Content
- 1 Where is pomegranate grown?
- 2 Winter hardiness of pomegranate
- 3 Conditions for growing pomegranate
- 4 When to plant pomegranate
- 5 Where to plant pomegranate on the site
- 6 How to plant pomegranates in open ground correctly
- 7 How to grow pomegranate in the country
- 8 Features of growing pomegranate in open ground in different regions
- 9 Harvesting
- 10 Conclusion
- 11 Reviews about growing pomegranate
You can grow pomegranate in your own summer cottage, and you don’t have to put in much effort. The pomegranate requires routine care, although there are some basic rules regarding its cultivation.
Where is pomegranate grown?
Pomegranate is a very ancient plant, the cultivation of which began in ancient times. Initially, pomegranate grew in Central Asia, Turkey, Transcaucasia and Iran. However, it then spread throughout the Mediterranean countries, reaching North Africa and Southern Europe, and as a result, it now grows in almost all countries with a tropical and subtropical climate.
In Russia, pomegranate can be found mainly in the southern regions - in the Crimea and the Azov region, in the Krasnodar Territory and warm places in the North Caucasus. Sometimes you can find a plant in the middle zone, but such plantings are extremely rare. The fact is that pomegranate is very heat-loving, and planting and caring for pomegranate in open ground in regions with frosty winters is simply impossible.
Winter hardiness of pomegranate
For a heat-loving plant that feels most comfortable in the subtropics, pomegranate is quite resistant to cold, it can tolerate short frosts down to -15 °C. But, unfortunately, this does not make it truly winter-hardy, and the frost resistance of pomegranate remains very low. Not a single variety is able to safely survive a long, cold winter.
Already at -18 °C the plant begins to freeze out, the entire above-ground part of the pomegranate dies off, right down to the root collar. If the temperature drops even lower, the pomegranate root system also dies. The ideal temperature for pomegranate in winter is not lower than - 15 ° C; in such conditions it feels comfortable.
Conditions for growing pomegranate
In general, pomegranate can be considered a rather unpretentious plant; it is not too demanding on the quality of the soil, and calmly reacts to short-term drought or slight waterlogging. It’s easy to create conditions for it to grow - just select a site with light, neutral soil.
But at the same time, pomegranate makes two categorical requirements for growing conditions. It needs light and warmth; with a lack of sun and in a cold climate, the tree will not be able to develop.To grow in open ground, it is necessary to plant pomegranate in a well-lit area of the garden and, what is much more difficult, not to allow the temperature to drop below -15 °C throughout the year.
When to plant pomegranate
Heat-loving pomegranate is planted in open ground in the spring, usually in late April or early May. By the time of disembarkation, the air should steadily warm up to + 10-14 °C, and daylight hours should increase significantly compared to the winter period.
Where to plant pomegranate on the site
The plant is unpretentious in relation to the soil, but is sensitive to the amount of sunlight. Therefore, growing and caring for pomegranates should be done on the well-lit, warm side of the garden. It is best to place the grenade on a hill; be sure to ensure that the light of the grenade is not obscured by taller trees or the walls of buildings.
Pomegranate prefers sandy or loamy soil; it should be well-drained, loose and saturated with oxygen, neutral or slightly acidic.
How to plant pomegranates in open ground correctly
The success of growing pomegranate in open ground largely depends on the correctness of its planting. There are several ways to root a pomegranate tree in the garden.
How to plant pomegranate seedlings
Growing a seedling is the easiest and most convenient way, since such a pomegranate takes root most easily in the soil and quickly begins to bloom and bear fruit.
Preparations for planting pomegranates in open ground should begin at least a month in advance.The soil in the selected area is carefully dug up and cleared of weeds, then humus is added to it in an amount of 5 kg per meter, and then the area is covered with impermeable material so that beneficial microflora is formed in the ground.
The landing algorithm looks like this:
- at the end of April or beginning of May, a hole about 80 cm deep and 60 cm in diameter is dug in the prepared area;
- High, even pegs are installed in the center of the hole for subsequent gartering of the pomegranate;
- 10 cm of expanded clay, gravel or broken bricks are placed at the bottom of the hole, earth, fertile soil mixed with humus and sand are poured on top of the hill, and the top of the hill should reach the edge of the hole;
- the seedling is carefully lowered onto the top of the earthen hill, the roots are spread along its sides, and then the hole is completely filled with earth;
- the seedling is tied to pegs, and then the earth is lightly compacted around the trunk, a low earthen bank is formed around the circumference, and the plant is watered.
It is impossible to plant pomegranates in the fall - a young plant that has not had time to take root properly is unlikely to be able to withstand even a moderately cold winter.
