There are only two species,
Punica protopunica and punica granatum. Its branches are very fine with
small long leafs and beautiful red flowers from June to September. After
flowering it produces a red fruit with sweet eatable seeds. Maximum
height is about 7 meters but normally it is below that.
Repotting / Soil:
Repot every two years eliminating the third part of the fine roots and
plant in a bigger pot. I prefer dark brown pots without coating with
semicircular forms. The mixture I use is composed of 1/3 of compost,
1/3 humus and 1/3 sand. I normally add some clay in order to retain
the water. |
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Watering:
These trees grow very fine roots, a good draining is essential. Need
much water in summer, soil should never dry out. Reduce moisture in
wintertime.
Fertilizer: Organic
solid fertilizer should be applied during spring, when flowering starts
add some of the liquid type.
Diseases: Punicas
in summer may suffer the attack of red spider mite on their leafs turning
them dry in a short time. Shower the tree a lot of times during the
day because water is the worst enemy of the microscopic spiders. If
that doesn't help apply Compo anti red spider mite. Aphids are removed
manually or apply a highly dissolved Folithion with a vaporizer.
Light: The pomegranate
tree loves sun but in very hot countries in summer it should stay
in half shadow.
Temperature and exposure:
They love high temperatures and obviously are quite sensible
against very cold winters, the fine branches die quite easily. It 's
not afraid of windy zones, it even needs appreciates changing air.
Pruning and cleaning:
Keep the branches short, with only two knots each. The tree will
get a very dense ramification with lots of little light green leafs.
In autumn / winter they loose the leafs easily exposing the light and
scary wood.
Wiring: Wire
from spring to summer. Normally only the trunk and big branches are
wired because the fine new sprouts break easily. Use raffia to protect
the bark.
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