Pomegranate - Punica granatum, also known as the pomegranate, is a species native to Asia Minor and has been cultivated as a utility shrub for several thousand years. Dwarf variety 'Nana' not exceeding 1 m in height is suitable for potting at home. It forms a low shrub, perfect for terracing and bonsai plants. Here's what a pot-grown pomegranate should look like at home.
Pomegranate, Pomegranate, Punica granatum - grown in a pot as a bonsai
Granat Punica granatumis a spreading shrub that sheds its leaves in winter, reaching up to 2 m in height.The dwarf varietyPunica granatum 'Nana'grows up to about 70 cm tall, making it perfect for home growing in a pot. Young pomegranate shoots are light brown. With time, they become covered with brown bark. The leaves are small (up to 4 cm long), smooth, oval, pointed, light green in color. They grow in pairs and fall for the winter.
Flowers appear in June and remain on the plant until September. When summer is sunny, the plant can bloom particularly profusely. The flowers are bright red in color, small (diameter up to 3 cm, length up to 4 cm), appear 3 or 4 on stronger side branches. The fruit is spherical, walnut-sized berries with a thick, shiny skin that changes color from green to purple as it matures. Inside the fruit, seeds are formed, surrounded by bags with transparent flesh, which is edible, but unfortunately raw, rather unpalatable. In home conditions, seeds set rather rarely.
How To Grow A Pomegranate In A Pot
Pomegranate is grown in apot or container with fertile, slightly acidic to alkaline compost soil. From mid-May, when the risk of frost is over, the plant can be put on a terrace or in the garden, in a sunny place, sheltered from the wind. In the garden, it is good to dig a pot with a pomegranate into the ground. If the plant is left in a closed room, it must be ventilated frequently.
Granat - Punica granatum
Fig. pixabay.com
We water and fertilize these potted plants with ornamental fruits during the growing season. At the end of September, fertilization is stopped and watering is limited. At the moment of the first frosts (usually at the beginning of November) the pomegranate will start to lose leaves outdoors), ensuring a temperature of about 5 to 10 ° C.Do not fertilize during the dormant period. Water moderately, just enough not to dry the roots.
Pomegranate enters the growing season again in March
To form a nice, compact plant habit, it can be trimmed a bit. This will also affect more profuse flowering. Pruning must be done at the end of the dormant period, before the leaves start to sprout (preferably when transferred to a warmer room). The plant can also be replanted during this period. However, this procedure should be avoided - we only exaggerate when the current pot is too small.
Note! To stimulate flowering, in early spring, when the buds open, it is worth shortening the shoots growing outside, and in late spring or summer, trim old and weakened ones.
Pomegranate, Pomegranate, Punica granatum - ripening fruit
Pomegranate in a pot - reproduction
Pomegranates can be propagated from cuttings harvested in summer. It is best to take herbaceous cuttings from biennial twigs. The collected seedlings should be placed in a pot filled with sand and covered with foil. Every two days they have to be aired by folding the foil. After a few weeks after rooting, they can be transplanted to the appropriate substrate in the target pot.Pomegranatecan also be propagated from seeds. However, it is difficult to obtain them, as the plant rarely sets seeds under the conditions of home cultivation. We should also remember that plants obtained from seeds do not guarantee that the varietal characteristics of the mother plant will be preserved.
Pomegranate - fruit use
As I already mentioned - raw pomegranates are not very tasty (sour). They are mainly used for juice, which can be an ingredient in beverages and jellies.Pomegranate juice is also used to make wine and syrup. In the countries of the Middle East, a sauce is prepared in which pomegranates are combined with nuts. Pomegranates are also used in medicine and cosmetics.If you are looking for exotic fruits better to eat raw than pomegranates and easy to grow from a stone, you should also be interested in growing guava.
Based on: M. Schubert, R. Herwig, We live among flowers, PWRiL, Warsaw 1986, p. 316. Fig. sxc.hu
