Socotransky Pomegranate

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Socotransky pomegranate (lat. Punica protopunica) - fruit crop; a representative of the pomegranate genus of the Derbennikovye family. It is the predecessor of the common pomegranate, which is widely cultivated today. It occurs naturally in limited quantities on the island of Socotra. Typical habitats are stony and limestone areas.

Characteristics of culture

Sokotransky pomegranate is a low-growing evergreen tree up to 4.5 m high. The leaves are green, leathery, short-peaked, round or elliptical. The flowers are pink, single or double, have a bell-shaped shape, unlike the flowers of the common pomegranate, they are slightly raised on the pedicels, they also differ in the structure of the ovary.

The fruits are medium-sized (smaller than that of the common pomegranate), yellow or yellow-green, with a dense skin, contain a large number of juicy seeds with a sweet and sour taste. In general, both species are very similar, with minor differences. Like common pomegranate, Socotran pomegranate is often grown at home.

The subtleties of growing at home

In Russia, the Sokotransky pomegranate is grown only indoors. Plants prefer bright diffused light, slight shading is possible. It is better to place containers with pomegranate trees near the southern windows, but in the summer they are shaded from the midday sun, otherwise the plants can get severe burns. With the onset of stable heat, the plants are taken out into the garden or onto the balcony, and before they are hardened.

The optimum indoor temperature in summer is 20-25C, in winter - 12-18C. Successfully the Socotransky pomegranate winters at a temperature of 5-10C. Elevated dormant temperatures (November to February) can lead to leaf fall. If it is not possible to keep indoor pomegranates at temperatures of about 10C, then frequent spraying with room temperature water can save them from dropping leaves.

Reproduction

Sokotransky pomegranate, like ordinary pomegranate, is propagated by seed and vegetative methods. The seed method is used only for varietal pomegranates, since the species are not able to preserve the characteristics of the parent plant. Seeds are extracted from large and sweet fruits, dried and sown in a nutrient mixture composed of turf and sand (in a 1: 1 ratio). Sowing can be carried out both in spring and autumn. The temperature in the room is maintained at 24-25C, this will accelerate germination.

Seedlings dive in the phase of 2-3 true leaves in separate containers with a diameter of 5-8 cm. As the pomegranates grow, they are transplanted into larger pots. Most often, the Socotran pomegranate is propagated by root shoots and cuttings. These methods are simple and effective. Cutting allows you to get good quality seedlings. Cuttings are cut at the end of February - at the beginning of March (we are talking about indoor specimens), the length of the cut is 10-12 cm. The prepared material is planted in greenhouses, and after rooting in pots filled with leafy and turf soil, humus and sand in the ratio (1: 1: 1: 0, 5).

Care

Caring for the Socotran pomegranate grown indoors is not difficult. From February to October, plants need abundant watering with warm, settled water. Hard water is not suitable. Watering is carried out as the substrate dries up. Watering trees on which fruits have already formed are carried out daily. Reduce watering at the end of August, waterlogging should not be allowed.

Pomegranates respond positively to feeding. In spring and summer, plants are fed with nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers, in August-September - potash fertilizers. Pruning of the Socotran indoor pomegranate is encouraged; the abundance of flowering depends on this procedure. In the spring, dry and damaged branches are removed from the trees, and the young are slightly shortened. During the growing season, the resulting growth is removed from the pomegranate. Rejuvenating pruning is carried out no more than once every 5-6 years.

Pomegranate is a cross-pollinated culture, both female and male flowers are formed on the same tree. If the pomegranate is grown for fruit, then the flowers with a short pistil are removed, because they consume a lot of nutrients that are necessary for the flowers, in the place of which pomegranates are subsequently formed.