Pomegranate, grown at home, is an exotic crop in the form of an elegant dwarf tree, an ornamental shrub growing up to a meter in height with lush flowering and sufficient fruiting.
When the plant blooms, it is impossible to take your eyes off it, and its impressive bright red inflorescences are a guarantee of future fruits with a tart, sweet and sour taste.
The yield from such a miniature pomegranate is small, few fruits are produced on it, but all of them reach a diameter of at least 5 centimeters and, in addition to taste characteristics, they also have useful properties that are part of the so-called “apple”.
First, you need to select good planting material, namely a couple of dozen ripe burgundy or white pomegranate kernels. Pomegranate has a high germination rate, but it’s better to play it safe when deciding on such an experiment.
The pomegranate kernels should be hard, red and free from the membrane of the fruit itself.
Next, the nucleoli need to be washed under water and placed in a zircon solution, in a ratio of 2 drops per teaspoon of water. The nucleoli should not be completely covered with this solution, only half. The planting material should remain in this state for about 12 hours.
Then you need to prepare the soil for growing pomegranate. It is best to take a loose primer consisting of fertile, saturated soil and sand and peat in equal proportions.
Also, soil for growing pomegranate can be purchased in specialized stores - this will be soil created for flower plants.
Growing a pomegranate from a seed at home - how realistic is it?
Pomegranate is an unpretentious tree and does not require any special care from the person who wants to grow it. In connection with this, growing a pomegranate tree is, both for a florist and for a beginner, a completely acceptable and realistic activity.
The room where the pomegranate will be located should be bright and flooded sun rays. But here, too, it is important not to go too far - direct rays of the sun can harm the leaves of the tree, so if the temperature in the room is higher than normal and it is hot, it must be darkened with blinds or curtains.
In the summer, the pomegranate bush should be taken out into the garden and buried, and stored in a cool place in the winter.
The plant should also not be kept in the shade, otherwise it will completely stop growing and blooming.
In a pot or container with soil prepared as described above for growing pomegranate, you need to plant the kernels, deepening them by 1.5 - 2 centimeters. Then the planting material needs to be sprinkled with soil and covered with plastic film on top, which will create a kind of greenhouse effect and excellent temperature conditions of 25-30 degrees for the successful germination of nucleoli.
The first shoots will appear depending on the time of year, for example, if the kernels were planted at the beginning of the spring season, then the shoots will make themselves felt in just a couple of weeks. If the planting took place at a different time, then the appearance of sprouts can be expected within several months, or even six months.
When the first leaves appear, the plants can be planted in pots, which should be filled with the soil necessary for pomegranates. Weak and diseased sprouts are removed permanently.
When replanting, the plant must be pinched so that in the future it does not stretch too much. When the third pair of leaves appears, the next ones are pinched, which stimulates the plant to grow with two crowns. Then these two branches are also pinched when the third pair of leaves appears. Without picking, the pomegranate will grow into a thin twig, which will be of no use at all.
In the summer, seedlings are placed on a balcony or in a garden, where they remain until the first frost arrives. In the fall, strong, well-developed plants are planted in separate pots. With the arrival of winter, young plants are removed to a relatively cold place, where they are dormant and will remain until spring arrives.
In principle, caring for a pomegranate tree at home is easy and simple. When summer comes, pomegranates are taken out to Fresh air, so that the tree can breathe and feel at ease, but they select a place for this where direct sunlight does not fall.
Water the plant as the soil in which the pomegranate grows dries. Feeding and fertilizers are applied at least twice a month. By the beginning of autumn, watering and fertilizing the soil and plants are reduced. At the beginning of September, the tree is taken into the house.
IN winter period No pomegranate care is required. After the pomegranate sheds its leaves in September, the tree will begin to prepare for winter holidays and a state of rest until the arrival of spring.
In essence, the quality of flowering and the appearance of ovaries next year will depend on how the plant tolerates dormancy.
Before the pomegranate goes into hibernation, the earthball is dried and the remaining leaves are removed. In principle, the pomegranate can be dispensed with without wintering; the plant is simply removed in special room, where they create all the conditions for him to relax at home. The tree can easily survive this period if only the room temperature is maintained at least 15 degrees and, albeit artificial, there is acceptable lighting.
At the beginning of spring, the buds begin to bloom and the pomegranate is taken to a warm place and provided with abundant watering. Afterwards, the plant begins to become covered with bright green leaves, and buds appear at the tips of the shoots of annuals.
Bloom
For the first time, a pomegranate can bloom only in the tenth month, it is counted from the planting of nucleoli, and then only if the pomegranate has enough light. The number and size of pomegranate flowers will entirely depend on how the grower cared for the tree.
Important! If the plant does not grow and does not elongate, and the young branches immediately acquire reddish bark, the leaves on the tree appear wide and greenish-brown, this means one thing - the pomegranate does not have enough light.
When the first ovaries of flowers appear, it is necessary to leave no more than two buds on the tree, and the rest must be carefully removed from the plant.
