In the growing countries, pomegranate trees are grown for their fruits, in regions with cooler climates for the flowers. Both species are small trees or shrubs that can be cultivated without much effort.
How to grow a pomegranate tree?
To grow a pomegranate tree, you can use either seeds or cuttings. Seeds should be removed from pulp and placed in potting soil or peat. Cuttings require a planter with potting soil or a sand-peat mixture and temperatures around 20°C.
Ornamental or useful plant
The deciduous pomegranate tree thrives from southeastern Europe to the Himalayas, where the fruits have a long, sunny and dry summer to ripen. The main harvest time is between September and December. In this country the fruits usually do not manage to ripen. That's why flowering ornamental varieties such as: B. Punica granatum Nana popular.
Types of propagation
The pomegranate trees are propagated by seeds or cuttings. There is a risk that plants propagated vegetatively (from seeds) will not produce flowers. In plants propagated generatively (from cuttings), however, abundant flowering is often observed even on young plants. The flowers and fruits of home-grown pomegranate plants often take several years to appear.
Growing from seeds
For this purpose, thoroughly clean some of the fruit's cores from the pulp and place them in a planter filled with soil. Potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon) or peat are well suited as a substrate. It is important that this is loose and low in nutrients to promote root formation. The seeds are light germinators.
The germination time is 2-3 weeks depending on the temperature. The soil in the pot should be kept constantly moist and the temperature should not fall below 20°C. If the seedlings are visible, they need a lot of light for further development. If you place the seedlings outdoors, make sure that they go to a sheltered, warm, partially shaded place and slowly get used to the sun.
Growing from cuttings
To do this, cut off a leafless side shoot about 15 cm long before the new shoots appear in spring and put it in a planter with potting soil or a sand-peat mixture. Root formation occurs after about 4-6 weeks. Temperatures around 20°C and high humidity are optimal for development. Once the leaves have formed on the cutting, it can be repotted.
Tips & Tricks
For better germination, the seeds should soak in warm water for several hours.
