In the East, pomegranates have long been called the king of fruits. And indeed, no other fruit can be compared with this beauty in taste and valuable qualities. A variety of pomegranate varieties gives us fruits with tart, sweet or sweet and sour pulp and each taste has its own connoisseurs.
Pomegranate - a brief description of the plant
Pomegranate - fruit deciduous shrub or tree, reaching a height of 5 m or more. Thin spiky branches of the plant are abundantly covered with small, glossy leaves of bright green color. From the funnel-shaped, orange-scarlet flowers, large fruits develop - spherical berries, called "pomegranates" in botany. The diameter of the fruit often reaches 17-18 cm. Numerous seeds are hidden under a leathery skin, which can be any shade from yellow to dark red. Pomegranate grains are in peculiar chambers - inedible partitions of white-yellow color. Each seed is surrounded by juicy, sweet and sour flesh and there are more than a thousand of them in one fruit.
Pomegranate fruits - a storehouse of vitamins, organic acids and minerals
It is difficult to find a competitor in the content of vitamins, beneficial microelements and organic acids. Pomegranate juice is recommended for anemia and vitamin deficiency, in children's and medical nutrition.
For a long time, among many peoples, pomegranate has been a symbol of wealth and fertility. The Holy Quran claims that the Garden of Eden is a pomegranate thicket. According to one of the biblical versions, pomegranate is the very “paradise apple” with which the tempter snake treated Eve. The ancient Egyptians considered pomegranate "the tree of life", and often images of these fruits are found on Egyptian pyramids, ancient Byzantine canvases, in plant ornaments of Arabs and Greeks.
The main types and popular varieties of pomegranate
There are only two types of wild pomegranate. Ordinary, he is the founder of all cultivars, settled in southern Europe and western Asia. On Socotra Island in the Arabian Sea and only there, Socotran pomegranate grows, which is not cultivated due to the bitter taste of the fruit.
Common pomegranate is widely distributed in the warm regions of the tropics and subtropics. He is loved and willingly grown in the Middle East and the Caucasus, Central Asia and Southern Europe. In Russia, this sun-loving fruit tree feels good on the entire Black Sea coast and in the south of Dagestan. From one adult plant, 50-60 kg of excellent fruits are harvested there.
Fruiting pomegranate - a magical sight
Thanks to the work of breeders today, there are more than 500 varieties of pomegranate. They differ from each other in the size and taste of the fruit, juiciness and coloring of the pulp, resistance to disease and damage by pests. Sweet-and-sour pomegranates are valued no less than sweet ones, since they are used to make all kinds of sauces and added to ready-made dishes to brighten the taste. Sweet ones are good for making juice and drinking fresh.
Video: Crimean Pomegranate
The richest collection of representatives of these fruits is located in the territory of the Kara-Kala Turkmen Reserve. About 350 different varieties and forms of pomegranate are grown in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden of Crimea.
The harvest in the Kara-Kala reserve is impressive, because about 800 different varieties and forms of pomegranate are grown here
One of the most popular varieties of Transcaucasia is Gulush. Two varieties of this variety are grown - pink and red. The fruits of Gulusha pink often reach a weight of 250 g, juicy pulp of grains has a pleasant sweet taste. Gulusha red grows in the form of a bush with very large fruits, weighing up to 350 g or more. The pulp is bright red with an excellent sour-sweet taste.
The fruits of Gulusha red are quite large in size, covered with thin bright scarlet skin
Ak Dona Crimean is an unpretentious variety, grown by gardeners even in unusual conditions for the pomegranate of the steppe Crimea. Oblong fruits are covered with a thin creamy peel with a red blush. Grains of dark pink color with bright sweet taste.
Ak don Krymskaya easily gets along in the country, next to figs
Achik-Anor is a small tree with a compact crown. The fruits are round, slightly tapering to the base, covered with a dense peel of bright carmine color. Cherry juicy grains large, pleasant sweet and sour taste.
Achik-Anor ripe pomegranate has a very attractive presentation
Pomegranate varieties with light grains
Fruits with light grains are often called white pomegranate. In fact, the pulp is never a pure white color - there is always a light pink tint.
