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WHY HAS MY CUBAN OREGANO STOPPED GROWING?`

By Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid 2025-05-25
Q. I live in Lahore and maintain a small kitchen garden on the balcony of my house. I grow a number of daily-use aromatic herbs. The last few years, my Cuban oregano plant was thriving. But over the last few months, I feel like the plant has stopped growing. Gradually, the leaves have disappeared and sometimes, it seems, that it is even decreasing in size! Being a hardy plant, I water it daily, but in a reduced quantity. The sunlight exposure is up to the mark as well.

What can be done to save my plant? A. The size of the pot in the photograph is questionable! It is highly likely that the plant is suffering from root bound. If you lift up the pot and check the drainage hole beneath, it is highly likely that you may see roots coming out of there. In any case, I believe you may need to shift the plant to a bigger pot. You may even need to carefully prune the roots before transplantation.

Once the roots get their breathing space, the plant is likely to thrive again. Keep us posted! Q. I recently came across an article on hanging pots, titled `The Vertical Garden`. I was in Peshawar that day and came across a number of hangings with money plants growing in them (photographs attached).

These hangings were placed within the dimly lit, indoor restaurant of a hotel. You mentioned that the plants in hanging pots require direct or indirect sunlight exposure. I wonder how these plants were surviving then.

A. Whether in hangings or not, plants mostly require direct or indirect sunlight exposure, otherwise they will die. However, different varieties of pothos or the money plant can survive indoors. The photographs you shared are all seemingly within the premises of an indoor restaurant. One must remember that there is a marked difference between approaches of growers, depending on whether the plantation is due to a love for gardening or for a commercial purpose. The plants being grown or displayed in a hotel are usually done for commercial reasons, such as providing the guests with a sense of peace and tranquility. Mostly, hotels place such hangings, adorned with beautiful vines or small plants, at different locations. However as these hangings start to show signs of wilting within a few days, they are replaced with freshly cut new ones instantly. This is done to ensure the plants don`t impact the overall look of the restaurant or hotel. On the other hand, a gardener will never let any of their plants die and then discard them in such a manner. They will leave no stone unturned to make it grow and thrive, which is evident by the queries that we continue to receive.

There can be one more thing.

Although almost impossible, there is a small chance that the person responsible for these plants might be providing them with an hour or two of sunlight exposure. I have seen a few organisations doing it collecting and pooling all the plants that are otherwise in shade in a dedicated space, and providing them with three hours of direct sunlight exposure daily.

Q. Summer vacations are round the corner and I want to grow a number of flowers with my children. Can you please recommend a few short-term, seasonal varieties of flowers? I live in Karachi.

A. There is a wide range of colourful flowers that can be grown in summers, especially in Karachi. These plants include, but are not limited to, different patterns and varieties of zinnia, cosmos, vinca, gaillardia and sunflowers, to name a few. You can get their seeds from any nearby seed store or get their small potted plants from a plant nursery.

It is always beneficial to engage children in such a healthy activity. God knows, they may even grow a green thumb as well. Happy Gardening! Q. For many years, we have placed used tea leaves from our household in a few plants and trees. They are growing well. One of my friends recently remarked that it should only be done in a measured quantity or it can be detrimental to the plant`s growth. Please let me know what you think.

A. Firstly, if your plants are thriving for years, then you might be putting in the right quantity! Hence, you have nothing to worry about. For any kitchen gardener, there are hardly any right or wrong quantities. Be it eggshells, used tea leaves, fish scraps, vegetable peels or fruit rinds, the availability of such daily use organic kitchen items is already limited in any household. Just ensure that the used tea leaves are devoid of any milk or sugar leftovers.

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