Foreword
Lovers of indoor plants sometimes get lost in the next choice of a "green neighbor". If you want to grow homemade pomegranate, caring for the plant is very simple and will not cause problems in its cultivation. Such an exotic plant is completely unpretentious, and it can be grown in an ordinary pot on a windowsill.
Dwarf pomegranate - beauty and well-being in the house
The name of the fruit comes from the Latin granatus, which means grainy. According to historical information, the pomegranate was a symbol of a rich harvest, gave faith and life.
The story says that the fruit came to our countries from Carthage and was called the "Punic apple". In every country, pomegranates are a symbol of something special. In Greece it is fertility, in Persia it is passionate love. And the wife of Zeus holds a pomegranate in her hand as a symbol of marriage. Even in the real world in Greece, during a wedding, flowers and fruits of a tree are thrown at the feet of the bride and groom. And the bride herself during the celebration, instead of a bouquet, can throw a juicy fruit to her friends.
Mostly at home, they prefer a dwarf or indoor pomegranate, the cultivation of which will be a pleasure. It should be noted that the plant perfectly decorates not only any interior of a room or garden, but also has a lot of useful properties.
The first mention of the dwarf pomegranate is in 1803. The plant reaches a maximum height of 120 cm. Its leaves are light green with a glossy sheen, located on red cuttings. Due to the change of seasons, pomegranate leaves change their color: in spring the plant acquires bronze tones, in summer - shades of green, in autumn - yellow colors.
The flowering time of the shrub falls on May-September. Pomegranate flowers are large with a diameter of up to 4 cm and magenta but most of the fruit does not form. Duration of flowering of one flower is maximum 3 days, but every day new buds are formed on the bush. Only flowers with long columns can ripen into small pomegranates. So, out of a hundred flowers, only three form fruit. Do not worry that the rest of the flowers fall: this is an individual property of the plant.
The fruit of the indoor pomegranate itself can be painted as in Orange color, and in brown-red and ripens in winter. But pomegranate does not have a special, pronounced taste, besides, the fruit itself is very small. So basically bonsai serves as a decoration of the room. The owners, in order for the plant to give all its strength to the color and have a sufficient number of new buds, cut off the ovaries.
Prerequisites for a home tree
Indoor pomegranate belongs to light-loving plants, so the pot must be placed on any windows, with the exception of the northern ones. But the plant does not accept direct sunlight, especially young ones. In the summer, when it is warm and light, it is better to take the tree out to the balcony or veranda, and the plant should be brought into the house for the winter.
The home pomegranate, like any exotic plant, needs warmth, especially during flowering. Therefore, the temperature in the room must be maintained at more than + 20 ° C. But if the room is very hot, then the leaves of the pomegranate may begin to fall off. To prevent this, you can spray the leaves with cool water. During the ripening of the fruit, the pomegranate at home prefers cool rooms with a temperature of + 14 ° C, and even lower during the rest period.
The soil of a home pomegranate, in order to ensure flowering and fruiting, must be rich and valuable in various mineral components.
Watering the plant also needs to be approached competently in order to prevent waterlogging or drought of the soil. The most abundant watering of the shrub falls on the period after flowering, so that later the plant will delight with its flowers. In winter, home pomegranate practically does not need watering - once every 2 months is enough.
Homemade pomegranates will not refuse feeding, but no more than twice a month. It is necessary to apply to moist soil and in spring nitrogen fertilizers, during color - phosphoric, in autumn - potassium.
After the fruit of the tree is ripe, it usually sheds the leaves, that is, a dormant period begins. To do this, a grenade should be created optimal conditions with a temperature not exceeding + 12 ° С. It is difficult to provide such a temperature at home. You can, for example, move the pot with the plant to the window or put it on the balcony for 3 weeks.
