The word "pomegranate" in Latin means "grainy." In ancient times, the fruits of pomegranate were called "grainy apples", and later - "seed apples". Pomegranate grows mainly in a subtropical climate, preferring heat, humidity and a large amount of sun. In nature, a tree can reach a height of 6 meters. At home, pomegranate is a small decorative bush up to 1 meter high with fruits up to 6 centimeters in diameter.
What pomegranate can be grown at home
Pomegranate is an exotic plant, and many do not know that it can also be grown at home from seed, like lemon and other citrus fruits. This is quite easy to do, as pomegranate does not need special soil and care. The plant is unpretentious and grows well. The best place to place it at home is a sunny window or a balcony with heating.
From purchased fruits, you can’t get berries of good taste, since almost all the pomegranates available on the market are hybrids. But to grow such an exotic is worth at least for the sake of magnificent flowering, when the entire tree literally dresses in purple inflorescences or individual flowers. Pomegranate tree blooms all summer.
Pomegranate tree can bloom all summer
Most often, dwarf pomegranate is grown at home, the flowering of which begins already in the first year after sowing. It is recommended to pick off the first flowers so that the plant grows stronger. Next year, fruit will be tied. But dwarf pomegranate seeds may not bloom for several years. In this case, it should be vaccinated.
Pomegranate tree is resistant to dry air and compact, its height does not exceed 1 meter. Such pomegranate is often grown as an ornamental plant. It blooms beautifully for a long time and makes it possible to practice creating a bonsai.
You can create a decorative bonsai from dwarf pomegranate
In room culture, the following varieties are grown:
- Baby
- Uzbekistan
- Carthage;
- Shah-nar;
- Ruby.
Collection and preparation of seeds for planting
Favorable time for sowing pomegranate seeds, according to gardeners, are November and February. Seeds sown during these periods can be planted in a week, at another time you can wait for seedlings for more than one month.
It is better to plant closer to spring, the seedlings are stronger, and you don’t have to suffer with illumination all winter.
Seeds for sowing are taken from a large ripe fruit without signs of rot and damage. Ripe seeds are hard and smooth, seeds have a white or cream color. If the color is green, and the seeds are soft to the touch, then they are not suitable for planting.
Hard and smooth seeds are chosen for planting.
When buying ready-made seeds, it is necessary to check the expiration date, seed weight, company logo, variety. All this should be indicated on the package. It is better to make a purchase in a specialized store, and not in the market from strangers.
Preparing seeds for planting:
- Seeds are cleaned of pulp and washed well with water. In order to properly clean the pulp to prevent rot subsequently, rub the bones with a paper towel.
Seeds must be washed with water and thoroughly cleaned of pulp
- Then they are soaked in a small amount of water on a saucer with the addition of two or three drops of Epin or Zircon to stimulate germination. Seeds should be half covered with water and left as such for 12 hours. Water should be added as it evaporates, preventing the seeds from drying out.
Water is added as it evaporates.
- The container is put in a cool place without drafts.
Landing instruction
To sow pomegranate seeds at home, you need to do the following:
- Prepare the ground. It can be any, the main condition is friability, moisture and air permeability, preferably slightly acidic or neutral (pH from 6.0 to 7.0). But this does not mean that pomegranate will not be able to take root on other soils, in natural conditions it grows both on clay and on sand. Of the finished soils, the best choice is for roses or begonias. Recommended mixture in equal parts:
- humus;
- turf land;
- sheet earth;
- river sand.
Ready grown soil for roses or begonias may be suitable for growing pomegranate.
- Prepare a container for sowing. It can be a plastic container, a wooden box for flowers or a flower pot. The dishes for sowing are selected shallow, since the root system of the pomegranate grows in breadth. The size of the container depends on the number of seeds to be sown, taking into account a certain distance between them (about 2 cm).
- Put a layer of drainage on the bottom. As drainage, you can use:
- expanded clay;
- small pebbles;
- broken brick;
- fragments of ceramic pots.
Expanded clay is best used as drainage.
- Fill the container with soil and pour clean water on top.
