Q: I like playing around with seeds and planted some grapefruit and lemon seeds. I have grown them to the five-leaf stage right now and am wondering if they would make good houseplants? Would it be silly to expect them to have fruit?

A: You certainly can grow grapefruit or lemon as a houseplant. There are a few concerns that you should be aware of.

First, size is a consideration. Some of these trees can grow to six metres under the right conditions. This is one of the main reasons that make it prohibitive to grow these plants indoors, especially if you're living in a condo.

It is better to grow the dwarf commercially bred varieties that will not require the pruning that the larger varieties do to keep them contained and manageable in a home.

These plants are propagated asexually. Some of these clones will be sterile, but some will produce fruit. So you are rolling the dice in terms of fruit production. You may get fruit, but you may not.

The second factor in this concern is time. It may take as long as four to 10 years before the tree starts to produce.

Even if you do get the tree to produce, the fruit may not be the same as the original. This may not be a bad thing; it will just be different.

Now that we have finished exposing the concerns, this does not mean you should not try growing the plants as houseplants. Citrus plants are very attractive with their glossy, deep green leaves. If they bloom, the fragrance is intoxicating.

They will need the brightest light you can offer them. They will need around 12 hours of light a day, so you may have to supplement the light through fluorescent growing lights. I used to put my orange outside in the spring and summer. The plant loved it.

Keep the soil evenly moist but not wet and keep the plant misted. Humidity is very important to citrus plants, so regular misting is critical. Sponge off the leaves regularly as well to remove dust. The plants really appreciate getting a shower occasionally as well.

Fertilize in spring, early summer and late summer with a balanced fertilizer but one that is acidic because citrus plants love a slightly acidic soil. Have fun!

Q: In September I moved a columnar aspen tree from my parents' house to my house. It seemed healthy there, but was in a bad spot and didn't get much sun.

About a week after planting, the leaves started turning black, which I initially attributed to stress as the plant did not have a lot of roots. It seems the leaves have all turned brown and are not falling off, and I'm concerned it may be bronze leaf disease.

Would the best course of action be to wait and see if it comes back in the spring, or should I remove it now to avoid infecting the other aspens in my yard on the chance that it is bronze leaf disease? I have bought eight other columnar aspens this year that are about 1.2 metres tall. Some of the leaves have developed dark spots, and others have turned completely brown but have fallen off.

A: The problem may be one of a few different poplar/aspen diseases. The first is bronze leaf disease. The columnar aspen is highly susceptible to this disease, which is caused by a fungus.

The disease begins on the leaves and can be seen as areas of yellowish-brown, orange-brown or reddish-brown discoloration on the leaf margins. It then spreads across the leaf taking on the characteristic bronze colour.

Eventually it spreads through the tree systemically.

In the spring, new leaves will be undersized and yellow in colour, and if the tree is heavily infested the branches will experience dieback. I listed this disease first because it is very prevalent in Swedish columnar aspens. All you can do is to remove the infected branches at the first sign of the problem.

If the tree is badly infected you will have to remove it. There are no registered chemicals to treat the problem. According to Manitoba Agriculture, the disease cycle of this fungus has only recently been studied. No strategies have yet been developed to control the problem.

Yes, it can spread to your other trees. It is recommended to remove any fallen leaves in an effort to reduce exposure of other trees to the disease.

The other possible diseases are Septoria, in which the leaves appear more spotted than you have described; and Venturia leaf blight, in which the leaves turn quite brown as opposed to the reddish-brown with green veins seen in bronze leaf disease.

Venturia is not as common in columnar aspens either.

Gerald Filipski is a member of the Garden Writers Association of

America. If you have any questions e-mail them to filipski@shaw.ca.