After a dormant period in February, homemade pomegranate begins to bud. During this period, it is important to prune dry or unnecessary plant branches. Pruning is carried out in such a way that the bud of the bush looks outward, otherwise, with further growth, the inner bud will thicken the plant. You can shape the pomegranate into a tree by trimming the root branches. It is important not to allow strong cutting, otherwise the plant will weaken, the number of buds, and, accordingly, flowers will decrease.
For young plants, transplantation is carried out every year until they reach 3 years of age. Homemade pomegranates do not require large containers and pots, and, conversely, the tighter the root system, the stronger the flowering will be.
How to grow a pomegranate?
Reproduction of a home pomegranate can be done in 2 ways:
- cuttings;
- seeds.
Before growing a pomegranate from seeds at home, you need to purchase seed. You can buy it at the store, or you can take it from a houseplant. Before planting a seed in a container, you need to prepare it. For this, the largest and ripe fruit is selected and several grains are taken. To get the seed itself, you need to remove the pulp of the seed, rinse in water and wipe dry with a napkin or dry it. Seeds should be planted at a distance of about 1 cm from the surface and away from each other. Seed germination time reaches 2 weeks on average. For good germination of the future plant, the pot should be placed in a warm sunny place and provide him with abundant watering.
To grow pomegranates at home when propagated by cuttings, the shoots should be taken from a fertile plant with several buds and covered after planting. plastic bottle or a glass jar.
If an exotic plant has undergone a disease, there is no need to delay its treatment. When pests appear on the leaves, they must be treated with special chemicals or assembled by hand. Dry room and air can provoke the appearance spider mite... In order to prevent such a disease, the plant must be frequently sprayed and moistened. Over-watering can also affect the health of the pomegranate, yellowed leaves - main feature overflow. In such a situation, the plant must be transplanted into dry soil and rotted roots removed.
You should not be intimidated by such seemingly excessive care. The main thing is that the process of growing indoor pomegranates is delightful, then the plant will delight the owner with its beauty.
Homemade pomegranate - family health benefits
Pomegranate is a healthy fruit: for the treatment of diseases, raw materials are obtained from all parts of the plant: from the fruit, peel, flowers, roots.
The fruit's value lies in the minerals and organic acids it contains. Pomegranate is rich in various vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins and even fats. Fruit juice has anesthetic, choleretic, antiseptic effect. The fruits of the plant are used for digestive diseases. They normalize arterial pressure, relieve headaches, saturate the body with vitamins. Pomegranate peel has found its use as an anthelmintic drug, due to the content of ursolic acid. Doctors recommend the use of pomegranate juice for infectious and colds, anemia, and problems with the gastrointestinal tract. For indigestion, colitis, the peel of the fruit is used. And pomegranate flowers are brewed like tea, which gives this drink a similarity to the popular hibiscus.
Why is pomegranate useful?
Thus, homemade pomegranate is perfect for those who want to acquire a decorative tree. It will not be difficult for novice flower growers to grow pomegranates with juicy and ripe fruits, and take care of dwarf pomegranate even a schoolboy can.
general information
Pomegranate (Punica) is a genus of evergreen trees or deciduous shrubs of the Pomegranate family, growing in subtropical countries. The height of the pomegranate trees is 5-10 meters, the yield is 50-60 kg. The fruits of the pomegranate tree are considered healing - since the fruits of the pomegranate contain a lot of sugars, a large number of citric acid, vitamin C, tannin. The dwarf form of the common pomegranate (Punica granatum nana) is especially popular among lovers of exotic plants. V room culture the varieties of the pomegranate tree "Baby" and "Uzbekistan" are also widespread. The pomegranate tree reaches a height of 30 - 60 cm, very decorative (especially during the flowering period), also pomegranate trees are distinguished by early fruiting. The dwarf pomegranate tree is unpretentious, does not require special care, moreover, the pomegranate is an amazing houseplant for those who wish to try their hand at the art of bonsai. With some skill, pomegranate can be used to form bonsai in almost any style. By repeatedly cutting and pinching, bending young shoots of a pomegranate tree with a wire, bending older shoots to the ground, the pomegranate gives the desired shape. The result will not be long in coming. A beautifully formed pomegranate tree is a real decoration of an apartment, a winter garden.
