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Dwarf pomegranate Nana is an unpretentious indoor plant belonging to an exotic species of pomegranate of the Loosefly family.
The pomegranate variety Nana comes from ancient Carthage, where it was referred to as the “grainy apple”. Today this plant is common as a food crop in Tunisia.
Pomegranate dwarf Nana is a low tree up to 1 meter long with prickly branches and pointed oblong leaves. Produces color exotic variety in late spring. The flowering period continues 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 conditions bears fruit from 7 to 20 years.
From the outside, the dwarf variety looks like a smaller copy of a garden tree. Nana pomegranate is popular among amateur gardeners for its unpretentiousness in maintenance 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 by autumn they turn yellow. The fruits grow up to 7 cm in diameter and in appearance resemble an ordinary garden pomegranate. This is a brown berry in the form of a ball, divided into chambers with seeds inside. Each seed is placed in a pomegranate juice capsule. Dwarf pomegranate Nana is not inferior to the usual garden pomegranate in terms of useful properties, but it tastes a little more sour.
At home, preference is given to growing a bush variety of pomegranate Nana. 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.
To plant a dwarf pomegranate, you need a wide but low flowerpot. This will allow the roots to develop so that the plant can 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 dwarf pomegranate Nana
For home cultivation, the Nana dwarf pomegranate is simple and unpretentious.
A few rules of landing and care:
- Planting is done in the spring. An escape with a root ball is placed in a container filled with expanded clay drainage. In order for the roots to 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 dwarf pomegranate Nana, the optimum temperature is + 20-25⁰С. If it’s too hot, it loses its foliage and slows down growth. The plant is taken out to a cool place.
- Watering. Only when the top layer of soil dries up. At least twice a week. Water for irrigation is taken at room temperature.
- Humidity. Periodically spray dwarf pomegranate with cool water. High air humidity is well reduced by frequent ventilation of the room.
- The soil. For a pomegranate, a good nutrient mixture is selected – a loose consistency, moist and breathable.
- Top dressing. Needs regular feeding. During the flowering period, they are fed at least twice a month with nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers. Potassium fertilizers are applied in autumn. Fruiting 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 above the kidney, leaving about five internodes. After pruning, 5-6 strong branches are left on the bush. If the plant is severely cut, it weakens.
Diseases and pests
Dwarf pomegranate Nana is prone to disease and pests, like other houseplants. Preventive procedures and timely received treatment will prolong the life of the plant.
Diseases
One of the most common Nana pomegranate diseases 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). With large areas of damage – fungicide (Topaz, Skor).
If the roots of the dwarf pomegranate turn yellow, reduce watering. Due to excessive moisture, the roots rot. You need to remove them manually, cutting out the damaged area, and rinse the rest in potassium permanganate. Sprinkle slices with activated charcoal. Change the soil to a new mixture.
If the bark on the branches is cracked, and spongy swellings are visible in the recesses of the crack, this is branch cancer. The disease covers the plant and it dies. The occurrence of branch cancer is promoted by hypothermia of the pomegranate.
vermin
At room conditions, the Nana dwarf pomegranate is threatened by such pests: spider mites, scale insects or whiteflies. The shield is assembled by hand. Whitefly eggs are washed off in the shower, and the plant is treated with Derris. The cobweb of the tick 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, Nana dwarf pomegranate is grown using seeds, cuttings or seeds.
seed
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 the seedlings in a bright and warm place, periodically spray it with settled water. Saplings dive in cups after the appearance of the first three leaves. 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 tablespoon). Bones are planted to a depth of 1 cm in a pot with drainage. In the room where the seedlings stand, the temperature should not be higher than + 25-27⁰С. Water with settled water.
For transplantation, strong sprouts with 2-3 leaves are selected. 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 to propagate dwarf pomegranate. Root young shoots in summer. For seedlings, a well-ripened shoot up to 15 cm long is chosen, with 3-4 buds from an adult fruit-bearing tree. They are planted to a depth of 3 cm. Every day, seedlings are aired and sprayed. Rooted pomegranate is transplanted into pots after 2-3 months. The grown stalk will bear fruit after two years.
Conclusion
With good care, the dwarf pomegranate Nana pleases the owners with an exotic appearance of round fruits and bright purple flowers. This plant seems to feel the good mood of its gardener. Therefore, the kinder and more caring care for him, the better the pomegranate grows.
