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Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

Daily Times

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GARDENING: THE FRUITING TOMATO

With the initiation of the fruiting phase, certain basic plant requirements also change…

sunday 3

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: FLOWERS OF THE NIGHTSHADE

GARDENING: FLOWERS OF THE NIGHTSHADE

Tomato plants are self-pollinating, but in the absence of natural pollinators or a helping hand, its flowers may go to waste…

02.03.2025 9

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: ‘WHY IS MY ALOE VERA DYING?’

All your gardening queries answered here…

23.02.2025 9

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: MY NAME IS RED

When shifting individual tomato saplings to their permanent location, the trick is to sow them as deep down into the pot or the

16.02.2025 10

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: THE TOMATO SHIFT

The tomato plant needs careful nurturing after it germinates, from separating tangled seedlings to fending off transplant shock…

09.02.2025 30

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: RED RIGMAROLE

Tomatoes have a long and intriguing history — from their debated classification to their role in cuisine worldwide…

02.02.2025 10

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: ‘HOW CAN I SAVE MY CHAMPA?’

All your gardening queries answered here…

26.01.2025 30

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: THE CHARM OF The HOLLYHOCKS

From salads to skincare, the hollyhock plant has a lot to offer other than beauty

19.01.2025 20

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: THE HOLLYHOCKS’ GUIDE TO THE GALAXY

The tall and elegant flowering plant requires six hours of sunlight daily between dawn and the afternoon

12.01.2025 10

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: BIENNIAL BLOOMS

The tall and upright hollyhock flowers, with their variety of colours, can jazz up the walls in gardens and yards, especially when grown in rows....

05.01.2025 10

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: ‘WHY IS MY MONEY PLANT WILTING?’

Q. We have several money plants (Pachira aquatica) in pots, located in the car porch area of our house in Lahore. These plants are not directly...

29.12.2024 5

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: PULLING OUT THE BEET

The previous columns covered the growing process of the beetroot plant, from planting seeds to germination and all the way to the maturity stage....

22.12.2024 6

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: BEAUTY AND THE BEET

Traditionally, the red colour of the beetroot results in a few raised eyebrows. It is known to many as ‘blood turnip’ due to its resemblance to the...

15.12.2024 3

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: ROOTING FOR THE BEET

Beetroot juice, either on its own or in combination with carrots and apples, is an extremely common and popular health tonic concoction available...

08.12.2024 3

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: BEET GENERATION

While I was at university, one of my more fashionable classmates surprised our batch with the secret of her new funky hair colour, which she had...

01.12.2024 4

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: ‘HOW DO I PROTECT MY SPINACH FROM BIRDS?’

Q. I came across one of your articles, titled ‘The Flower of Relief’, which was published in February this year. I want to know if I can get seeds...

24.11.2024 4

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: FISHY BUSINESS

Raw fish scraps — including the head, fins, gills, scales and any other fish part that one may not consume — can be a very enriching and boosting...

17.11.2024 10

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: DANGEROUS SEEDS

The other day I heard a mother trying to convince her child to taste a handful of roasted sunflower seeds from a kiosk selling snacks. The child...

10.11.2024 3

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: ANNIE GET YOUR SPRAY GUN

This weekly column, while promoting kitchen gardening, focuses on providing doable, easy and inexpensive alternatives to the readers’ gardening...

03.11.2024 3

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: ‘WHY ARE MY KADDUS DYING?’

Q. I am writing from Islamabad. I am attaching some photographs of my kaddu [bottle gourd] plants. I had the same problems last year and I...

27.10.2024 2

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: ALL ABOUT THE CABBAGE HEAD

The two preceding columns discussed the various aspects of growing a cabbage plant, covering the seed-sowing process, germination and transfer of...

20.10.2024 2

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: MON PETIT CHOU

The French phrase ‘mon petit chou’ literally means ‘my little cabbage.’ It is a term of endearment, which could be used for a child or even a...

13.10.2024 2

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: HOMAGE TO CABBAGE

The use of cabbage in cuisine has been documented since antiquity, and it is hard to believe this humble green vegetable has been grown by humans...

06.10.2024 2

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: ‘WHY IS MY JAMUN TREE NOT BEARING FRUIT?’

Q. My jamun tree’s growth is very slow and it is not fruiting, although it is almost 10 years old. Please advise what should be done. A. Black plum...

29.09.2024 2

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: THE COLOUR OF ROYALTY

For individuals of the artistic bent, one of the most sought-after requirements of decorating one’s place is to be different and unorthodox, yet...

22.09.2024 2

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: TOOLS OF THE GARDEN VARIETY

In the pursuit of any passion, professional or otherwise, we are invariably helped along by a supporting cast, who ensure the smooth completion of...

15.09.2024 3

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: THE BLOOMING EVERGREEN

In my recent columns, I described the process of growing and transplanting the hybrid vinca, a colourful flowering plant, more commonly known as...

08.09.2024 2

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: REPOTTING THE SADABAHAR

The vinca plant is easy to grow while being beautiful with its colourful array of flowers. In my column two weeks ago, I explained how the seeds of...

01.09.2024 4

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: ‘WHAT VEGGIES CAN I GROW ON MY ROOF?’

Q. I want to grow vegetable plants on the rooftop of my house in Islamabad. Please suggest what kind of vegetable plants I should opt for in this...

25.08.2024 3

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: SADABAHAR’S ETERNAL CHARM

When I returned to Pakistan as a child, one of the most common flowers that I encountered in Karachi was the sadabahar [periwinkle]. This beautiful...

18.08.2024 2

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: ‘WHY HAS MY KANGI PALM STOPPED GROWING?’

Q. I am attaching a few photographs of my kangi palm plants. Over the last 12 to 15 months, they haven’t been growing. I have been growing these...

28.07.2024 2

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid

GARDENING: FAIREST OF THEM ALL

The two primary reasons for growing and tending to plants at home is to beautify one’s surroundings and to ensure a regular supply of organic and...

21.07.2024 2

Dawn (Magazines)

Dr Khwaja Ali Shahid