Landing (transplant)
The pomegranate tree is best grown in a shallow but wide container. Young pomegranate plants are transferred into larger containers annually, older ones - after 2-3 years, and tubers - once every 4-5 years. It has been established that in a pot-and-pot culture the pomegranate tree grows well, blooms profusely and bears fruit only on light fertile soil mixtures and with sufficient moisture supply. Before flowering, young pomegranate trees are grown on an earthen mixture of turf, humus, leafy earth and sand (1: 0.5: 1: 1). From 3, 4 years of age, a richer earthen mixture is prepared for pomegranate plants with a different ratio of the same constituent components - 2: 1: 1: 1. In tub plants, the top 2-3 cm soil layer is annually renewed, replacing it with a mixture of humus and poultry droppings (3: 1). You can purchase soil for transplanting a pomegranate tree on our website by clicking on the link "Soil for indoor pomegranate". Pomegranate plants form in the form of a bush with 4, 5 main branches or a small pomegranate tree on a low (15-20 cm) trunk. Before the pomegranate buds begin to bloom, they are cut off - mostly thinned out. Cut out all the weak, drowning and growing inside the crown shoots and twigs of the pomegranate tree. To enhance branching, last year's strong growths are shortened by 1 / 4-1 / 3, thereby creating conditions for the growth of lateral shoots with flowers. Skeletal branches older than 5 years of age are completely removed, replacing them with an appropriate number of strong basal shoots. V summer period systematically remove root growth, fatty shoots growing inside the crown of the pomegranate tree. The massive appearance of sterile bell-shaped flowers makes the pomegranate plant very elegant, decorative, but contributes to its depletion to the detriment of the fruit harvest. Therefore, such flowers are recommended to be removed.
Reproduction
The pomegranate tree is propagated by seeds, lignified and green cuttings, cuttings, root suckers and grafting. Pomegranate seeds are sown in fall or spring. Any special pre landing preparation they don't require. Seedlings of the pomegranate tree appear in 2-3 weeks. When 1-2 true leaves appear in pomegranate seedlings, they are dived into pots with a diameter of 5-9 cm, filled with a mixture of turf and sand (1: 1). During the growth period, pomegranate plants are watered abundantly. Indoors, a pomegranate tree is placed on the windowsill of a sunny window. The pomegranate tree reproduces well with lignified cuttings in January-February... Pomegranate cuttings 10-15 cm long are cut from ripe shoots of fruiting plants and planted in an exploration box or indoor greenhouse. The substrate is coarse-grained washed river sand or peat-sand mixture (1: 1). In planted pomegranate cuttings, 1-3 buds are left on the surface. Rooted pomegranate cuttings are transplanted into 7-9 cm pots filled with a mixture of turf, humus, leafy earth and sand (1: 0.5: 1: 1).
Lighting
The pomegranate tree is photophilous; any window, except for the northern one, is suitable for it. From spring to autumn, the pomegranate tree can be exposed to fresh air.
Air temperature
No summer heat is terrible for a pomegranate, but in winter the pomegranate tree loves coolness. Optimum temperature content of pomegranate in winter period+ 10 ° ... 12 ° C. But if it is impossible to arrange such a temperature for a grenade, then you can artificially help him to go “on vacation” by slightly drying the earthen lump and removing the remaining pomegranate leaves, and then place it on a cool window. Watering during the dormant period of the pomegranate tree is minimal. Small plant it is not necessary to arrange a pomegranate wintering. Hibernating at a higher temperature without backlighting, the pomegranate tree stretches strongly, losing its decorative effect.