At proper care For your pet, the pomegranate will bloom within a year, and at home he will be able to please his loving household with its beauty and luxurious flowers.
In the future, for good fruiting, you can do artificial pollination using an ordinary cotton swab. But it will be more expedient if the pomegranate is pollinated with the help of another tree. But in both cases, by the end of the autumn season it will be possible to remove the first fruits from your pet.
Trimming homemade pomegranate
Pomegranate requires periodic pruning. The crown must be trimmed so that the pomegranate looks like a tree or shrub. In spring, young branches are cut off, leaving 2-4 leaves. Pruning is done on the bud located outside.
If you carry out regular pruning and bending of young branches using wire, the pomegranate tree can be given any necessary shape and exotic beauty.
The soil
To grow a homemade pomegranate tree, you need to take loose, airtight soil. The composition of such soil must necessarily include large river sand, sawdust, compost, an ordinary layer of garden soil.
Although it is also suitable for growing burr universal primer, used for any indoor plants.
You also need to remember about drainage, consisting of pebbles and expanded clay, which the pomegranate tree needs so much.
Lighting
Pomegranate - light-loving plant, therefore it is recommended to place it at home on the south side, and not on the north.
At the same time, this decorative tree must be protected from direct sunlight. Therefore, during the hot season, it is recommended to shade the pomegranate.
It is also necessary to remember that pomegranate requires a hot climate. Any particularly sharp cold snap can lead to the death of the plant.
The required temperature for the desired growth and development of pomegranate is 20-25 degrees. If the temperature rises above this mark, in this case the plant must be taken to the balcony where there is plenty of light and fresh air.
Top dressing
The pomegranate tree is fed 2-3 times a month - it all depends on the growth of the plant, with a variety of fertilizers. Nitrogen components are added in the spring, phosphorus components during the flowering period, and potassium components in the fall.
It is more advisable to apply fertilizers after watering has been done, in gloomy and cloudy weather.
But if the fruits from the tree need to be consumed as food, it is better not to use a purchased all-purpose fertilizer, since the nitrates it contains will definitely get into the fruit and then into the human body.
The first thing that can kill a pomegranate is from improper and careless care for it at home, namely:
Low temperatures can cause a pomegranate tree to simply freeze.
From an excess of moisture, both the bulb and the plant itself can rot, especially during flowering.
The death of a pomegranate can be caused by heat, direct exposure of the plant to sunlight, which will first cause the leaves of the tree to burn, and then, if the situation is not dealt with in time, the plant itself will wither.
Pomegranates are also destroyed by pests such as spider mites, which cause a white cobweb and an unpleasant sticky coating to form on the leaves, as well as aphids and scale insects.
Then, one should not underestimate such diseases of the pomegranate tree that lead to the death of the plant, such as gray rot at the beginning, which affects the leaves, root cancer, which reveals itself by the presence of dark spots on the foliage, which become increasingly larger if the plant is not treated.
Another disease that threatens the life of the plant is branch cancer. The bark on the trunk and branches of the pomegranate tree cracks, resulting in deep wounds that swell at the edges. If the affected areas of the plant are not eradicated in time, the pomegranate tree will die.
But against pests, you can use various chemicals, tinctures from onion and garlic, as well as from tobacco mixed with laundry soap to treat pomegranate. The most important thing is to spray it in time and cure your favorite tree of the disease.
Growing pomegranate at home will give a lover of all things beautiful - the most delicious fruits, gorgeous blooming appearance a tree that will diversify the interior of the house and bring harmony and prosperity to its household.
Tree pomegranate (lat. Punica), or grenade launcher- a genus of small trees and shrubs of the Derbennikov family, which not so long ago was called the Pomegranate family. The Latin name of the plant comes from the word Punic (or Carthaginian), since pomegranate is widespread in the territory of modern Tunisia (in the distant past of Carthage). The Russian name of the tree comes from the Latin word granatus, translated meaning “grainy”. IN Ancient world the plant was called the grain apple, and in the Middle Ages it received the name seed apple. By the way, Italians still believe that the pomegranate was the apple that tempted Eve. Today, pomegranate is found in the wild in Southern Europe and Western Asia. Only one species of the genus is grown in cultivation - the common pomegranate.
Pomegranate fruits are not only tasty, but also healthy, and it is not surprising that many plant lovers, not being able to grow a pomegranate tree in the garden, grow it on their windowsill literally from pomegranate seeds - this is what botanists call the fruits of this southern plant. In this article we will tell you how to grow a pomegranate from a seed, how to care for a pomegranate at home, how to water a pomegranate, how to replant a pomegranate, how to plant a homemade pomegranate, why pomegranate leaves turn yellow, why pomegranates fall off, what are the harms and benefits of pomegranates , and we will also answer other questions you ask in your letters.
Read more about growing pomegranate below.