- Spread the bones evenly over the surface and carefully bury them in the ground by 1-1.5 cm. The soil on top must be loose, it does not need to be compacted.
The soil must be loose
- Cover the container with a lid or film to create a greenhouse effect, put in a warm, bright place.
Video: preparation and sowing of pomegranate seeds
Seedling care
The first shoots appear after about 1-2 weeks. As they grow, the film must be periodically opened, gradually increasing the opening time, and when the leaves appear completely removed. Shoots need to be regularly moistened, not allowing the soil to dry out.
After the leaves appear, the film is removed
In winter, when the day is short, use fluorescent lights for additional lighting, increasing the duration of daylight hours to 12 hours.
Video: sowing seeds and forming pomegranate
Transplanting a seedling into a larger pot
Seedlings need to be planted in separate pots after the appearance of two or three true leaves. Choose the strongest and most healthy plants. The pot for the first landing should not be large, a diameter of 7-10 cm is sufficient.
The transplantation of the pomegranate plant is not well tolerated; usually they are transshipped along with a lump of earth.
Transplanting seedlings is carried out in the following order:
- Prepare a pot with a diameter of 2-3 cm larger than the previous one.
- At the bottom of the pot is placed a drainage layer of 1-2 cm, then the soil to half.
- Seedlings are carefully removed with a spoon or spatula along with the ground near the roots.
Pomegranate seedlings taken out along with a lump of land
- Place the plant on the ground in the center of the new pot and fill the free space on the sides with soil at the level of an earthen coma. It is not necessary to deepen - they will not bloom.
Each seedling is planted in the center of a separate pot.
- Watered with warm water and put in a sunny place.
In the first three years, plants are transplanted every year, gradually increasing the size of the pot. A transplant is carried out in the spring with swelling of the kidneys. Trees older than three years are replanted every three years or as needed. A five-liter pot is enough for an adult indoor plant. Too large a pot can cause flowering to cease.
It should be noted that pomegranate grows better and blooms in a slightly cramped pot.
Video: how to transplant a room pomegranate
How to plant pomegranate
Pomegranate grown from seed rarely preserves maternal properties. And if it is a stone of the usual pomegranate, bought in a store or on the market, then it will begin to bloom and bear fruit only after 7-8 years.
In order to get a varietal plant, a varietal stalk is grafted onto it. Vaccination is done in the spring, during the awakening of the kidneys. Scion for scion should have a diameter equal to the diameter of the stock.
There are more than 150 types of vaccinations. You can choose any depending on the thickness of the stock (seedling) and scion (cuttings). Consider a popular option for thin stocks - a simple copulation.
Thin stocks are young wild animals that need to be turned into varietal trees. The essence of copulation is very simple: on the stock and scion, make oblique sections of the same size and tightly press them together to grow together.
The stock and scion should be the same in diameter
The sequence of operations:
- Wipe the stock with a damp, clean cloth. On a smooth area, make an oblique even cut at an acute angle of 20-25 degrees. The slice is made with a sharp knife with a movement towards itself. The length of the cut is much larger than the diameter to increase the area of contact of the stock and scion.
The cut is done at an acute angle
- Make a cut on the handle the same as on the stock, retreating 1 cm down from the bottom kidney. At the top of the handle above the third kidney, make a cut at an angle of 45 ° towards the kidney.
- Connect the scion to the stock so that the surface of the sections coincide, and firmly press them to each other.
- Fix the place of vaccination by wrapping it tightly with elastic tape or plastic film. It is very important to prevent the displacement of the connected parts. If a kidney is located in the area of the winding, then it is better to leave it open.
The place of vaccination is wrapped with elastic tape or film
- Coat the top layer of the cuttings with garden varnish so that the kidney does not dry.
- A clean plastic bag can be put on the vaccination site to reduce evaporation.
The vaccine can be considered successful if the scion and stock are grown together and the buds start growing. After a successful vaccination, pomegranate blooms in 3-4 years.
In our climate, it is impossible to grow pomegranates in the garden, but people enthusiastic successfully grow it at home. To grow pomegranates from the bones of the house on the windowsill is quite real, uncomplicated and very interesting.