How to plant pomegranate cuttings
Growing pomegranate from cuttings is another way to root a pomegranate tree in your area. Cuttings are used less frequently than seedlings, but the method is well suited if you need to increase the pomegranate population from an existing bush.
Before cutting pomegranates, it is necessary to cut the required number of shoots from the mother bush. It is best to take cuttings from young branches that have already begun to woody; each cutting should have at least 6 buds.
- Shoots are usually harvested in the fall, since pomegranate cuttings must be kept in cool conditions before planting in spring.
- The prepared shoots are wiped with a cloth soaked in a weak solution of copper sulfate, allowed to dry naturally, and the ends are wrapped with a damp cloth. Then the cuttings are placed in a plastic bag and placed on the top shelf of the refrigerator until spring. About once a month it is recommended to check the shoots and, if necessary, moisten the fabric.
- At the beginning of April, the cuttings are taken out of the refrigerator and placed with the lower end in a container half filled with warm water for a month. Place the container in a warm but shaded place; add water as it evaporates.
- At the beginning of May, prepared cuttings are planted directly in open ground - the stage of rooting shoots in pots is usually skipped. To plant pomegranate cuttings, it is necessary to choose a time when the return frosts have already ended and the soil has warmed up to at least + 12 °C in depth.
- To grow cuttings, select a place that meets the basic requirements of pomegranate for soil and lighting, dig small holes in the ground - when buried above the surface of the ground, only 1 bud of the cutting should remain.
- If you plan to plant several cuttings at once, then leave gaps of about 20 cm between them so that later the plants do not interfere with each other’s development.
- The cuttings are lowered into the holes, slightly tilted towards the sunny side, and the hole is filled with earth, and then the young plant is hilled up to the remaining bud.
The planted cuttings must be carefully watered and subsequently moistened the soil once a week.From time to time, the soil is loosened for better oxygen supply, and fertilizing is also applied once a week - first superphosphate, then complex, consisting of potassium, superphosphate and urea.
Rooting of cuttings takes about 2 months. After this time, young pomegranates are carefully dug up and their condition is assessed. A well-rooted cutting should reach about half a meter in height, have at least 4 lateral branches and well-developed roots. If the cutting meets these requirements, it can be transferred to a permanent place with similar growing conditions.
How to plant a pomegranate tree from a seed
Growing pomegranate from seeds is rarely practiced in open ground; usually the seedlings are so weak that they simply do not take root in the soil. Therefore, it is better to grow with seeds to grow pomegranate indoors, or to transplant the plant into the soil after it has become qualitatively stronger.
For sowing, take several seeds and place them in small containers with the usual soil for pomegranates. The seeds are lightly sprinkled with earth, watered, the containers are covered with film and put in a bright place without direct sunlight. Shoots usually appear after 2-3 weeks, after which the film can be removed. Pomegranate seedlings are regularly watered, fed with complex fertilizers every 1.5-2 weeks and periodically transplanted into larger containers.
How to grow pomegranate in the country
Proper planting is only the first stage of growing pomegranate.To get a strong tree capable of bearing fruit, you need to provide it with high-quality care and step by step grow pomegranate according to proven algorithms.
Watering and fertilizing
Pomegranate does not have particularly strict requirements for the amount of moisture and fertilizers. But for the rapid growth of a young tree and subsequent stable harvests, it is worth following the basic rules.
Water the pomegranate about once a week, or twice or thrice a week in hot, dry months. The soil around the pomegranate should not be waterlogged, but the soil should always remain slightly moist. After watering, it is recommended to loosen the soil - this will not allow moisture to stagnate and saturate the soil with oxygen.
As for feeding, in the first year the pomegranate will have enough fertilizer applied during planting. In the second year of life, you will need to feed the tree again with nitrogenous fertilizers in early spring and complex solutions closer to autumn, before fruiting.
Trimming
Caring for pomegranate seedlings and adult plants in open ground necessarily includes pruning. The pomegranate should be formed in the form of a spreading bush or tree on a low trunk with a large number of side branches. A pomegranate seedling is usually cut at a height of about 75 cm along the central shoot, the lowest and weakest branches are removed and about 4-5 developed shoots are left.
In subsequent years, the pomegranate is pruned at the tops of the branches by about a third of the annual growth. Every year it is necessary to carry out sanitary pruning, which consists of removing root shoots, as well as broken, dry and weak shoots.
Protection from diseases and pests
Pomegranate is a fairly disease- and pest-resistant crop, but some insects and fungal diseases also threaten this plant.
- Of the fungi, branch cancer is especially dangerous for pomegranate. The disease manifests itself primarily by cracking of the bark, drying out of the shoots and the appearance of ulcers on the branches of the tree with porous growths along the edges. Most often, cancer is provoked by low temperatures in winter, which weaken the pomegranate tree. To treat the plant, careful sanitary pruning is carried out and the cuts are treated with fungicidal agents, and subsequently the pomegranate is properly insulated during cold weather.