The pomegranate plant is a long-living deciduous plant from the subtropics, up to 5-6 m high in nature and rarely higher than two meters in room conditions. Pomegranate branches are prickly and thin. The oval and glossy light green leaves of pomegranate reach a length of 3 cm. Pomegranate flowering begins at the very end of spring and lasts all summer. The red-orange pomegranate flowers come in two types: the bisexual and pitcher-shaped pomegranate flower sets fruit, while the numerous bell-shaped flowers are sterile. The spherical pomegranate fruit is large berry with a leathery pericarp and can reach a diameter of 18 cm. The peel of the pomegranate can be yellow-orange, red-brown or any shade in between. The berry, divided into 6-12 chambers or nests located in two tiers, contains pomegranate seeds in quantities of up to 1200 or more pieces. Each seed is surrounded by a succulent cover. Pomegranates usually begin to bear fruit at the age of three. Full fruiting lasts from 7 to 40 years.
Indoor pomegranate today it is as popular as indoor lemon, coffee tree, orange, mango, date palm and other exotics that cannot be grown in gardens due to the inconsistency of our climate with the conditions usual for tropical and subtropical fruit trees. But growing homemade pomegranate is a hobby for passionate people, and you should understand that your efforts may not bring the expected results. Pomegranate from seeds at home is a very realistic goal, but it can only be realized if optimal conditions for the plant are observed and timely and proper care is observed.
How to grow pomegranate from seed? As seed material You can use fresh seeds of ripe, healthy and beautiful pomegranate. You should know that pomegranates sold in stores and markets are hybrids, so homemade pomegranate fruits grown from their seeds will not retain the taste of the parent variety, although the decorativeness of the plant may be beyond praise. It is best if you get hold of a ripe and tasty indoor pomegranate fruit. The seeds are removed from the fruit and the pulp is removed. The seeds should be cream in color and feel firm to the touch - soft and greenish seeds are not suitable for growing. Soak the seeds for 12 hours in water with two or three drops of Zircon or Epin added to stimulate the germination process. The solution should not cover the seeds completely - in addition to moisture, they need oxygen.
Pomegranate is grown in a loose substrate consisting of fertile soil, peat and sand. For this purpose, you can purchase universal soil for flower plants in the store - pomegranate is unpretentious to the composition of the soil. Prepared and dried pomegranate seeds are buried 1-1.5 cm into the substrate, lightly watered, cover the container with polyethylene or glass and place in a place well lit by the sun. If pomegranate is planted at the end of winter or early spring, then in a couple of weeks you can expect seedlings to appear, and seeds planted at other times of the year can sit in the ground for several months.
Growing pomegranate at home requires creating optimal comfort for it. The conditions for growing pomegranate include maintaining the room temperature within 25 ºC, regular ventilation and spraying the substrate with warm water.
When the first true leaves form on the seedlings, plant the seedlings, shortening the root by a third, in small separate pots with nutritious soil and a drainage layer underneath. Place the pomegranate on the lightest windowsill - it needs to be in direct sunlight for at least 2 hours a day. For those who have ascended to winter time sprouts you will have to arrange additional lighting.
Once the seedlings have formed three pairs of leaves, pinch them back to encourage the pomegranate to grow with two crowns. When three pairs of leaves are formed on each shoot, pinch them too so that the pomegranate grows into a lush tree.
Maintain the temperature in the room in which the young pomegranate is growing within 20 ºC, providing it with regular ventilation. In summer, it is better to take homemade pomegranate out onto the balcony or terrace, since the plant loves fresh air and sunlight. Ten months after germination, you can see pomegranate blooming.
In the fall, the tree will shed its leaves and enter a dormant state. You can, of course, make it grow in winter, but this quickly gets tired and depleted of the tree - everyone needs rest, and pomegranate is no exception. Move the indoor pomegranate to a room with a temperature of 10-12 ºC, stop feeding, reduce watering to the required minimum and let the plant rest for a month or two. After a period of dormancy, leaves will appear on the pomegranate again, and it will become more beautiful than before.
Water the pomegranate seedlings at the root so that water does not get on the leaves - for this it is better to use a watering can with a narrow spout. The substrate in the pot should be barely damp at all times. During pomegranate flowering, watering is reduced, but the soil in the pot should not be allowed to dry out. Water for irrigation should not be cold - 1-2 degrees warmer than the air in the room, and should stand for at least 24 hours.
The reduction in watering can be compensated by spraying the leaves of the plant with non-cold boiled water.
During the dormant period, watering the plants is reduced significantly.
During the seedling period, to stimulate the development of seedlings, you can dilute half a teaspoon of wood ash in half a liter of water and water the plant with this nutrient solution. From spring to autumn, the pomegranate tree is fertilized every two weeks with universal liquid fertilizers for indoor plants. If you grow pomegranate for its fruits, which you intend to eat, then it is better to fertilize not with mineral fertilizers, which contain too many nitrates, but with organic fertilizers - slurry or solution chicken manure. But keep in mind: if a pomegranate is overfed with nitrogen, it will not bloom, which means it will not bear fruit.
In indoor conditions, pomegranate should grow in a cramped pot - the larger the container in which it grows, the more it forms sterile bell-shaped flowers. The first time a pomegranate is replanted is a year later. IN further transplantation carried out no earlier than the pomegranate root fills the entire pot. Each subsequent container should be 2-3 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. When the pomegranate is 4 years old, it is no longer replanted, but is replaced annually in the pot upper layer substrate.
