Step-by-step guide to propagating pomegranate cuttings at home

Many people dream of decorating the landscape of their garden plot or apartment with such an exotic plant as pomegranate. However, ignorance of the rules for growing this crop and caring for it stops it. If you follow the recommendations for propagation by cuttings, it is easy to grow pomegranate trees that will delight you not only with a fabulous aroma, but also with delicious fruits.

Propagation of pomegranate by cuttings at home

It is not difficult to propagate homemade pomegranate: the plant forms well, and the Japanese technology of pruning a miniature bonsai tree will give it the desired size and beautiful shape.

There are several ways the culture propagates: by seeds, green shoots, woody cuttings. The last option is the most common, simple and effective. It is based on the plant’s ability to actively regenerate, while restoring all the functions necessary for the full functioning of both damaged organs and individual parts. For example, over a certain period of time, cuttings taken from a bush form new adventitious roots.

Important! Favorable regeneration and production of promising seedlings is influenced by the presence of strong and healthy shoots from the frost-resistant mother crop.

Advantages and disadvantages

Propagation of pomegranate by cuttings is one of the most effective ways. Woody or green shoots serve as planting material.

Advantages of this method:

• young seedlings grown from chibouks retain all the qualities inherent in the mother plant, therefore the features of their agricultural technology and care;
• the roots are much more powerful than those of shoots obtained by sowing seeds;
• the rooted cutting grows quickly and after 2 years turns into a small tree;
• chibuki are cut from shoots of the last year, so they are less susceptible to diseases and wilting, in contrast to shoots from seeds, the quality of which is unknown before germination;
• pomegranate grown from cuttings is resistant to temperature changes.

This method of breeding also has disadvantages:

• in open ground, cuttings take root in June - August, the roots and young growth do not have time to fully strengthen before the onset of cold weather, which means that in winter they will need special conditions;
• The root system of seedlings is superficial, there is no main tap root, so they are more demanding of soil moisture;
• It is difficult to find high-quality planting material.

Timing of the procedure

For cutting cuttings, choose the dormant time of the trees. This is early spring, when nature is just beginning to awaken from the winter cold. The tree is pruned, leaving 3–5 pairs of leaves on the current year’s shoots. The cut branches remaining after the formation of the crown are placed in water, where they sprout roots. They are then used for breeding.

The material is planted in the ground in early May, when the ground is already sufficiently warmed up. By next spring, the plants will actively bloom and after six months they will bear the first fruits, and a full harvest in a year.

The dormant stage of indoor plants also ends with the onset of spring. It is during this period that cuttings are prepared so as not to harm the tree.They are placed in water with the addition of a root formation biostimulator, and then planted in a pot.

Which cuttings are suitable

High-quality material for pomegranate propagation is taken from young and strong one-year shoots grown on adult fruit-bearing plants, and from shoots of the root system of the crop.

Consider the following recommendations:

1. Cut the chibuki 20–25 cm long, leaving 4–6 buds on them.
2. In the lower part the cutting is cut under the bud, in the upper part - in the middle between the buds.
3. Clear of side branches, thin, dry, upper and non-lignified ends and thorns.
4. Planting material is inspected to ensure there are no traces of pests and diseases.

When using green shoots for cuttings, there is a high risk of rotting. In older branches, the formation of the root system takes much longer. Therefore, they choose those that have just begun to acquire thin bark.

Preparing for landing

For better rooting, preparatory measures are carried out before planting the chibouks:

1. The 4 bottom leaves are cut from the cuttings.
2. Cut it at an angle, retreating 2-3 mm from the eye.
3. Dry the cut with a paper towel.
4. 2-3 pairs of leaves are left in the upper part, the rest are removed.
5. Pinch the growth point, if there is one.
6. The cuttings are left in the shade for 1–4 hours until the juice flow stops.
7. The lower sections of the stems are immersed for 10–15 minutes in a root formation stimulator - an aqueous solution of “Kornevin” or “Heteroauxin” (1 g of the drug per 1 liter of water), which are suitable for rooting almost all crops propagated by cuttings.

Then 5-7 tablets of activated carbon are crushed and poured into water or mixed with soil, depending on where the cuttings will root.

Attention! Insufficient stimulant concentration and treatment time delay root formation, while excessive concentrations lead to the death of cuttings.

Preparing containers and soil

It is preferable to use clay or ceramic pots 5–7 cm high, since the porosity of the material allows excess moisture to evaporate and the roots to be saturated with oxygen.

