BONSAI 10 seed Punica Granatum "Dwarf pomegranate"

Punica Granatum nana

10 seeds

"Dwarf Pomegranate"

The dwarf pomegranate is a miniature version of the pomegranate tree, in form a deciduous shrub to 2m high with shining vivid green, narrow leaves and scarlet flowers 3-4 cm long; with salmon calyx at end of thin branchlets, producing small orange red fruit to 5 cm diameter with hard rind and juicy edible pulp. This pomegranate is a very attractive subject for the home landscape. It can be trained treelike to a single leader and grown as a graceful specimen or as a patio plant or a bonsai subject

The slender branches start out upright then droop gracefully. Unpruned shrubs have a decidedly weeping or fountain-shaped habit. Pomegranates have beautiful orange-red trumpet shaped flowers with ruffled petals. The flowers are often double, and are produced over a long period in summer. The pomegranate fruit, technically a berry, is filled with crunchy seeds each of which is encased in a juicy, somewhat acidic pulp that is itself enclosed in a membranous skin. The seeds, juice and pulp are eaten, but the yellowish membrane is too astringent.

The pomegranate is native to Asia, from the Middle East to the Himalayas, where it grows in sandy or rocky scrublands. It is cultivated for its fruit and showy flowers in much of the Mediterranean region and warmer America. It does best in climates with long hot, dry summers and cool winters. Pomegranates are very tolerant of sandy, clayey, acidic and even alkaline soils. They are also fairly salt tolerant. Some gardeners prune pomegranates to a single leader; others retain a few main stems. Either way, you will need to remove the many suckers that constantly arise from the roots, and keep the main stem and main laterals free from suckers too. Since they flower on new growth, pomegranates should be pruned in the dormant season. Pomegranates should begin bearing after 3 or 4 years, and mature, properly pruned, trees can produce copious quantities of fruit. They require full sun.

Pomegranates need regular watering, but do best in areas with low summertime humidity. They grow well in sub-tropical conditions but most often do not fuit vigorously. Dormant pomegranates can tolerate winter temperatures down to about 12*C, but they can be severely damaged by a late frost that comes after new growth has begun in spring.

Easy to grow from seeds (although hybridised specimens cannot be expected to come true from seed) pomegranates can be propagated by cuttings or by layering. Softwood cuttings taken in summer are easy to root, as are hardwood cuttings taken in winter. Although easy to grow from seeds, pomegranate seedlings cannot be expected to resemble their parents.