A pomegranate is formed in the form of a bush with 3-4 skeletal branches or a tree with a low trunk and 4-5 skeletal branches. Subsequently, 4-5 second-order branches are laid on each skeletal branch, on which third-order branches can subsequently be formed. Excess and fatty shoots are cut out, just like root shoots. With age, old branches that will no longer produce crops are cut out. Pomegranate bears fruit on the shoots of the current year.
Homemade pomegranate, like any indoor plant, can be affected by pests - mealybugs, spider mites, scale insects, aphids, moths and whiteflies. Diseases of homemade pomegranates are root cancer, Phomopsis or branch cancer, gray rot and leaf spot. Aphids are destroyed with a two-day infusion of 40 g of tobacco in 1 liter hot water, which after infusion is diluted with water 1:2 and 4 g of grated laundry soap are added to it. Whiteflies, spider mites and scale insects die after treating the pomegranate with an infusion of garlic or onion: 20 g of husk is poured into a liter of water, left for 5 days and filtered. You can get rid of the codling moth only by collecting fallen fruits affected by the pest and removing diseased pomegranates from the tree that have not yet fallen. Can be used to control pests chemicals: get rid of mealybugs by triple treating the pomegranate with an interval of 5-6 days with Confidor, Mospilan or Aktara, and get rid of spider mites with acaricides Aktellik or Fitoverm.
Root cancer, like branch cancer, is manifested by cracking of the bark and the formation of wounds with spongy swellings, drying out of shoots, branches, and in case of severe damage, the entire tree. At the first signs of the disease, it is necessary to clean the wounds to healthy tissue and treat them with a solution copper sulfate and cover with garden varnish. If there are many such areas, cut the tree down to a stump - perhaps this way you will be able to save it. Most often, the disease occurs due to mechanical damage to the bark and wood of the pomegranate.
Readers often ask why pomegranates turn yellow. If you do not find pests on the pomegranate tree, in particular spider mites, then it may be suffering from too high air temperatures. Pomegranate also turns yellow if there is a lack of water in the soil, but yellowing in this case is accompanied by the appearance of dark spots on the leaves.
If pomegranate leaves fall off, this may be a consequence of their yellowing, and the reasons for this phenomenon are the same as for sudden yellowing of leaves - spider mites or other pests, diseases, too heat air or insufficient watering. Leaf fall also begins for a natural reason - pomegranate is a deciduous tree, therefore, both in indoor cultivation and in nature, pomegranates fall at the end of the growing season, when they are preparing for wintering.
Pomegranate leaves dry out for a reason insufficient humidity air or due to problems with roots that arose because you repeatedly violated the watering regime. Smell the soil in which the pomegranate is growing, and if it smells strongly of mold, immediately transplant the plant into a new substrate, inspecting its roots and removing rotten areas if necessary. Wounds on the roots are treated with crushed coal.
Indoor pomegranate is propagated by seed, as well as vegetatively - by grafting and cuttings. We have already written that a pomegranate grown from a seed does not always retain the varietal characteristics of the parent tree, but a varietal cutting can be grafted onto these seedlings. Pomegranates grown from cuttings and layering retain the characteristics of the mother plant completely.
For cuttings, trimmings from the current year's growths about 10 cm long are prepared. Cuttings can also be cut from basal shoots. First, the cuttings are placed with the lower cut in a solution of a root formation stimulator for 6 hours, then washed under running water and plant them in a substrate consisting of equal proportions of peat and sand, deepening the lower cut by 2-3 cm, and cover the cuttings to create greenhouse effect transparent dome or plastic bottles with the neck cut off. Keep the cuttings on a light windowsill. When they give roots, and this can happen in 6-10 weeks, they can be planted in separate pots with soil for citrus plants or with a mixture of sand, humus, turf and leaf soil in a ratio of 1:1:2:2. If you provide the pomegranate from the cuttings with good care, it can bloom in the second or third year after planting. It is also possible to propagate pomegranates by lignified cuttings, but they take even longer to take root, and many of them die.
Pomegranate can be propagated by grafting at home. To obtain a varietal plant, a varietal cutting is grafted onto a pomegranate rootstock grown from a seed. Only a fruiting pomegranate can produce the cuttings required for grafting. Vaccination is carried out different ways– it all depends on the thickness of the rootstock and scion cuttings. Currently, more than 150 types of vaccinations have been developed, and you will have to decide for yourself which one to choose. The simplest to perform, and therefore the most common, vaccinations are considered to be simple copulation, copulation with a tongue (English), behind the bark, in the cleft, in the butt and in the side cut. If the grafting is successful, the pomegranate will bloom in 3-4 years.
There are only two known types of pomegranate - Common pomegranate (Punica granatum) And Socotra pomegranate (Punica protopunica), which is endemic to the Yemeni island of Socotra. The Socotran pomegranate has flowers that are not crimson, but pink, and the fruits are not as large and sweet as those of the common pomegranate. You could read the description of the common pomegranate at the beginning of the article.
