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Pruning pomegranate is an important stage in growing a garden or indoor plant. With regular, proper pruning, caring for the tree becomes easier. But you need to trim the pomegranate correctly, otherwise there is a risk of damaging its growth.
Why do you need to prune a pomegranate tree?
Despite the fact that wild pomegranates bloom and bear fruit without formation, cultivated plants require mandatory pruning. She helps:
- give a beautiful and geometrically correct shape to the fruit pomegranate;
- stimulate the development of lateral branches responsible for fruiting;
- strengthen the skeletal branches of the pomegranate and make it more resistant to bad weather;
- prevent excessive thickening of the crown;
- prevent the appearance of diseases and pests that more often affect pomegranates that are not pruned.
Timely formation of the pomegranate crown makes the fruit tree a noticeable element of landscape design. A well-groomed pomegranate blooms more abundantly and beautifully, and you can collect more fruits from it.
Types of pomegranate trimmings
In general, pomegranate pruning can be divided into several categories - formative, rejuvenating and sanitary. At different periods of life, all of the listed types of pruning are used for pomegranates, since each of them helps to achieve different goals.
Formative
Formative pruning helps to achieve, first of all, the decorative appearance of the pomegranate and makes the tree more convenient for growing. Such pruning is carried out at the very first stages of a tree’s life - at the stage of a seedling or even a cutting.
For example, formative pruning for a cutting will look like this:
- if the cutting grows with one stem, then pinch off its top at a height of 10-15 cm;
- the side branches of the pomegranate are pruned, forming no more than 6 shoots, and pinching and pruning should be carried out at the height where the crown should begin;
- A high, level support is placed next to the pomegranate trunk, to which the plant is tied - this will prevent the main shoot from bending.
If a pomegranate from a cutting initially produces several branches at once, then you need to wait until the shoots grow a little and remove the weakest and low-lying ones. The seedling is transplanted into open ground when it reaches half a meter in height, and the formation of the trunk and crown continues for the next year.
Using formative pruning, you can give the pomegranate the shape of a standard tree or a spreading bush. And at home, the plant is often turned into a decorative bonsai.
Sanitary
Sanitary pruning is important for pomegranate because it helps maintain the health of the tree. Its meaning is that every year pomegranates are removed from all damaged, dry and weakened branches, as well as from unnecessary shoots that thicken the crown.Thanks to sanitary pruning, pomegranates are less likely to suffer from fungal diseases and pests and grow stronger and healthier.
Rejuvenating
Anti-aging pruning is used for mature perennial pomegranates, whose growth has stopped and fruiting has deteriorated. Typically, during this process the crown is completely removed to stimulate the growth of young fruit shoots. Such pruning is carried out very rarely, approximately once every 25 years, after the pomegranate has almost exhausted its strength.
How to prune a pomegranate tree in the garden
Pruning pomegranate is aimed mainly at increasing its yield, as well as giving the tree a decorative appearance. In addition, pruning helps the pomegranate survive the winter easier, since a well-groomed tree is much easier to protect from frost.
How to trim pomegranates in spring
Most often, pomegranates are pruned in the spring, at the beginning of April, before the start of active vegetative processes. When pruning, you must adhere to the following rules:
- all growth in the lower part of the pomegranate and at its roots is removed;
- dry, broken and weakened branches are cut off at the root and then burned to prevent the occurrence of diseases;
- No more than 6 main shoots are left on the pomegranate bush; if it is very dense, the plant loses its decorative effect and begins to bear fruit worse;
- The branches of the tree are processed so that the middle of the crown has access to fresh air for ventilation and is clearly visible.
All work on pomegranate pruning in the spring must be carried out using sharp and clean garden tools. Cutting areas should be treated with garden varnish or fungicidal agents. This will help the pomegranate recover faster after formation and also prevent the tree from becoming infected with fungi and pests.
How to prune pomegranates in autumn
Autumn pruning of pomegranate is practically no different from spring pruning. During this process, it is also necessary to remove all weak, dry and broken branches, thin out the growth in the lower part of the bush and cut off excess shoots that thicken the crown. However, some important rules apply specifically to autumn formation.