- Among the pests, the threat to pomegranate is the pomegranate aphid, which settles on young shoots and leaves of the plant. You can get rid of it using insecticides, homemade soap and tobacco solutions.
- The pomegranate moth can also harm the pomegranate; it lays eggs directly in the calyx of the fruit of an adult pomegranate or in damaged areas of the peel, and the emerging caterpillars eat the pomegranate fruits from the inside, which leads to the rotting of the pomegranates. Pest control is carried out by spraying with insecticides even at the stage of fruit set.
For preventive purposes, it is recommended to carefully monitor the condition of pomegranate shoots and leaves and promptly remove all diseased parts. In addition, during the fruiting period, fallen fruits that fall to the ground should be collected and destroyed so that the fruits, when rotting, do not turn into an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and insects.
Preparing for winter
Warming the plant for the winter is the most important stage in growing a pomegranate tree.Since at temperatures below - 10 ° C the heat-loving tree begins to freeze, immediately after harvesting it begins to be prepared for wintering.
- The lower branches of the pomegranate are tilted close to the ground and tied to pegs so that they do not straighten out.
- Leaves and young shoots, important for fruiting, are treated with Bordeaux mixture, and a dense layer of fertile soil is poured around the trunk and the soil is mulched with a layer of up to 15 cm.
- Spruce branches are laid out around the trunk, trying to cover the pomegranate branches as much as possible.
It is not necessary to remove the winter shelter immediately with the onset of spring, but only after establishing a stable positive temperature. After removing the spruce branches, the pomegranate is carefully treated with fungicides to prevent the development of fungus on the surface of the tree and in the soil near the trunk.
Features of growing pomegranate in open ground in different regions
Growing pomegranate is best done in a subtropical climate in the southernmost regions of the country. However, if the correct agricultural practices are followed, it is possible to grow pomegranate in colder regions, although in this case the pomegranate will require increased attention from the gardener.
Growing pomegranate in Crimea
Crimea is ideal for growing pomegranate trees - throughout the year it maintains exactly the weather that pomegranate prefers. Planting and caring for pomegranates in Crimea means that the pomegranate is watered and fed in a timely manner, as well as regular formative and sanitary pruning.
Since winters in Crimea are quite warm, before the onset of cold weather it is enough to carefully cover the pomegranate with spruce branches and mulch the ground around the trunk with a thick layer. This must be done at the end of October, after fruiting has ended.
Growing pomegranate in the Krasnodar region
The Krasnodar region is another comfortable zone for pomegranate in Russia. As in Crimea, winters here are mild, so gardeners can only provide basic pomegranate care - watering, fertilizing and regular pruning.
Since even in warm winters pomegranate can freeze severely, it is necessary to cover and thoroughly mulch the tree before the onset of cold weather. But pomegranate can easily tolerate temperatures down to -10°C or -15°C with basic care.
Growing pomegranate in the Moscow region
Pomegranate takes root in central Russia with great difficulty, since even warm winters in the Moscow region are accompanied by at least a couple of weeks of severe frosts. When the temperature drops below - 15 ° C or - 17 ° C, the pomegranate will inevitably freeze, at best above the surface of the earth, and at worst - to the very roots.
In isolated cases, gardeners manage to ensure a safe winter for the pomegranate by building a real “house” over the plant from materials impenetrable to snow and wind and covering such a hut with spruce branches and dense snow. However, pomegranates rarely bloom in such conditions, and you can’t expect them to bear fruit at all. If you want to grow pomegranate specifically to obtain juicy fruits, you should use a closed, heated greenhouse.
Growing pomegranate in Siberia
In the harsh climatic conditions of Siberia, pomegranate does not grow in the open air; winters here are not so mild that a heat-loving tree can safely endure them. However, even in Siberia, you can grow a pomegranate tree in a greenhouse, greenhouse, or indoors.
Harvesting
Pomegranate fruiting begins in the fall, and the harvest is usually harvested in October.It is quite simple to understand that the fruits are ripe - pomegranates acquire a uniform red or yellowish-pink color, depending on the variety. At this point, they must be removed from the branches, since overripe fruits may crack or fall to the ground and rot.
Pomegranate fruits are stored for quite a long time, and they need to be kept at a temperature of about 2 degrees with good ventilation. You should not leave pomegranates on an open balcony or veranda in winter at subzero temperatures, as this will cause the fruits to rot.
Conclusion
Growing pomegranate is not difficult when it comes to planting the plant in a warm subtropical climate. Pomegranate is not suitable for cultivation in the middle zone and in the north, but in a greenhouse it is possible to grow pomegranate even in Siberia.