Due to its popularity, the dwarf pomegranate, which has a hybrid origin, is separated into a separate species, Punica nana, because it is the one that is most often grown indoors, including in the form of bonsai. The species is distinguished by its short growth - no more than 1 m - and early fruiting. Plants begin to bloom within 3-4 months, and two-year-old trees form about a dozen small fruits up to 5 cm in diameter. What makes nana pomegranate an ideal plant for growing indoors is its resistance to dry air. This species, unlike varieties of common pomegranate, almost does not shed leaves for the winter.
Breeders have developed more than 500 varieties of pomegranate, many of which can be grown indoors. For example:
IN garden culture Also common varieties are Kzyl-anar, Vanderful, Ulfi, Lod-Zhuar, Ak-Dona, Gyuleysha red and pink, Purpurovy, Salavatsky and others. If you want to have a pomegranate at home, you can grow any variety of common pomegranate, even a vigorous one - at home it is still unlikely to grow above 2 m.
Pomegranate is one of the healthiest fruits. Its fruits contain vitamins P, C, B12, B6, fiber, sodium, iodine, phosphorus, iron, potassium, manganese, calcium and magnesium. Pomegranate juice contains sugars - fructose and glucose, malic, tartaric, citric, oxalic, succinic, boric and other organic acids, sulfate and chloride salts, phytoncides, tannin, tannins and nitrogenous substances.
The presence in the fruits of all these necessary for human body substances and determines the beneficial properties of pomegranate. It quenches thirst, improves hematopoiesis, promoting the production of hemoglobin and the formation of red blood cells in the blood, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, the nervous system and immunity. An infusion of pomegranate fruits and flowers is one of the oldest hemostatic agents. For older people, pomegranate is recommended to restore strength after surgery.
Pomegranate is rich in vitamin K, necessary for metabolism in connective tissues and bones, and in particular for the absorption of calcium. Pomegranate slows down the development of osteoarthritis, relieving inflammation and swelling of cartilage tissue.
Pomegranate juice, which, among other things, helps normalize blood pressure, is indicated as a hematopoietic agent for diseases of the heart, circulatory system, kidneys, lungs and liver, and the estrogens contained in pomegranate ease the symptoms of menopause and help fight depression.
Pomegranate is an essential product for vegetarians, since its juice contains 15 amino acids, almost half of which are found primarily in meat products. Thus, someone who has consciously given up animal food by eating pomegranate may not experience a lack of animal proteins. Pomegranate juice has a diuretic and choleretic effect, as well as analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.
The benefit of pomegranate is also that it is an excellent remedy for scurvy, uric acid diathesis, atherosclerosis, headaches and gastrointestinal disorders. People who have been exposed to radiation, live in areas of increased radiation and work with radioactive isotopes, strongly recommend using pomegranate juice. It is also indicated for anemia, hypertension, malaria, bronchial asthma and diabetes.
Containing alkaloids, pomegranate peel has a strong anthelmintic property. A decoction of it is also used for inflammation of the liver and kidneys, joints and eyes. It helps both as a gargle for a sore throat and for intestinal disorders. And pomegranate peel powder, lightly fried with olive oil or butter, is used as a mask for oily skin face, as well as for the treatment of burns, cracks and abrasions.
Pomegranate seeds - effective remedy to increase intestinal motility and a source of valuable pomegranate oil, which, due to the high content of fat-soluble vitamins E and F, promotes rapid healing of wounds, regeneration of epidermal cells, rejuvenates and protects the human body from cancer. And pomegranate extract restores skin after too much sun exposure.
The white films separating the chambers with seeds inside the pomegranate fruit are dried and added to tea, since they have the property of balancing the condition nervous system, relieve excitement, anxiety and relieve insomnia.
In traditional medicine, decoctions and tinctures are made from the fruits, flowers, peel, bark and seeds of pomegranate to treat anemia, stomatitis, diarrhea, burns, conjunctivitis and other diseases.
Pomegranate juice, saturated with acids, is contraindicated for gastritis with high acidity, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer. If necessary, it is heavily diluted with water. For the same reason, the harm of pomegranate can manifest itself by corroding tooth enamel, so after eating pomegranate or its juice, you need to brush your teeth and rinse your mouth thoroughly with water. The constipating property of pomegranate may cause constipation in people with problems digestive system, and the toxic substances contained in the peel in case of an overdose of the decoction can cause a strong increase blood pressure, weakness, dizziness, convulsions, sharp deterioration of vision and irritation of the mucous membrane, so before using decoctions, be sure to consult a doctor.
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Pomegranate is a fruit tree about 6 meters high, but you can find pomegranate in the form of a bush. It has thin prickly branches covered with grayish-brown bark. Its light green, glossy leaves form clusters. May bloom from May to August with large, bell-shaped flowers in red-orange, yellow or white. There are a lot of such flowers on a tree.