- Pruning of pomegranate in the fall is carried out only after harvesting; the plant must finish the active growing season and prepare for winter dormancy.
- However, pomegranates need to be trimmed before the first frost. If by the time of pruning the tree has already retired, the procedure may damage the health of the pomegranate or disrupt its wintering.
How to form an indoor pomegranate
Fruit plant lovers often grow miniature pomegranates from seeds in pots. Pruning for indoor pomegranate is necessary in the same way as for garden pomegranate; it is responsible for the beautiful shape of the crown and also helps to improve the health of the plant.
Pomegranate pruning at home is carried out as follows:
- after the tree has grown a little, pinch it at a height of about 12 cm - this stimulates the growth of side shoots and will allow the pomegranate to form a spreading bush;
- if you want to give the plant the shape of a small tree, then you need to pinch the main shoot a little higher, at a level of 20 cm, or in the place where you want to get the crown of the plant;
- As young branches grow, they continue to be pinched and trimmed until the crown of the desired shape is formed.
After the formation of a pomegranate at home bears fruit, all that remains is to monitor the growth of the shoots and not allow them to disturb the initially given outlines.
Indoor pomegranates that have not been pruned, in principle, cannot acquire decorative outlines; they grow with only one stem vertically upward and look inconspicuous. And the flowering and fruiting of the plant occurs very late, even if all other growing rules are observed.
Forming a pomegranate bonsai
When forming an indoor pomegranate, you can turn your home plant into a bonsai - a miniature and very decorative artistic tree that will serve as a bright design element.
To create a bonsai, mature plants with a main trunk thickness of at least 2.5-3 cm are suitable. The formation procedure looks like this:
- all excess branches and shoots of the plant are removed;
- the main trunk is cut to the required height - usually about 20-25 cm;
- the trunk is carefully bent, making sure that it does not break, and fixed with a stiff wire to prevent it from straightening back out;
- the remaining branches are also bent at will at the desired angle and fixed with fishing line;
- as the shoots grow, they are pruned so as not to disturb the outline of the formed crown;
- The crown of a pomegranate bonsai is left sufficiently thinned out, otherwise mold may appear in the thickened branches.
Caring for a homemade pomegranate bonsai is carried out in the same way as for an ordinary tree; it must be watered, fed and transferred to new containers as it grows. The main attention should be paid to maintenance pruning, since without it the tree can quickly thicken the crown and lose its decorative appearance.
The branches and shoots of the plant are very flexible, so in the photo of caring for and pruning homemade pomegranate, you can see that with due effort the miniature tree easily takes on the desired shape. At the same time, pruning and shaping in the bonsai style does not affect the health of the home tree; the pomegranate continues to grow and develop, although it requires more careful observation and care.
Advice from experienced gardeners
In addition to the basic rules for growing and pruning pomegranates, there are important nuances that experienced gardeners know about. When caring for a pomegranate tree, you need to know some secrets of successful formation.
- Pomegranate branches bear fruit for no more than 4 years in a row.After this, you can safely prune them, since they will no longer participate in the harvest.
- After pruning a young or adult plant, the cut areas must be treated with garden antiseptics and fungicides. It is important to prevent the cuttings from becoming infected, otherwise, after pruning, the pomegranate may develop fungal diseases or attract insect pests.
- After about 25 years of life, the pomegranate practically stops bearing fruit. During this period, it is recommended to radically trim the crown to the very root. This will not harm the tree. Soon new shoots will appear on the trunk, of which 4-5 of the strongest shoots will need to be left for further development.
Although pomegranate in standard form looks very attractive, in the northern regions of the country experienced gardeners recommend pruning so that the pomegranate takes on a bush shape. Pomegranate is a heat-loving plant, and a spreading bush is much more convenient to cover and insulate with the onset of cold weather than a tall standard tree.
Conclusion
Pruning pomegranate is a procedure that must be carried out when caring for a garden or indoor fruit plant. Sanitary pruning helps maintain the health of the pomegranate tree, while shaping and maintenance trims help maintain the attractive shape of the pomegranate and increase annual yields.