Watering
Water the pomegranate tree as the earth dries up, abundantly soaking the lump. When the dwarf pomegranate is in bloom, reduce watering, but do not let the soil dry out. Watering during the period winter storage the pomegranate is reduced to 1 time per week.
Leaf shower
On hot summer days, the leaves of the pomegranate tree must be sprayed daily.
Fertilizer
During the growing season, the pomegranate tree needs to be fed every 10 days; from August, feeding is stopped. For feeding use organic fertilizer"Pomegranate", it is presented on our website by clicking on the link "Fertilizer for the pomegranate tree".
Pests
Often, a dwarf pomegranate tree becomes a victim of a spider mite or scale insect. The first sign of spider mite damage is the white spider web on the plant. If you find such a nuisance, then urgently increase the level of humidity. You can spray the pomegranate plant generously with a spray bottle, then wrap it in clear plastic and leave it there for several days. The shield is visible with the naked eye, so just pick it up with your hands, and treat the pomegranate leaves with a strong solution of soap and alcohol. Then place the pomegranate in a cooler temperature and higher humidity area.
Addicted exotic plants growers grow lemons, tangerines and even pomegranates at home. Lemon and tangerine bushes are quite often sold in flower shops, so it will not be difficult to get them. Pomegranate is rarely found on sale. But if desired, it can be grown from a bone. A regular pomegranate will turn into a miniature tree and will bloom and bear fruit. Of course, there will be few fruits on the plant, but beautiful pink flowers and their unique scent. Taking care of a pomegranate is not difficult at all, but you need to study the rules of planting and growing.
Homemade pomegranate tree - description, photo
Home grown plant reaches a height of only 90-100 cm... The exotic pet blooms profusely and constantly. The tree is just strewn bright colors, which bloom both in inflorescences and singly.
The pomegranate grown from the seed will bloom and will bear fruit no earlier than three years after planting.
For a pomegranate tree, you need to choose a bright place. The plant loves bright, but diffused light. Direct sunlight will burn the leaves. Therefore, the tree grown on the southern windowsill needs to be shaded from the midday sun.
If you are thinking of growing a pomegranate from a seed, then first of all you need take care of the planting material:
While the seeds are soaking you can prepare the ground... You can use an all-purpose earthy mix available from flower shops. If possible, the soil can be prepared independently from fertile soil, peat and sand.
In containers filled with earth for seedlings, pomegranate seeds are planted to a depth of 1-1.5 cm.Then they are sprinkled with earth, sprayed warm water and covered with polyethylene. It will turn out to be a kind of greenhouse, in which the seeds will hatch quickly. The temperature for pomegranate germination should be at least 25-30C.
Seeds planted in November or early spring should emerge in a couple of weeks. If they are planted at other times of the year, they can hatch within a few months.
Care of young sprouts
As soon as the first seedlings appear, the container with seedlings must be placed in a bright place. It is also necessary to ensure that the soil does not dry out. It's better to water it by spraying from a spray bottle.
Seedlings with two or three true leaves are transplanted into separate pots. Young plants are planted in the ground, for the preparation of which you need to mix:
- leaf humus - 1 part;
- turf - 2 parts;
- sand - 0.5 parts;
- peat - 0.5 parts.
The pomegranate has a superficial root system therefore the tree can grow in small containers. The main thing is good drainage.
Care for young plants consists in abundant and regular watering, which is carried out as the earthen mixture dries. The soil in the pots should always be slightly damp. From the pallet excess water need to be poured out.
Plants planted in autumn winter time years will be needed to provide additional lighting ... Otherwise, with a lack of light, the seedlings will elongate or will not grow at all.
Taking care of a pomegranate grown from a bone is a snap. The plant is unpretentious, but requires compliance with some rules for care:
Crown formation
To make a beautiful and fluffy bush from a young plant, a pomegranate annually you need to do a haircut.