Popular light varieties:
- The sweetest is the Dholka pomegranate grown in India. A low shrub with medium-sized fruits, rarely exceeding a weight of 200 g. The grains are large, light pink or almost white with an excellent sweet taste.
- One of the best varieties of pomegranate grown in Iran is Ahmar. A tree up to four meters high from June to the end of summer is covered with bright orange-scarlet flowers. Medium-sized fruits are covered with a thick, light skin. The grains are pale pink, sometimes almost white, have a very good sweet taste. This is one of the sweetest varieties of pomegranate.
- Akdona is a popular variety in Central Asia. Pomegranate is grown in the form of a large shrub. Fruits of spherical shape are slightly flattened, weighing about 250 g, although individual fruits are very large in size up to 600 g or more. The peel is light, glossy with a slight blush. The grains are elongated pale pink with a very good sweet taste.
- Pomegranate with white grains Thuja Tish, which is translated into Russian as a camel's tooth, is a variety of Akdon variety. Looking at the light yellow peel, it seems that the pomegranate is still green, but this is not so. The pulp of these fruits is almost white with soft small seeds. The taste is very sweet, the content of vitamins and minerals is the same as in red-colored varieties.
White pomegranate seeds almost always have a slightly pink tint
Frost-resistant varieties of pomegranate
Pomegranate is a very thermophilic plant; therefore, it is grown in open ground only in the southernmost regions of our country. In addition, this plant makes great demands on the sun - there should be a lot of it. Even with partial shading, pomegranate ceases to bloom, and therefore to bear fruit. Thanks to the work of breeders, there are ever new varieties of this fruit that can withstand minor drops in air temperature. But no matter how frost-resistant the variety may be, if there is a chance of winter freezing temperatures - pomegranates must be covered for the winter.
The most famous frost-resistant varieties:
- Pomegranate variety Nikitsky early entered in the state register of selection achievements in 2014. Fast growing low tree. Fruits of universal use with an average ripening period. The fruit weighs about 280 g, the skin is glossy, greenish-yellow in color with red stripes and spots. Sweet and sour grains of cherry color have no aroma. The variety is resistant to heat and drought, can withstand temperatures down to -12aboutFROM.
- Variety Nyutinsky early ripening, entered in the state register of selection achievements in 2014 The tree is stunted, slow-growing with a compact crown. Fruits weighing about 220 g are covered with a smooth peel of dark red color. Grains are red, sweet and sour, without aroma. Drought-resistant variety, tolerates frosts down to -12aboutWith no loss.
- The Black Sea variety in 2015 was included in the state register of selection achievements. A tree of medium height, fast-growing with a rounded neat crown. Fruiting is annual. The fruits are large, up to 280 g, with cherry sweet and sour grains and a thick peel. It is characterized by high drought tolerance and ability to withstand cooling to -12aboutFROM.
- Asian pomegranate is grown mainly in Ukraine. Shrub early ripening. Fruits weighing up to 150 g are covered with a thin peel of light tones of cream or pink color. Large, sweet and sour grains of juicy purple color. The seeds are small. Shrub withstands short-term temperature drops to -20aboutC, but shelter is required for the winter.
Asian pomegranate - one of the most frost-resistant varieties
Seedless Pomegranate Varieties
Seedless pomegranate varieties are quite rare and are classified as seedless rather conditionally. All varieties have seeds, but here they are very small and soft. The fruits of these varieties give juice 20% more than pomegranates with seeds and are perfect for fresh consumption and processing.
One of the most famous seedless - Vandeful grenades. This is not the most productive variety, gives no more than 15 kg of fruit from one tree. Fruits weighing 250-300 g are covered with a creamy peel with a blush. Appreciated for the high quality of grains with juicy, pink and very sweet pulp. Vandeful is grown in Peru, Israel and some Asian countries.
Vandeful seedless pomegranate seeds have a pleasant sweet taste
In Spain, seedless pomegranates of the Mollar de Elche variety are grown on plantations. The fruits are quite large, often reaching a mass of 600-800 g. The peel is thin, but strong, pink in color. The grains are large, with a pleasant sweet taste.
