GARDENING 'WHY IS MY MONSTErA TURNING YELLOW '.

Q. I need your advice for my monstera plant. The leaves are getting a little pale yellow in colour and the centre vein has tiny yellow dots. This has happened to all of the leaves. This plant was picture perfect but now, since the weather has changed, it's not looking healthy at all. I live in Islamabad and have also covered it with a net on top. Can you please tell me how to make the plant healthy again? Thank you.

A. Other than the transplantation and growing age of the plant, there are a few reasons which may turn the monstera plant leaves yellow. From what I am able to gather from your photographs, the probable reasons can be nutrient deficiency or insufficient sunlight, along with watering the plant less or more than required. Sometimes during the winters, the water also takes longer to dry up, which results in water retention. If the soil is overly damp and retaining too much water, you may need to add in organic matter. My suggestion would be that you need to evaluate the likely reason behind the condition of the plant by closely monitoring it for some time and then rectifying the problem. However, if these yellow spots are turning black then I would suggest shifting the plant to a new, bigger container or space, since then the likely reason for these spots would be root rot.

Q. I have recently retired and want to spend some time gardening and I especially want to develop a kitchen garden. I live in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in Karachi and am getting help growing kitchen plants on my rooftop. I have ample space for that. Can you suggest some plants which I can start with?

All your gardening queries answered here

A. It is so nice to read that many more are adopting gardening as a hobby, which is beneficial for the environment as a whole. For beginners adopting rooftop gardening, I always suggest spending a couple of years to understand your rooftop. In this time, grow seasonal herbs and vegetables in both the summer and winter. Learn how different plants and vines are behaving at certain locations on the same rooftop. Different dimensions of the house, the length of walls with shades, sunlight exposure from different directions at various times or lack of it...