Use division method to propagate snake plant instead of leaf cuttings

I bought a snake plant a few years ago, which had leaves with beautiful patterns. However, after repotting, the new leaves appear totally different. I took a leaf from the original plant to propagate, but the new plant again looks different from the original. How can I grow a new plant which looks like the original one?

Beh Siaw Fung

This is a common occurrence when one propagates a snake plant via leaf cuttings, where the resulting plants that grow will look different from the mother plant. This is especially so for variegated cultivars.

A more reliable method to ensure you get new plants that retain the characteristics of the mother plant is to use the division method, where you split a clump of plants into several smaller sections.

Lemon plants need well-draining soil and sunny location

This is my first attempt at growing lemons. After germinating for a week, the seedlings were transplanted to pots. These are about two weeks old. The soil type used is bio-organic compost. I keep them indoor by my kitchen window, which gets a few hours of direct sun in the afternoon. How big or tall should the seedlings be before I transfer them to bigger pots? Should I use the same soil type or other types? I understand it is hard for them to fruit; this is just a fun project for a newbie gardener. The lemons are from South Africa and I bought them from FairPrice.

Jessica Low

It is a fun project to grow seeds taken from supermarket-bought fruits. Note that such plants may not retain the original characteristics of the original cultivar. It will take a long time and the plants will grow quite big before they even produce flowers and fruits. Commercially grown plants are often grafted specimens that will yield fruits at a smaller size.

The seedlings can be moved any time as long as they are large enough to handle. Smaller seedlings may easily be moved without much damage and transplant shock as their root systems are not so extensive.

Plants should eventually be grown in well-draining media and in pots so the root zone is aerated in the wet and humid environment here. The original soil mix can still be used if you incorporate more gritty materials like burnt earth, fine expanded clay pellets or pumice into it. They demand a sunny location to thrive and should be exposed to at least six hours of direct sunlight daily.

Papaya infected by fungal disease

Both new and old leaves on my papaya plant have spots. There are no visible signs of bugs. What is the likely cause?

Kong Wah Beng

Your papaya plant is probably infected by a fungal disease which manifests and gets severe during rainy and wet periods.

Practise garden sanitation, where you remove all infected leaves and discard them. Do not compost the infected plant material.

To prevent and reduce future infections, you can spray your plants with lime sulphur, which is an organic fungicide, ensuring all plant surfaces are covered. Apply this fungicide during the cooler part of the day and in a ventilated location.