Pruning should be done before the plant begins to actively grow, that is, in February. As it ages, one of the tree trunks is replaced by a young, strong shoot. Therefore, a haircut stimulates branching. Pruning young shoots should be done on the outward looking bud. As a result, two to five pairs of leaves should remain on the branch. The shoots remaining from pruning can be put on cuttings.
The crown of the tree can be made in the shape that you like best. The bush can be shaped like a ball, or made into an oval tree.
If you want to try yourself in the art of bonsai, then the pomegranate is perfect for this. The desired shape can be given to the bush by repeatedly pinching and pruning, bending old branches to the ground, and bending young branches with the help of wire. You can form a garnet in almost any style.
While cutting don't be afraid to cut off excess... In the spring, the tree will gain strength, and new branches and leaves will quickly grow back. Do not forget to regularly remove dried flowers and leaves from the bush.
Pomegranate pests and diseases
The first flowering of a pomegranate tree at good care can be expected already 10-12 months after the appearance of the Sents... A home-grown plant will bloom several times a year, and delight, albeit few, but tasty fruits.
Growing pomegranate at home
Where can I get planting material? Buy at the market or store large fruit saturated shade. Do not take rotten or moldy fruits for planting. The seeds obtained from such specimens are weak and painful, do not germinate and develop well.
Only healthy ripe pomegranates are suitable, which must be carefully cut and removed. Remove the soft shell, and put the seeds in a colander and rinse under the tap to remove juice and pieces of pulp. Examine the bones carefully. Only hard seeds of a grayish beige color or shade will do. Ivory... It means that they are already ripe and have enough nutrients to germinate. The planting material is green, soft to the touch, does not germinate. Such bones simply rot, falling into the ground, and disappear.
Germination
Put the pomegranate seeds on a saucer and pour in a little water so that they are half immersed in the liquid. The planting material needs air, because oxygen awakens the seed and starts the germination process. The bones cannot float in the water, otherwise they will die.
The planting material must be disinfected. Means such as "Zircon" or "Epin" are recommended. Only 2-3 drops, and no fungus and rot. Change the solution in a saucer every 12 hours. The seeds should lie in water for about 3 days, and they must not dry out, otherwise hard shell it will crack and the seed will perish.
You can cover the saucer with gauze or cotton cloth, which retains moisture well. Water intended for soaking should be passed through a filter to remove harmful impurities. Put the saucer in a warm place, away from drafts.
The bones after a three-day bathing practically do not change appearance... Unlike the other planting material, they do not germinate in a plate, but already in the ground. It is important to prepare in advance correct soil and pots, because the grains are put into the soil directly from the plate.
Substrate preparation
The pomegranate takes root in almost any land, but for the plant to be strong and develop quickly, one of three options should be used. The easiest way is to buy a special substrate designed for indoor flowers. It contains many nutrients, is quite loose and breathable.
The second version of the soil is prepared from peat and coarse river sand, which is pre-calcined or doused with boiling water to disinfect. Take the components in equal proportions, stir thoroughly and fill the pot with the mixture.
If peat is not at hand, it is replaced with turf and humus. Combine the ingredients and insist for several days, and add river sand before planting the pomegranate seeds. The last component will make the soil looser and softer, and humus will become a source of minerals.
Regardless of the composition of the substrate, a drainage layer must be placed in the pot. If it is absent, water constantly stagnates at the bottom of the container, the roots of the tree rot, and it suffers from a fungus. Expanded clay or small pebbles, pieces of foam or crushed clay shards are suitable.
Tip: If the soil dries out quickly or compresses too much, it should be replaced with new soil, to which pine or other sawdust is added.
Planting seeds
- Fill the pot with substrate, make several holes 1–1.5 cm deep in it and moisten slightly with a spray bottle.
- Do not make the pits too deep, otherwise it will be difficult for the sprout to break through the ground.
- Put a wet seed and sprinkle with soil, without tamping it.
- Sprinkle with water and cover the pot with cling film or plastic bag... You will get a mini-greenhouse, in which it is always warm and humid.