Pomegranate fruits are round in shape, up to 12 cm in diameter and weighing up to 500 grams. The color of the fruit can be yellow-red or red-brown. Inside it, in 9-12 cells in a juicy shell, there are many seeds with a sweet and sour taste. This pulp contains monosaccharides, various acids, polyphenols, vitamins and tannins. From one tree you can collect up to 60 kg of fruit.
Pomegranate is common in the Middle East, Greece, Italy, the Caucasus, Crimea, etc. It is rare in the wild and is mainly cultivated in countries of the tropical and subtropical zone.
This tree can produce a good harvest if grown properly. The main condition is warmth and sufficient light. Pomegranate is propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering. For planting, the seeds that are inside the fruit are used, but they must be prepared before planting. To do this, the seeds are dried within 24 hours and then placed in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.
For planting, you can use small pots with ready-made soil, which is used for growing flowers indoors. The pot must have a drainage system. Soil is poured into the pot and watered abundantly. The seed, ready for planting, is placed in this soil to a depth of 1 cm. To speed up the growth process, the pot is covered with plastic wrap and placed in a warm place in the sun. After the sprout appears, the plastic film can be removed. A small but well-established seedling can be planted in the ground.
Planted in the ground in spring or autumn on an area well lit by the sun. By adhering to these recommendations, the pomegranate will develop normally and begin to bloom and bear fruit.
For propagation by cuttings, one-year-old shoots of a healthy tree are used. Before planting, prepare a place for this: fertilize the ground and make sure it warms up well enough. To reliably take root of the cuttings, they are covered with plastic film and slightly shaded so that the cuttings do not overheat and die.
In the first years after planting, the young tree needs watering as the soil dries out. There is no need to overdo it, as the presence of excess moisture can lead to rotting of the root system. In addition, in tree trunk circle It is necessary to loosen the soil and not forget about feeding the plant if you want to get a good final result. Must be deposited in June organic fertilizers, and closer to autumn, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are applied. For getting good harvest And correct formation The crown must be constantly pruned.
Before the onset of cold weather, pomegranate produces buds for the future harvest. So that the work does not go to waste, the tree is protected from cold and frost by covering it with any suitable material. The remaining buds will bloom in the spring along with the leaves. Pomegranate begins to bloom in the 2nd-3rd year of life, and bear fruit in the 4th year.
The pomegranate fruit has excellent taste characteristics; in addition, it is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, P, E, C, it contains organic acids and organic (tannin) substances. Thanks to a large number vitamins and microelements, this fruit is widely used in folk medicine. It has the ability to have many various characteristics, capable of streamlining work internal organs human, digestive system, cardiovascular system and nervous system, restores the blood formula.
If you have low hemoglobin, it is recommended to drink pomegranate juice, which has a positive effect on the blood. To prevent atherosclerosis, you need to eat this fruit regularly. It should be consumed when blood pressure is high. For people suffering from diabetes, this fruit is almost irreplaceable, as it can replace insulin. People with problems can add dried septum to tea to relax and relieve increased excitability.
The peel and fruits can be used for diarrhea, to normalize the functioning of the digestive system and digestive tract.
Modern medicine uses pomegranate peel to make drugs that inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli and tuberculosis coli, Vibrio cholerae and other viruses and bacteria.
This fruit is contraindicated for people suffering from gastritis and stomach ulcers. You should be careful when consuming concentrated pomegranate juice, which can destroy tooth enamel.
This fruit has many varieties that can be distinguished by size, color, ripening time, taste characteristics, and cold resistance. The following varieties of pomegranate can be offered:
Naturally, not all varieties are on this list, and the dwarf pomegranate is especially worth highlighting.
Despite its small growth (about one meter) and small fruits (within 70 g), its taste is no different from large-fruited varieties. Growing a dwarf is a real pleasure. This tree can bloom already in the first year of life, barely reaching a height of 20-25 cm. Its flowering continues for six months with beautiful orange or bright red flowers. He has a number beneficial properties, for example, anthelmintic. If you brew a few twigs in half a liter of water, evaporate to half, strain and take in small sips for an hour, then you can forget about worms. This is just one small example, speaking about the wonderful properties of pomegranate.
There is hardly a person on Earth who is not familiar with pomegranate. Its slightly tart taste is very pleasant. The blood-red color of the fruit contains a huge amount useful substances essential for human health. For the sake of fruits and beauty decorative look The pomegranate tree is grown in open ground and at home. Read about this in the article.
The pomegranate tree has been known for a long time.More Ancient Egypt When the pharaohs ruled, gardens with these fruits, which at that time were called Carthaginian apples, were planted everywhere. They were brought here by the Phoenicians in 825 BC. But when the Romans attacked these places, everything was destroyed except the gardens with trees on which pomegranates grew.
It took a long time before the plant began to appear at the end of the 18th century on the American continent. This fruit was the main one on the royal table because of its peel, which looks like a crown. Until now, some countries believe that the pomegranate is the progenitor of royal headdresses.
