Down To Earth

There is a special class of gardeners who are fond of decorating indoors with dry or fresh flowers and foliage.

There is a special class of gardeners who are fond of decorating indoors with dry or fresh flowers and foliage. They are always on the lookout for new material in trees,shrubs and even weeds. Have you ever heard of grasses such as briza,lagurus etc? These are grown in the winters by the floriculture department of the Punjab Agricultural University. The seeds are sown in winters and the heads are available in February-March.

I want to grow caladiums in my garden. Can I plant these now?

Savita,Chandigarh

Yes,you can,but you wont be able to enjoy it for long as caladium stops growing when temperatures start dropping and ultimately dry up in winter.

The leaves of my tulsi plants curled up and on close observation I saw small,black insects on them. What are these insects and how can I control them?

Nitu,Zirakpur

This is due to an aphid attack. Spray the plant with rogor,dissolved in one millilitre to a litre of water. Do not consume the leaves for about 10 days.

On my rooftop,some peepal plants have come up. I had removed some a few days back but they have revived. What should I do to control them?

Satwinder Singh,Mohali

Cut the plant near its base if it cannot be pulled out. Wrap a cloth dipped in diesel on the cut end and cover it with a polythene bag. It will dry up and not re-sprout.

Story continues below this ad

There are small brown spots on my grapevine leaves. What are these due to and how can they be controlled?

Manish,Panchkula

These are leaf spots caused by a fungal disease. These spots eventually become big and thereafter holes appear on the leaves. They may later lead to twigs dying. Spray bavistin,dissolved in one gram to a litre of water.

For gardening queries,Ask Dr Green at satishnarula@pau.edu

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram