respond directly by e-mail. E-mails with attachments will not be opened.

Published in Dawn, EOS, September 23rd, 2018