It is mainly a deciduous plant. It can reach a height of five meters or grow as a shrub. The leaves are glossy, opposite, elongated and average length- seven centimeters. It blooms for a long time and very abundantly. This period begins in May and ends in August. The flowers are large, their diameter reaches three centimeters, and their shape resembles bells. A blooming pomegranate tree is strewn with bright red-orange buds. This is an amazing sight! Many gardeners grow trees just for the sake of their beauty, which they consider to be long-lived. Its lifespan at home is half a century, and in open ground - three hundred years.
The fruits are spherical in shape, their skin is dense, yellow-red or red-brown. The diameter reaches 5-12 cm, the average weight is 600 g. The fruit inside has many chambers filled with a huge number of seeds, there are up to 1400 of them. Around each grain there is a juicy pulp, which is the edible shell of the seeds. It accounts for 50% of the total weight of the fetus.
The fruit of the pomegranate tree (see photo below) ripens over a period of time. This process begins in September and ends in February, except in the southern hemisphere. Here are other dates: March-May. Pomegranate has a high yield: 60 kg per tree.
A plant is always decorative: when it grows, blooms and bears fruit. IN warm regions During the period of fruit ripening, cracking on the branches often occurs. This process is very interesting. The halves of the fruit move in different directions, taking a horizontal position, but the grains do not spill out. In regions with a predominant temperate climate, it happens that the fruits are harvested later than the leaves fall.
The birthplace of this plant is Persia (in the modern world - Iran). Places of distribution of the pomegranate tree in wildlife is Central and Asia Minor, north-west India, Transcaucasia, Afghanistan, Iran. In cultivated form, the growing areas of pomegranate are countries with tropical and subtropical climates: the Middle East, Italy, Greece, Crimea.
The planting material is large pomegranate seeds. When purchasing it, you need to carefully examine the skin of the fruit: it should be smooth and without damage. The grains are removed from the pulp, washed well and dried. They should have a solid consistency and color to match Ivory. If the seeds are soft and have a different color, they cannot be used to grow the plant.
How to grow a pomegranate tree? You need to plant a seed. To do this, a pot, preferably a clay pot, is filled with a substrate that includes soil, sand and peat. It is important that the soil is loose. Expanded clay, fine gravel or other material is poured onto the bottom of the pot as drainage. We should not forget that excess moisture has a detrimental effect on the root system of the pomegranate tree. The technology for planting grains is as follows:
If the planting technology is followed, and the seeds are healthy and mature, the first shoots will appear in half a month. When they grow a little and become stronger, the polyethylene with which the plantings were covered can be removed. All sprouts in the pot should be carefully examined, the weakest ones should be removed, the plants should be placed in a sunny place and do not forget about watering.
When leaves appear, pomegranate seedlings are transplanted into separate containers with new soil. You can cook it yourself. To do this, you need to mix humus, leaf turf, sand, peat in a ratio of 1:1:0.5:0.5. If planting is carried out in winter, additional lighting is used, since seedlings may stop growing due to lack of light.
The time of emergence of seedlings does not matter. If this happened in winter, they will remain in pots until they get stronger. With the onset of spring, they are planted in a designated place in the garden. If the seeds sprouted in the first month of summer, they are left in the pot and grown at home for another year. IN open ground Already grown bushes will be planted.
Through cuttings, all genetic material is transferred to the new plant. Therefore, growing a pomegranate tree in this way is the most common option. To get good planting material The middle of a two-year-old branch 15 cm long with buds is selected. After this, the cutting is placed in a stimulating solution for several days, and then in a small pot with soil, the composition of which is the same as for sowing seeds.
After a month, the cuttings form roots; it is transplanted into another container, the size of which is slightly larger. When the height of the tree reaches 50 cm, it is planted in open ground on permanent place growing or transplanted into a pot big size For further cultivation in room.
According to experts, it is best to do this in the fall, in the second and third months of the season. Although planting is carried out in the spring. Pomegranate comes from a warm climate, so it prefers a lot of light. If the plant is deficient in it, the fruits may not ripen.
Growing exotic fruit begins with planting it in the ground. To do this you need to dig landing hole, the bottom of which is first filled with the top layer of soil, and then with rotted manure mixed with soil. You need to pour a bucket of fertilizer into each hole. In temperate climatic latitudes, when planting, seedlings are placed in a planting area sloping in a southerly direction. This is necessary for convenient shelter for the winter.
By following the rules of tree care, you can achieve high fruiting. Pomegranate blooms profusely, but not all flowers produce ovaries. Pruning should be done so that the crown grows less, since the tree can reach a height of six meters, growing in open ground. In order for a plant to form a low-standard form, you need to follow the following recommendations:
Decorate exotic plant Every gardener dreams of having his own home. And if this is a pomegranate tree (the photo is presented for viewing) - even more so. But you should always remember that its fruits, grown at home, are not edible. The plant in this case will be decorative. Pomegranate is bred from cuttings and seeds. Growing a tree from seeds requires a lot of labor and time. The fruits of your efforts will not appear soon. At home, cuttings are most often used for planting, which are easy to prepare yourself. Some gardeners buy ready-made seedlings for planting.
