Pomegranate is a fruit tree about 6 meters high, but you can also find pomegranate in the form of a bush. It has thin thorny branches covered with grayish-brown bark. Its light green, glossy leaves form clusters. It can bloom from May to August with large, bell-like, red-orange, yellow or white flowers. There are a lot of such flowers on a tree.
Pomegranate fruits have rounded outlines up to 12 cm in diameter and weighing up to 500 grams. Fruit color can be yellow-red or red-brown. Inside it, in 9-12 cells in a juicy shell, there are many seeds of a sweet and sour taste. This pulp contains monosaccharides, various acids, polyphenols, vitamins and tannins. Up to 60kg of fruit can be harvested from one tree.
The pomegranate is widespread in the Middle East, Greece, Italy, the Caucasus, the Crimea, etc. In the wild, it is rare, mainly cultivated in the countries of the tropical and subtropical zones.
Growing a pomegranate fruit tree
This tree can produce a good harvest if grown properly. The main condition is warmth and a sufficient amount of light. Propagated by pomegranate seeds, cuttings and layering. For planting, seeds are used that are inside the fruit, but they need to be prepared before planting. To do this, the seeds are dried within 24 hours, and then placed in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.
For planting, you can use small pots with ready-made soil, which is used for growing flowers indoors. The pot must have a drainage system. The soil is poured into the pot and watered abundantly. A seed ready for planting is placed in this ground, to a depth of 1 cm. To speed up the growth process, the pot is covered with plastic wrap and placed in a warm place in the sun. After the sprout appears, the plastic wrap can be removed. A small but well-strengthened seedling can be planted in the ground.
They are planted in the ground in spring or autumn on a site well-lit by the sun. By adhering to these recommendations, the pomegranate will develop normally and begin to bloom and bear fruit.
For propagation by cuttings, annual shoots of a healthy tree are used. Before planting, a place is prepared for this: the soil is fertilized and monitored so that it warms up well enough. For the reliability of the engraftment of the cuttings, they are covered with plastic wrap and slightly shaded so that the cuttings do not overheat and die.
In the first years after planting, a young tree needs watering as the soil dries out. In this case, you do not need to overdo it, since the presence of excess moisture can lead to rotting of the root system. In addition, in the near-stem circle, it is necessary to loosen the soil and do not forget about feeding the plant, if you want to get a good end result. In June, organic fertilizers need to be applied, and closer to autumn, potash and phosphorus fertilizers are applied. To obtain a good harvest and correct crown formation, it is necessary to constantly prune the pomegranate.
Before the onset of cold weather, pomegranate produces the formation of buds of the future harvest.So that labor is not wasted, the tree is protected from cold and frost, covering it with any suitable material. The preserved buds will bloom in the spring along with the leaves. Pomegranate begins to bloom in the 2nd-3rd year of life, and bear fruit in the 4th year.
Useful properties of pomegranate
The pomegranate fruit has excellent taste characteristics, in addition, it is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, P, E, C, it contains organic acids and organic (tannins) substances. Due to the large amount of vitamins and minerals, this fruit is widely used in folk medicine. It tends to possess many different characteristics that can streamline the work of human internal organs, the digestive system, the cardiovascular system and the nervous system, restores the blood formula.
With low hemoglobin, it is recommended to drink pomegranate juice, which has a positive effect on the blood. To prevent atherosclerosis, you need to eat this fruit regularly. It should be consumed when blood pressure rises. For people with diabetes, this fruit is almost indispensable, as it can replace insulin. People with problems will be able to add dried partitions to tea to relax and relieve anxiety.
The peel and fruits can be used for diarrhea, to normalize the digestive system and the digestive tract.
Modern medicine uses the pomegranate peel for the manufacture of drugs that inhibit the growth of E. coli and tubercle bacilli, cholera vibrios and other viruses and bacteria.
Traditional medicine recommends its use for malignant tumors, and for men it can be a prophylactic agent against prostate cancer.
This fruit is contraindicated for people suffering from gastritis and stomach ulcers. You should carefully use concentrated pomegranate juice, which can destroy tooth enamel.
Pomegranate varieties
This fruit has many varieties, which can be distinguished by size, color, ripening time, taste, cold resistance. You can offer the following varieties of pomegranate:
- Crimean striped. The result of the selection of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden. It is a stunted tree with a round crown. The average weight of fruits is somewhere around 250-300g, but there are specimens weighing up to 450g. The fruits have dark cherry grains, sweet-sour taste, covered with a thick skin. Medium ripening.
- Gyulyasha is pink. A semi-shrub with large oval fruits. The juice tastes sour, but has a pleasant aroma.
- Gyulasha is red. A thorny tree with greenish fruits, round in shape, inside which are very large grains. The juice is delicious with sourness.
- Nikitsky early. The shrub is not tall, with very large pomegranates. Has a sweet, very tasty juice with sourness.
- Achik-don. It grows in the regions of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The pulp of these fruits is immensely pleasant to the taste and sweet. Sufficiently productive variety with fruit ripening around mid-October.
- Bala mursal. Grows in regions of Azerbaijan. The height of a tree of this variety is about 3 meters, on which large (400-500g) fruits of dark raspberry color grow, sweet and sour in taste. Under favorable conditions, 30-50 kg of fruit can be harvested from the bush.
Naturally, not all varieties are on this list, and dwarf pomegranate is worth highlighting.
Dwarf pomegranate
Despite its small growth (about one meter) and small fruits (within 70 grams), it does not differ in taste from large-fruited varieties. Grow a dwarf pomegranate at home - sheer pleasure. This tree can bloom in the first year of life, barely reaching a height of 20-25 cm. Its flowering continues for six months with beautiful orange or bright red flowers. It has a number of useful properties, for example, anthelmintic.If you brew a few twigs in half a liter of water, evaporate to half, strain and take in small sips for an hour, then you can forget about the worms. This is just one small example of the wonderful properties of pomegranate.