Pomegranate Mollar de Elche looks like apples
Pomegranate
Pomegranate is quite unpretentious, but very thermophilic plant and few gardeners can afford to grow it on their own sites. However, the dwarf forms of this plant grow well at home, like a potted culture. We will certainly not surprise our owners with their owners, but they will delight with the decorativeness of a flowering tree. Pomegranate is a godsend for bonsai art lovers and many gardeners are happy to experiment with this patient plant.
Indoor pomegranate is great for creating a bonsai tree
Special varieties have been created for indoor cultivation, but amateur gardeners have successfully grown in a pot a tree from the seeds of purchased pomegranate. And although the varietal qualities of the source will not be preserved during the growing process, the resulting plant will bear fruit completely edible.
Video: dwarf pomegranate
Growing room pomegranate from seeds
For propagation, ripe pomegranate seeds are sown in a container with loose, nutritious soil. When the sapling seedlings grow a little (usually it takes about two months), they are transplanted into separate pots and placed on the south window. To indoor pomegranate bloomed and set fruit, it is necessary to be in the sun for most of the day. Young plants prefer moderate watering and top dressing with complex fertilizers, carried out twice a month. In winter, indoor pomegranates dump foliage and do not need frequent watering and top dressing. All they need for this period is a bright location and air temperature + 5 + 7aboutC. With the end of the dormant period, that is, after 2-3 months the plant is transplanted into a larger pot, if necessary, formative pruning is carried out and watering is resumed. With the onset of heat, indoor pomegranate can be taken out to the garden.
Grown pomegranate seedlings are transplanted into pots and put on a bright window
One of the most popular miniature pomegranates is the Carthage variety. When potted, the shrub grows no more than one meter. Numerous twigs with small bright leaves in May are covered with purple flowers 3-4 cm in diameter. Flowering continues until August and ends with fruit set. The crust of pomegranates Carthage is thin, bright red. Numerous grains of small, pleasant sweet and sour taste. The fruits are small, not more than 7 cm in diameter.
Dwarf pomegranate Carthage is magnificent both during flowering and fruit setting
The eighth ball is a room pomegranate bred in America. He got his name for resembling the 8th ball in billiards. The large fruits of this tree attract attention not only with the purple, almost black color of the skin, but also with a great taste.
Fruits of a pomegranate The eighth ball is distinguished by a peculiar color
Often, gardeners can meet baby garnet baby. A small shrub about 50 cm tall, rarely leafy - the leaves are collected in bunches and are at some distance from each other. Blooms with beautiful orange-red flowers. Fruits of medium size with a thin red-brown peel. The grains are small, sweet and sour.
The miniature baby tree in summer is covered with flowers, ovaries and pomegranate fruits at the same time
I grew my room pomegranate from seeds - a friend brought a small pomegranate from my dwarf of an unknown breed. Of the 10 planted seeds, 8 sprouted. The seedlings grew quite quickly, and were planted by me in separate pots. I left one to myself, and the rest went to my friends. Now my grenade is already 7 years old. The first time bloomed in the third year from planting. It blooms every spring, and at the same time you can see flowers, and ovaries, and fruits on it. My pomegranate is especially beautiful in summer - the fireworks of green, red and orange, but in winter it looks more like a dried tree. She loves to get a haircut - I shape every spring as soon as new leaves begin to appear. Without a haircut, it instantly turns into a shapeless bush. And yet - in the summer I try to spray it with stagnant water at least once a day. The pomegranate itself quietly tolerates air dryness, but in such a period, a spider mite attacks it, which loves the lack of moisture. In late autumn, small pomegranates ripen, the size of a plum, with bright purple skin and sour, juicy, cherry-colored grains. Surprisingly, the grains in these small fruits of regular size, not small, are simply smaller than in traditional fruits. In winter, the tree almost completely drops the leaves and I put the pot on a cold window, away from the battery. Watering very rarely, slightly moistening the ground.
The unpretentiousness of pomegranate and the variety of varieties allow residents of the southern regions to choose and grow this wonderful fruit in the country or in the garden. Northerners can not only admire the flowering of pomegranate on the windowsill and try its miniature fruits, but also show their creative abilities in creating pomegranate bonsai.