This plant does not require any care when grown indoors. However, there are certain rules that should be followed:
When growing a pomegranate tree at home, the top layer of soil is renewed annually and the plant is pruned. To form a stable crown, the top of young shoots is pinched when they grow to a height of 60 cm. Usually, during pruning, a low tree is formed, in which there are up to five skeletal branches. This process is carried out until the buds bloom. How to prune a pomegranate tree? To do this, you need to get rid of all weak, diseased, damaged branches and sprouts that prevent the fruit from growing. This promotes crown thinning. Once every five years, old branches are completely cut out.
Indoor pomegranate at home photoIndoor pomegranate is also called dwarf pomegranate. Considering the fact that in nature these plants usually grow on saline lands or in rocky areas, one should not be surprised at their unpretentiousness. In apartments or houses, they adapt perfectly to the microclimate of the home. But still, let’s try to look at some of the nuances of breeding this crop.
Growing pomegranate at home, contrary to many opinions, is not a labor-intensive or complicated process. If you planted a plant as exotic decorative tree, both methods are equally suitable for you: from grain, or by layering. But to obtain a harvest and preserve the varietal qualities of the fruit, only the second of them should be used.
As a material for planting and propagation, you can use seeds, which can be carefully collected from a plant flowering at home or purchased at specialized exhibitions and agrotechnical stores. For the best effect, they are soaked for a day in a solution with root growth stimulants (Kornevin).
Then they are sown in flowerpots and covered with a transparent film. With the appearance of the first shoots, you can remove the improvised greenhouse and place the plant in a well-lit and warm place.
To grow pomegranates from seeds at home, it is important to properly prepare them for germination by carefully removing the pulp, rinsing them in cool water and drying them thoroughly. This point is really important because it helps prevent them from rotting.
It is advisable to plant the seeds to a depth of 1 cm in a loose soil mixture (peat and black soil - 1:2), while not forgetting about drainage. The location here must be chosen in the same way as in the case of seeds - where there is enough sunlight. As the earthen ball dries, it should be moistened.
You should know that sowing seeds often does not bring the desired result and this method is used mainly when breeding new breeding products and when it is not possible to use layering.
Grow pomegranate room care at home, which will be easiest to carry out, you can propagate it using ordinary cuttings. It is this method that is considered the most common due to the complete preservation of genetic material and high level survival rate. The quality of the harvest and the seedling’s resistance to diseases will ultimately depend on this.
If all stages are carried out properly, then within a month the pomegranate will form a primary root system, and new branches will begin to appear from the buds. IN individual pots mature pomegranate trees are usually planted after 1-2 months.
Caring for pomegranate at home is simple. In summer, it is even planted in open ground to decorate the flower garden in an original way. The main thing is to take into account that shaded areas are suitable for this culture. This will avoid sunburn.
When growing home pomegranate, care should include systematic spraying and abundant watering, and in the spring it would not be a bad idea to apply light nitrogen-containing fertilizers. This will help the flower recover faster from the cold season, enhance growth and have beneficial influence on the density of the bush and the richness of the color of the leaves. In summer experienced gardeners It is recommended to use fertilizers with phosphorus to stimulate the appearance of buds and the beginning of flowering.
With weak growth and a small number of ovaries, it is necessary to reconsider temperature regime, humidity level, watering frequency or location. To prepare a crop such as pomegranate for wintering, care at home will include the introduction of complex mineral fertilizers, alternating them with potassium supplements.
During this period, the plant may change, dropping its foliage - this is a completely normal phenomenon. But, since the plant loves fresh air, it is worth taking it out onto the loggia, while avoiding sub-zero temperatures and drafts. As for the frequency of watering in general, in winter their number can be reduced to 1-2 times a month. Is it true this advice is relevant only for mature seedlings; young ones will need more moisture.
Those who are wondering how to care for pomegranates at home should not forget about the formation of the bush. Typically, shoots growing inwards are removed, as well as all dry branches. It is best to do this in the off-season, then the pomegranate will grow fluffy and beautiful.
You can grow a pomegranate plant at home in the form of a compact tree or shrub. With the onset of heat, the so-called stimulation of branching is carried out, leaving the shoot so long that there are from 2 to 5 pairs of leaves on it. To avoid excessive thickening, you need to prune on the buds looking inside the bush.
In order for a pomegranate to grow full and healthy at home, it is advisable not to replant it in a new pot for at least 3 years. After this, every spring you can replace the soil depleted of minerals and the flowerpots themselves with larger ones. Chernozem and turf soil are excellent for pomegranate. It is also important to remember the need for drainage (small pebbles work great) to protect the roots from rotting.
Indoor or dwarf pomegranates, caring for them at home, which really does not take much effort and time from gardeners, are often bred by those who want to get to know the art of bonsai better. And it is not surprising, since with high-quality pruning and pinching, the plant can be given almost any shape. Whatever you choose this crop for: obtaining tasty and healthy fruits or for aesthetic pleasure, following simple rules and recommendations, the result will not be long in coming.