They also use small plastic cups, preferably transparent ones, to observe the formation of roots, glass jars or cut plastic bottles.

To grow pomegranate, prepare or buy a loose, moisture-permeable, neutral mixture for indoor plants or citrus fruits.

When preparing the soil mixture yourself, take a small part of coarse-grained calcined river sand and add turf soil, leaf humus and peat in equal parts.

How to root indoor pomegranate

There are many guides on rooting chibouks, but when cutting cuttings, details are often discovered that significantly affect the result.

In water

Roots form most quickly in water. For this:

1. The collected branches are placed 2 pieces in a half-liter container.
2. Water is poured as much as is needed to cover the second internode.
3. Add 1 tablet of activated carbon.
4. The containers are placed in a warm, bright place, but shaded from direct sunlight.

In just a week, the first roots will emerge. If the cutting is taken from a strong and healthy tree, many powerful roots will form over the next week.

Attention! It is important that the solution in the containers remains transparent.

If the liquid begins to become cloudy, remove the stalk of the homemade pomegranate and treat it and the jar with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate.Then pour fresh, settled warm water and place the branches back.

In the ground

To form roots, use any containers filled with a previously prepared nutrient substrate (the composition of the mixture is indicated above).

Then perform the following actions:

1. Using a pencil, make a depression in the ground at a slight angle to the south to the bottom.
2. The cuttings are lowered into them so that both internodes enter the ground, and lightly compacted.
3. The soil is well moistened.
4. The containers are covered with cut plastic bottles or tied with polyethylene.
5. Place on the windowsill, but not in direct sunlight.

The cover is not removed until roots appear (2–4 weeks). Throughout this period, the greenhouses are ventilated once a day and the soil is moistened.

Landing in a permanent place

As soon as 3-4 young shoots with leaves appear on the cuttings, they are planted in separate pots with a volume of no more than 0.5-0.6 liters. The plant's root system is located close to the surface, so it is not advisable to plant it in deep containers.

Selected pots with holes and a drainage layer (fine gravel or expanded clay) are filled with nutritious soil mixture.

Further actions:

1. 2 hours before transplanting, the rooted sprouts are well watered.
2. Then carefully, so as not to damage the roots, they are removed along with the soil. For convenience, use a tablespoon.
3. Excessively long roots hanging from a clod of earth are cut off by 1/3.
4. Carefully move the sprout into a pot with prepared soil, sprinkle with soil, compact and water.

The containers are installed in a well-lit place. In bright sunshine, they are shaded so that the sun's rays do not burn the leaves of the plants.

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Further care

In the future, the pomegranate is replanted for 3 years in a row, gradually increasing the pot to 4 liters, then - if the tree does not have enough space.

In order not to injure the roots, transplantation is carried out using the transshipment method. The pomegranate is not watered beforehand for several days. When the soil in the pot dries, it is turned over and the plant is removed along with the lump of earth.

How to grow indoor pomegranate from cuttings

The pomegranate tree is a tropical crop. To successfully cut it at home it is required to create a microclimate as close as possible to the natural habitat:

1. High level of illumination. For high-quality flowering and fruiting in the dark, during prolonged cloudy weather, additional lighting is used.
2. Increased air humidity. If the room is too dry, the plant is sprayed or the humidity is artificially increased. An indoor pomegranate can completely lose its decorative effect due to dry heated air and lack of lighting and become very stretched upward.
3. Temperature range within +20…+25°C. At higher rates, the plant loses leaves and its vegetation slows down.
4. Regular and moderate watering. The soil in the container should always be barely moist. During the flowering period, watering is reduced, but drying out the soil is unacceptable.
5. Fertilizing the soil. Pomegranate responds well to regular feeding. For the formation of buds and abundant flowering, it requires nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizers, which are applied from March to mid-summer. In the second half of the growing season, mixtures with increased potassium content are used.

Pomegranate grows very quickly, its thin, broken branches create a chaotic, uneven crown, so the plant is pruned and shaped every year. Sometimes the procedure is carried out twice a year: before the beginning of the growing season and after the crop has faded, if there are no fruits on the branches.

Attention! The crown is formed as soon as 3–5 pairs of leaf blades grow, pinching off the growth points for further branching.

Conclusion

Growing a pomegranate tree will give you not only aesthetic pleasure, but also tasty, healthy fruits. When propagating by cuttings, it is important to properly prepare the stems, containers and soil, follow the basic recommendations for caring for the plant, protect it from diseases, pest attacks and regularly carry out preventive measures.