- There is no need to add fertilizers or growth promoters. Pomegranate seeds will take essential nutrients from the soil.
- The main thing is that the pot with the future tree is constantly warm.
Natural selection
When the shoots hatch, it is recommended to rearrange the pot on the south window. Young trees need a lot of light to grow and gain strength. Do not remove the film, but regularly ventilate the sprouts, slightly opening the improvised lid for 1-2 hours, and water. The soil must not be too wet or water accumulates at the bottom. In such cases, you need to stop watering for several days so that the substrate dries up, and further reduce the amount of liquid to moisten the soil.
If the seeds are planted in winter, the first leaves will appear on the shoots in early to mid-spring. Then the film is removed so that it does not interfere with the trees being pulled up. Only one plant is left in the pot, the strongest and largest. The rest must be carefully pulled out. You can simply pinch off the top, leaving the spine in the ground. It will gradually decompose, supplying the developing sprout with additional nutrients.
Important: Not all seeds planted in winter hatch in March-April. Some may take months to wake up, so empty pots without seedlings are recommended not to be thrown away, but set aside and continue to water. If after 6 months nothing happened, then the seeds did not germinate.
Picking
The seedlings may not be thinned out, but transplanted into separate containers. A pomegranate pick is carried out after the appearance of two real, not cotyledonous, leaves.
How to carry out the procedure?
- It will take several medium-sized pots. The amount depends on how many trees you plan to grow.
- Fill each pot with drainage and pine sawdust substrate.
- Make one hole 2–2.5 cm deep. Be sure to moisten the ground so that the pomegranate takes root quickly.
- Gently spread the roots over the fossa. Sprinkle the seedling with earth, tamp the soil a little.
- You can add water, but if the substrate is moist enough, watering should be postponed for several days.
Too thin and weak or crooked seedlings are recommended to be thrown away. Painful trees grow from them, which are constantly attacked by pests or fungi.
Irrigation water and sunlight
Pomegranate comes from warm countries, therefore, the tree adores the sun and tolerates high temperatures... The pot with the plant can be placed on the southern windowsill, closer to the light, but be sure to shade the delicate leaves from ultraviolet radiation. It is advisable to hang patterned curtains or blinds on the windows, which scatter the sun's rays and make them softer.
In summer, it is useful to take the pomegranate tree out to the balcony. The owners of summer cottages move the pot with the plant to the garden. On the fresh air pomegranate blooms faster and develops better. It is recommended to bury the pot with earth, hiding the seedling under a taller tree.
In winter, water pomegranates 2 times a week, and in summer up to 4–5. If the ground inside remains damp and the top layer dries quickly, it should be sprayed with a spray bottle. Water should not come into contact with tree leaves and flowers. Use only warm, settled liquid, into which fertilizers for indoor flowers or complexes for tomatoes and sweet peppers can be added in spring and summer. Among natural feeds, manure infusion and aquarium water... You need to fertilize the soil twice a month, before adding nutrients, pomegranates are watered abundantly.
Other nuances
- To make the tree fluffy, you need to pinch the fourth after the appearance of the third pair of leaves. This will cause the pomegranate to grow on top of two.
- The plant will bear fruit if grafted. In other cases, a tree grown from a stone only blooms, but no fruit appears on it.
- Closer to winter, around November or early December, the pomegranate sheds its leaves. When the last one falls, you need to take the pot to a cool greenhouse or cellar. The plant should overwinter at a temperature of + 5–0 degrees.
- From November to March, pomegranates are watered every 1.5–2 months. You don't need to fertilize.
During the flowering period, you can try to pollinate the plant with a brush or cotton swab. No one guarantees that an ovary will appear on the pomegranate, but it is likely that by autumn several fruits will ripen on thin branches. Even if the tree will not give birth annually, it is worth planting for the beautiful pink buds that will appear every 10 months.
Video: how to grow pomegranate