Content
The astringent taste of pomegranate is known to almost everyone. The sight of juicy grains, densely accumulated under a tough peel, evokes reflections from flower growers - is it possible to grow pomegranates at home? Caring for the plant, judging by the statements of experienced gardeners, does not require special skills. A minimum of patience, a little time, correct agricultural technology - and a curly bush will take its rightful place in the interior of the apartment.
The homeland of flowering fruit plants is the dry subtropical zones of South Asia. In open ground, deciduous trees or large shrubs are cultivated in the Krasnodar Territory, Transcaucasia and the Crimea. Distributed everywhere from the Mediterranean to the Himalayas.
There are only 2 species in the Pomegranate (Punica) genus of the Derbennikovye family, of which only one is grown under indoor conditions - common pomegranate.
In nature, pomegranate is a coppice shrub or small tree reaching 6 meters in height; indoor varieties do not exceed 1 m.
Depending on the conditions of room culture, the plant can be deciduous and evergreen. Shoots with grayish-brown bark are erect and strongly branching. Foliage 2 to 8 cm long, on a short reddish petiole or sessile, opposite, lanceolate-oval, whole-edged.
Flowers are bright, decorative, self-pollinated, singly located at the ends of the shoots. Calyx of 3-6 teeth, fleshy, bright scarlet or pinkish, slightly lighter at the ends of the teeth. Petals of a rich scarlet or crimson shade, less often milky white or sunny yellow. Flowering is long - the buds open alternately from late May to September.
The fruits are spherical pomegranates with many seeds in a juicy cover and a persistent calyx, inedible in many decorative indoor varieties, but there are also fruits with a pleasant sweet and sour taste.
Florists consider the following to be the best varieties for home growing:
To grow pomegranates indoors, choose a deep but small pot or container - the plant develops better when the roots are a little cramped. Young specimens are transplanted annually, older ones every 2-3 years.
The tree is undemanding to the composition of the soil mixture, because in natural conditions it grows on poor gravelly, sandy or rocky soils. From ready-made store-bought soil mixtures, the soil for flowering plants is quite suitable for him.
Self-prepared soil mixture includes the following components taken in equal volumes:
Planting a pomegranate does not involve any particular difficulties. At the bottom of the container, a low layer of drainage from expanded clay or pebbles is laid. The pot is filled by a third with soil mixture, the roots of the plant are placed in it and the remaining space is filled with soil to the level of the root collar. Moisten, sprinkle on top with a thin layer of sand and do not water for the next 2-3 days - the roots need to gain a foothold in the new soil mixture.
Advice
The soil in a flower container with pomegranate must be loosened regularly.
In the apartment, a room pomegranate is placed near the southern windows. During dormancy, the plant is transferred to cool rooms with a temperature of at least 8-10 degrees Celsius (insulated loggias or glazed balconies), the surface of the earthen ball is mulched with sawdust. Without wintering in such conditions, the tree refuses to bear fruit.
In the spring, with the arrival of heat, the container with the pomegranate is taken out into the garden for fresh air. The plant is not afraid of exposure to direct sunlight, but at first, until it gets used to bright light, it is better to shade it slightly so that the foliage does not burn. In September, the tree is returned to the apartment.
If you grow indoor pomegranate simply as a flowering plant, then it is easy to take care of it. Difficulties at home arise with fruiting, which can be difficult to achieve.
Photophilous pomegranate. This is one of the few plants that is not afraid of bright midday rays. In winter, when cloudy weather lasts too many days in a row, the grenade needs additional lighting. In the event of a lack of lighting during the growing season, the tree drops its foliage.
For the normal development of the pomegranate, it is not so much high temperatures that are important as the total duration of days with thermometer readings in the range of 24-26 degrees above zero. In a room setting, heat is enough for him to ripen the fruits.
For a plant, a dormant period is important with a decrease in temperature to 10-12 degrees Celsius. At this time, deciduous varieties shed their leaves, evergreens winter with a crown.
Indoor pomegranate is a moisture-loving plant. From March to August, it is advisable to maintain a constant uniform moisture in the earthen coma, then the frequency of watering is gradually reduced to moderate throughout the autumn and winter: it is watered on the 3-4th day after the top layer of soil in the pot has dried. With the arrival of spring, the intensity of moisture is restored.
In hot summer weather, pomegranate bushes are periodically or regularly sprayed.
