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Dwarf pomegranate Nana is an unpretentious indoor plant belonging to the exotic species of pomegranate of the loosestrife family.
The Nana pomegranate variety comes from ancient Carthage, where it was called “grainy apple.” Today this plant is common as a food crop in Tunisia.
Dwarf pomegranate Nana is a low tree up to 1 meter long with thorny branches and pointed oblong leaves. This exotic variety produces color in late spring. The flowering period continues all summer.
The pomegranate flower has a hard perianth covering the delicate petals inside. During the season, many asexual flowers similar to bells appear on the tree. Fruiting flowers look like small water lilies. One tree, under good maintenance conditions, bears fruit for 7 to 20 years.
From the outside, the dwarf variety looks like a smaller copy of a garden tree. Nana pomegranate is popular among amateur gardeners for its unpretentious maintenance and beautiful appearance.
Features of growing indoor pomegranate Nana
Dwarf pomegranate is grown at home. In spring, young leaves acquire a bronze color, in summer they turn green, and by autumn they turn yellow.The fruits grow up to 7 cm in diameter and in appearance resemble an ordinary garden pomegranate. This is a brown berry in the shape of a ball, divided into chambers with seeds inside. Each seed is placed in a pomegranate juice capsule. Dwarf Nana pomegranate is not inferior to ordinary garden pomegranate in terms of beneficial properties, but its taste is a little sour.
At home, preference is given to growing the bush variety of pomegranate Nana. The plant is kept mainly for flowering; the fruit ovaries are removed or only a couple of pomegranates are left. If you leave all the ovaries, fruiting depletes the pomegranate, and the shrub may not bloom the next year.
For planting, dwarf pomegranate requires a wide but low flowerpot. This will allow the roots to develop so the plant can bear fruit. It is necessary to cut off and replant young shoots of the same year every year. An adult pomegranate requires replanting once every four years.
Planting and caring for dwarf pomegranate Nana
For home growing, the dwarf Nana pomegranate is simple and unpretentious.
A few rules for planting and care:
- Planting is done in the spring. A shoot with a root ball is placed in a container filled with expanded clay drainage. To give the roots room to grow, replanting is done every 3 years in a wide pot.
- Lighting. The plant needs sunlight for no more than 3 hours a day. Therefore, the pomegranate is placed on the windowsill of any side of the house except the north.
- Temperature. For the dwarf Nana pomegranate, the optimal temperature is +20-25⁰С. If it's too hot, it loses its leaves and slows growth. The plant is taken to a cool place.
- Watering. Only when the top layer of soil dries out. At least twice a week. Water for irrigation is taken at room temperature.
- Humidity. Periodically spray the dwarf pomegranate with cool water. High air humidity is well reduced by frequent ventilation of the room.
- The soil. For pomegranate, select a good nutrient mixture - loose consistency, moist and breathable.
- Feeding. Regular feeding is needed. During the flowering period, feed at least twice a month with nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers. In autumn, potassium fertilizers are used. Fruiting pomegranate bushes are fed with organic matter.
- Trimming. The first pruning is done at the beginning of the growing season after winter. The shoot is cut off above the bud, leaving about five internodes. After pruning, 5-6 strong branches are left on the bush. If the plant is pruned too much, it weakens.
Diseases and pests
The dwarf Nana pomegranate is susceptible to disease and suffers from pests, like other indoor plants. Preventive procedures and timely treatment will prolong the life of the plant.
Diseases
One of the most common diseases of Nana pomegranate is powdery mildew. The reasons for the appearance are sudden temperature changes in the room, poor ventilation or humid air. For treatment, treat with a solution of soda ash and soap (5 g per 1 l). For large affected areas, use a fungicide (Topaz, Skor).
If the roots of the dwarf pomegranate turn yellow, reduce watering. Excessive moisture causes the roots to rot. You need to remove them manually, cutting out the damaged area, and wash the rest in potassium permanganate. Sprinkle the sections with activated carbon. Change the soil to a new mixture.
If the bark on the branches is cracked, and spongy swellings are visible in the recesses of the crack, this is branch cancer.The disease covers the plant and it dies. Hypothermia of the pomegranate contributes to the occurrence of branch cancer.
Pests
In indoor conditions, the dwarf Nana pomegranate is threatened by the following pests: spider mites, scale insects or whiteflies. Scale insects are collected by hand. Whitefly eggs are washed off in the shower, and the plant is treated with Derris. The mite web is removed from the leaves with a swab dipped in garlic tincture. In case of severe damage, pomegranates are treated with special insecticides - Fitoverm, Aktara or Aktellik.
Reproduction
At home, the dwarf Nana pomegranate is grown using seeds, cuttings or seeds.
Seeds
This method is used to breed a new type of selection. The material must be soaked for a day in a growth stimulator (Kornevin), then dried and planted. Keep the seedlings in a bright and warm place, periodically spray them with settled water. Plant the seedlings in cups after the first three leaves appear. Dwarf pomegranate grown from seeds bears fruit in 6-7 years.
Bone
Before planting, soak for 12 hours in water with Zircon (3 drops per 0.5 tbsp.). The seeds are planted to a depth of 1 cm in a pot with drainage. In the room where the seedlings are located, the temperature should not exceed +25-27⁰С. Water with settled water.
For transplantation, select strong sprouts with 2-3 leaves. Shoots up to 10 cm with three or more leaves are pinched for better tillering. Young bushes need sun and air baths for at least 2 hours a day. Pots with transplanted shoots are kept on the windowsill, periodically covering the window with paper.
Cuttings
The most optimal and highly productive method of propagating dwarf pomegranate. Young shoots are rooted in summer.For seedlings, select a well-ripened shoot up to 15 cm long, with 3-4 buds from an adult fruit-bearing tree. They are planted to a depth of 3 cm. The seedlings are ventilated and sprayed every day. After 2-3 months, rooted pomegranate is transplanted into pots. The grown cuttings will bear fruit after two years.
Conclusion
With good care, the dwarf Nana pomegranate delights owners with the exotic appearance of round fruits and bright purple flowers. This plant seems to sense the good mood of its gardener. Therefore, the kinder and more careful you care for it, the better the pomegranate grows.
Nana planted pomegranate seeds in early spring. Now three flowers have bloomed on a 10 cm tall plant! I don’t know if fruits are formed)). We'll watch.