Content
The Nana dwarf pomegranate is an unpretentious houseplant belonging to the exotic species of the pomegranate of the Derbennik family.
The Nana pomegranate variety comes from ancient Carthage, where it was referred to as a "grainy apple". Today this plant is widespread as a food crop in Tunisia.
Dwarf pomegranate Nana is a short tree up to 1 meter long with thorny branches and pointed oblong leaves. Releases an exotic color in late spring. The flowering period lasts all summer.
The pomegranate flower has a hard perianth covering the delicate petals inside. During the season, many asexual flowers similar to bells appear on the tree. Fruiting flowers look like small water lilies. One tree under good keeping conditions bears fruit from 7 to 20 years.
From the outside, the dwarf variety looks like a reduced copy of a garden tree. Nana pomegranate is popular among amateur gardeners for its unpretentious content and beautiful appearance.
Features of growing indoor pomegranate Nana
Dwarf pomegranate is grown at home. In spring, young leaves acquire a bronze color, in summer they turn green, and turn yellow by autumn. The fruit grows up to 7 cm in diameter and resembles an ordinary garden pomegranate in appearance. It is a brown ball-shaped berry, divided into chambers with seeds inside. Each seed is placed in a pomegranate juice capsule. Nana dwarf pomegranate is not inferior to ordinary garden pomegranate in useful properties, but it tastes slightly sour.
At home, preference is given to growing the bush variety of Nana pomegranate. The plant is kept mainly for the sake of flowering, the fruit ovaries are removed or only a couple of pomegranates are left. If you leave all the ovaries, fruiting depletes the pomegranate, and the next year the shrub may not bloom.
For planting, a dwarf grenade needs a wide, but low flowerpot. This will allow the roots to develop for the plant to bear fruit. It is necessary to stop and transplant young shoots of the same age annually. An adult pomegranate needs a transplant every four years.
Planting and caring for the Nana dwarf pomegranate
For home cultivation, Nana dwarf pomegranate is simple and unpretentious.
Several rules for planting and leaving:
- Planting is done in spring. An escape with a root ball is placed in a container filled with expanded clay drainage. So that the roots have room to grow, a transplant is done every 3 years in a wide pot.
- Lighting. The plant needs sunlight for no more than 3 hours a day. Therefore, the pomegranate is placed on the windowsill of any side of the house, except for the north.
- Temperature. For the Nana dwarf pomegranate, the optimum temperature is + 20-25⁰С. If it's too hot, it sheds foliage and stuns growth. The plant is taken out to a cool place.
- Watering. Only when the topsoil dries up. At least twice a week. Water for irrigation is taken at room temperature.
- Humidity. Dwarf pomegranate is periodically sprayed with cool water. High air humidity is well reduced by frequent ventilation of the room.
- The soil. A good nutrient mixture is selected for the pomegranate - a loose consistency, moist and breathable.
- Top dressing. Need regular feeding. During the flowering period, they are fed at least twice a month with nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers. Potassium fertilizers are used in autumn. Fruit-bearing pomegranate bushes are fed with organic matter.
- Pruning. The first pruning is done during the beginning of the growing season after winter. The shoot is cut over the bud, leaving about five internodes. After pruning, 5-6 strong branches are left on the bush. If the plant is pruned too much, it weakens.
Diseases and pests
The Nana dwarf pomegranate is susceptible to disease and pests just like other houseplants. Preventive procedures and timely treatment will prolong the life of the plant.
Diseases
One of the most common diseases of Nana pomegranate is powdery mildew. The reasons for the appearance are sudden temperature changes in the room, poor ventilation or humid air. For treatment, they are treated with a solution of soda ash and soap (5 g per 1 liter). For large areas of damage - with a fungicide (Topaz, Skor).
If dwarf pomegranate roots turn yellow, reduce watering. Excessive moisture causes roots to rot. You need to remove them manually by cutting out the damaged area, and rinse the rest in potassium permanganate. Sprinkle the slices with activated carbon. Change the soil to a new mixture.
If the bark on the branches is cracked, and spongy swellings are visible in the depressions of the cracks, this is branch cancer. The disease covers the plant and it dies. The occurrence of branch cancer is facilitated by hypothermia of the pomegranate.
Pests
In indoor conditions, the Nana dwarf grenade is threatened by such pests: spider mites, scale insects or whiteflies. The shield is collected by hand. Whitefly eggs are washed off in the shower, and the plant is treated with Derris. The mite spider web is removed from the leaves with a swab dipped in garlic tincture. In case of severe damage, pomegranates are treated with special insecticides - Fitoverm, Aktara or Aktellik.
Reproduction
At home, the Nana dwarf pomegranate is grown using seeds, cuttings or seeds.
Seeds
This method is used to breed a new type of selection. The material must be soaked for a day in a growth stimulator (Kornevin), then dried and planted. Keep seedlings in a bright and warm place, periodically spray them with settled water. Saplings dive into cups after the appearance of the first three leaves. The dwarf pomegranate grown from seeds bears fruit for 6-7 years.
Bone
Before planting, soak for 12 hours in water with Zircon (3 drops per 0.5 tbsp.). The seeds are planted to a depth of 1 cm in a pot with drainage. In the room where the seedlings are standing, the temperature should not be higher than + 25-27⁰С. Pour with settled water.
Strong shoots with 2-3 leaves are selected for transplantation. Shoots up to 10 cm with three or more leaves are pinched for better tillering. Young bushes need sun and air baths for at least 2 hours a day. Pots with transplanted shoots are kept on the windowsill, periodically covering the window with paper.
Cuttings
The most optimal and highly productive way of breeding a dwarf pomegranate. Young shoots are rooted in summer. A well-ripened shoot up to 15 cm long, with 3-4 buds from an adult fruiting tree, is chosen for seedlings. They are planted to a depth of 3 cm. Every day, the seedlings are ventilated and sprayed. The rooted pomegranate is transplanted into pots after 2-3 months. The grown stalk will bear fruit after two years.
Conclusion
With good care, the Nana dwarf pomegranate pleases the owners with an exotic look of round fruits and bright purple flowers. This plant seems to feel the good mood of its gardener. Therefore, the kinder and more caring the care for it, the better the pomegranate grows.