The plant needs daily feeding using solutions of mineral and organic fertilizers. In the spring, nitrogen-containing compositions are used to effectively build up green mass, and with the beginning of bud formation, fertilizers with a predominance of phosphorus and potassium for friendly flowering.
Decorative pomegranate grows quickly, literally after six months, the rooted cuttings may need to trim shoots to form a spectacular crown in the form of a single-stemmed tree or bush of 4-6 main skeletal branches. In one season, several pruning will be required, in the process of which the root growth is removed, the shoots growing inside the crown, the tops of the branches are pinched, which are much ahead of the growth of the main pagons.
Before the beginning of the resting period, it is advisable to shorten the branches by a third, given that the fruits of the pomegranate are formed on ripened last year's pagons.
In the spring, at the end of February - beginning of March, dry branches, tops growing vertically upward, and root growth are removed.
To grow new copies of indoor pomegranate, they practice propagation by cuttings and grafting, as well as the seed method.
As a rule, a stock is grown from seeds, because varietal qualities are lost with this method, unless the purpose of obtaining a new plant is not a fruit tree, but a flowering tree.
Advice
Sowing seeds is recommended to be carried out using planting material that has just been extracted from the fruit. Dried seeds lose their germination.
For crops, use a light peat-sand mixture. In January-February, the seeds are buried 1 cm, no more, they are constantly watered, they make sure that the soil does not remain too wet or overdried.
Shoots appear in about 15 days.After a couple of months, the plants grow real leaves. Seedlings are transplanted into separate pots, when they grow 3-4 pairs of leaves, then continue home care and growing as in the case of an adult pomegranate.
At the beginning of the first summer month, the seedlings are taken out into the fresh air and installed in a corner of the garden with diffused lighting, for example, in the shade of a tree with a thin crown.
Reproduction of indoor pomegranate is also carried out using apical semi-lignified cuttings after spring or summer pruning. The cut part of the cutting is treated with Kornevin and immersed in a peat-sand mixture. Cover with plastic wrap. The mini-greenhouse is regularly watered and aired. The appearance of a new leaf at the top indicates that the plant has rooted successfully - after that, the film is removed. The seedling is transplanted into a soil mixture for adult pomegranates after the formation of 2-3 pairs of new leaves.
Dwarf pomegranate is able to please with flowering already in the first year of life, but experienced flower growers recommend not leaving the ovary so as not to weaken the plant. Only next year is the development and ripening of 2-3 fruits permissible.
Reproduction by grafts is used in their practice by experienced flower growers.
The pomegranate flower is a well-known water-bread, but it perceives waterlogging painfully - yellowish and brown spots form on the leaf plates. Foliage crumbles from lack of lighting.
The most common disease affecting the pomegranate houseplant is powdery mildew. The reason for its appearance is infection from other plants located in the vicinity. It also happens when a pomegranate tree is placed in a room with sharp temperature changes at night and during the day, as well as with poor air circulation. Plants with a mild form of damage are treated with a soda solution (5 g in one liter of water) with the addition of a small amount of laundry soap. Severely diseased bushes are treated with fungicides in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Another disease that plagues indoor pomegranates is branch cancer. It manifests itself in the form of cracks bordered by spongy swellings. The cause of the disease is mechanical damage during pruning or severe hypothermia. It is difficult to treat a diseased plant. Sometimes the timely removal of the affected areas saves, but in most cases the tree dies.
Pest insects, most often observed on the home pomegranate, - aphid, spider mites, shield and whitefly... With a slight lesion, they are removed with a sponge dipped in soapy water, especially carefully examine the underside of the leaf plates - they come across leaves with an egg clutch of parasitic insects. In case of a mass invasion, pomegranate bushes are sprayed with "Aktellik", "Fitoverm" or "Aktara".
Almost everyone knows about the benefits of pomegranate juice. However, homemade pomegranate bushes do not always delight the grower with full-fledged fruits with excellent taste.
In addition to juice, other parts of the plant are used in cooking and cosmetology to get rid of various problems. For example, pomegranate flowers are eaten - they add a spicy taste to some salads.
From the rubbed leaves, cosmetic masks are prepared that prevent hair loss and help lighten age spots on the face and hands, as well as heal the skin from acne.
Therefore, home pomegranate is not only an elegant flowering houseplant, but also useful. To obtain fruits, they diligently carry out all the necessary agrotechnical measures, but the cultivation of trees for decorating the interior is quite limited by minimal care - timely watering, loosening the soil and ensuring a cool wintering.
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