Interesting features: how the pomegranate blooms, as well as the rules of care and problems when growing
What a spectacle is a blooming pomegranate! Whoever has seen this at least once will never forget. It seems like an outlandish rose garden is spread out in front of you.
Soft green foliage of a shrub combined with bright orange-red slightly double flowers. The first mention of the cultivation of pomegranate can be traced in the annals of the Battle of Marathon, dating to 490 BC. e.
The ancient Greeks sang the fruits and flowers of pomegranate in the well-known poem of Homer "Odyssey." Not surprisingly, the desire of many gardeners to grow pomegranates in their greenhouse or on the window, see its beautiful flowering, and of course, collect their own crops.
In the article we will show a pomegranate tree in bloom, tell you when a houseplant is blooming, you will also learn the reasons why it does not bloom in the garden and what to do about it?
Features of flowering pomegranate tree
In the open ground
How and when do pomegranate trees bloom? Pomegranate - a plant "not like everyone else." This can be seen by delving into the study of its features. In a hot desert, plant life is ephemeral: everything blooms and grows in early spring, and by summer, having borne fruit, it will burn out under the scorching sun. Flowers of poppies and tulips “burn” in a few days with an orange flame. Pomegranate is not a hasty plant. In spring, he blossoms his delicate foliage, and by summer only flowers appear.
Pomegranate bush blooms for 3-4 years. A normal fruit yield can be obtained for 4-6 years. This is due to the fact that there are five times less female flowers on a pomegranate than male flowers. And the younger the plant, the fewer fruits can be set.
When does it bloom? The flowering of the pomegranate bush is plentiful and long, from the end of spring to the beginning of autumn, on one plant you can often observe buds, open flowers, and ripening fruits. Pomegranate flowers are large, up to 5 -7 cm in diameter, orange-red in color, single, self-pollinated.
At the beginning of the blooming, the pomegranate flower looks a little crumpled, after the tender petals are straightened. An abundance of flowering does not mean a rich harvest. Most flowers fall and do not give an ovary. Flowers have many stamens in the center.Pomegranate has 3 types of flowers:
- Women. Water lily with long pestles. After flowering, an ovary forms.
- Men's. They are bell-shaped and have long stamens.
- Sterile. Small, bell-shaped. They are the most on the plant.
At home
What month does the tree bloom? Pomegranate blooms in the room, as in natural conditions of growth, for 3-4 years of life. Flowering begins in June and continues until September, also, along with the formation of fruits. The only difference between a flowering pomegranate in a room will not be such abundant flowering as in open ground. The exception is specially equipped greenhouses, where natural conditions are recreated and which not everyone can brag of.
Photo
The photo shows flowering pomegranate trees.
Care Rules
What are the nuances of blooming pomegranate? If a young plant is blooming, it is advisable to remove some of the flowers. Abundant flowering in the early years of life greatly depletes the strength of the pomegranate. Pomegranate needs abundant watering and spraying of the crown in summer. Also, for plentiful flowering, plants need to be fed with fertilizers. In May - foliar top dressing with Gumisol solution.
In June, we begin feeding the flowering plants with infusion of horse manure or mullein, followed by feeding every 2 weeks. Mineral fertilizers are best applied to the soil in spring. Of the "long-playing" AVA has proven itself.Possible problems
Why doesn't pomegranate blossom? It happens, you work, you grow, you feed a plant, but it, ungrateful, does not want to bloom. Many amateur gardeners face this problem. What is the reason? The causes can be 2 types: natural and unnatural.
Natural
- Plant age younger than 3 years. Young specimens have not yet accumulated enough strength for flowering. In addition, the nature of each species has its own age for entry into flowering and fruiting.
- Not a season. Pomegranate grows in a subtropical climate. This means that the plant has a dormant period.
Unnatural
- Crop not done. In January, before the pomegranate leaves open, cut off most of the small branches and excess root shoots. Also, during the growing season, the growing branches of the pomegranate are slightly shortened.
As a result, the plant should have 4-6 main skeletal branches, 40% of the total vegetative mass should be young growth. Another interesting way to form a pomegranate is in the form of a small tree with a stem. In this case, the entire root shoot is removed.
- Watering is broken. In summer, pomegranates are watered daily or every other day. In September, watering is reduced and the land is moistened twice a week. By November, watering should be reduced to once a week. You can understand that it’s time to water pomegranate by touching the top layer of soil in a pot. Dry? Then feel free to water.
How the soil in the pot will dry out depends on what air temperature is in the room, how long the plant has been replanted, the type of pot (plastic or ceramic). In a ceramic pot, the earth will dry much faster.
- Pomegranate is responsive to feeding. We need monthly top dressing from April to September (alternately with mineral and organic fertilizers).
- Pomegranate is in a shaded place. With insufficient lighting, pomegranate grows poorly and blooms. At home, windows that look on all sides except the north ones will do. On the southern windows in summertime, shading is important. In summer, pomegranates are best taken to the balcony or to the garden, where it will be until autumn.
- The plant was not replanted or the pot was selected incorrectly. Very young plantlets, under the age of 3 years, do not transplant. They can change the topsoil in the spring, before flowering. After reaching 3 years, the plants are replanted annually, provided that the pomegranate feels well and the root system has filled the old pot.
Which land to choose? In nature, pomegranate is undemanding to soils and grows on sandy or dry stony soils. If you want the plant to bloom lushly and abundantly, we choose a rich sod-podzolic land. Be sure to pour a layer of drainage on the bottom of the pot. Pomegranate does not tolerate stagnation of water.
The root system of the pomegranate is superficial. The pot needs a shallow and wide one.
- Pomegranate was not administered at rest.. In November, pomegranate drops almost all the leaves and remains at rest until the end of February. At this time, watering is reduced, the plant is transferred to a cooler room with an air temperature of + 10-12 degrees. In an apartment where there is no cool loggia and basement, you can simply move the grenades close to the window. In room conditions, it is enough for the plant to arrange a 2-3 week rest for normal development and flowering.
- Fall of flowers due to diseases and pests. Pomegranate can be damaged by many diseases and pests. We list the main ones.
Pests:
- scale shield;
- whitefly;
- aphid;
- codling moth;
- spider mite.
Disease
- gray rot;
- cancer of roots and branches;
- powdery mildew.
Pests and diseases weaken plants, therefore, pomegranate may simply not have enough strength to bloom.
Finding the cause of the lack of pomegranate bloom due to pests is the easiest. Plants become sluggish, grow poorly, pests can be seen with the naked eye.The only exception is the spider mite. This type of pest is so small in size that it can only be seen through a magnifying glass. But on diseased plants you can see leaves entangled in cobwebs.
When dealing with pests, such complex preparations as Fitoverm, Aktara are suitable. In case of damage with a spider mite, Actellik has proven himself well. When processing the earth in a pot, you need to close it with polyethylene. Pomegranate diseases arise due to excessive watering of plants.
Therefore, watering must be reduced, loosened the top layer of soil. Sick root rot plants need to be pulled out of the pot, cut off all rotten roots and sprinkled with fine coal.
Recommendations to gardeners
After flowering pomegranate, in the fall, watering and top dressing gradually reduce. To ripen the ovaries, fertilizing with potassium phosphate fertilizer is carried out. Only large, viable ovaries are left on the plant. Pruning is carried out, removing most of the small branches. Growing and achieving flowering is not so difficult, the basic rules for caring for pomegranate are the same as for many other crops. As the saying goes - there would be a desire!