Pomegranate bonsai: how to make it and key points for daily care and management
Pomegranate is also known as shanliye, danruo, ruoliumu, jinying, jinpang, tulin, tianjiang and so on. It is a deciduous tree or shrub of the genus Punica in the family Lythraceae. In traditional Chinese culture, the pomegranate is regarded as an auspicious symbol and a sign of many sons and much blessing. It has extremely high cultivation value, offering both ornamental flowers and edible fruit, and is therefore deeply loved by people. Now let us take a look at pomegranate bonsai cultivation techniques!
Growing habits of pomegranate bonsai
The pomegranate is native to the Balkan Peninsula, Iran and adjacent regions, and is cultivated in temperate and tropical zones worldwide. It grows on mountains at an altitude of 300-1000 m. It likes warm, sunny environments, is drought-tolerant, cold-tolerant and tolerant of poor soil, but is not tolerant of waterlogging or shade. It is not demanding about soil, but cultivation in well-drained sandy loam is preferable.
Stock (tree stock) management for pomegranate bonsai
For making pomegranate bonsai, small pomegranate species with dwarf habit, small leaves and small flowers and fruit are mostly chosen, such as the fire pomegranate, four-season pomegranate, agate pomegranate and other varieties. Propagation can use sowing or cuttings. Seedlings obtained by sowing or cuttings must be field-planted for more than 3 years before the trunk can be cut back and branches trained to cultivate small to medium bonsai. To make large bonsai, you can dig up tree stumps in the wild or buy old potted pomegranate stumps at farmers' markets.
Branch training management for pomegranate bonsai
According to the tree's form, the pomegranate trunk should be cut off at an appropriate height and the main branches shortened. This allows the creation of various styles such as straight-trunk, slanting-trunk and curved-trunk. In some old-stump pomegranate bonsai, the trunk is composed of two strips of bark with wood, and the branches at the top of each bark strip bear fruit, making the contrast between dead and living wood even more evocative. Pomegranate trees have a certain cold tolerance and need only slight protection in a wind-sheltered, sunny spot. For faster growth, field planting is preferable. Pomegranate trees like fertilizer; besides applying good base fertilizer at planting time, during the vigorous spring and summer growth period apply a thin, well-rotted organic fertilizer once every half month. Growth is relatively fast, so when a branch's thickness reaches about 70% of the ideal thickness, cut the branch short to encourage the growth and development of side branches.
Formation management for pomegranate bonsai
After several years of branch training, pruning and cultivation, when the pomegranate basically meets the designed composition requirements, plant the pomegranate stump in early spring into an ornamental pot of suitable size and style. Straight-trunk and slanting-trunk styles can be planted in oval pots of medium depth or slightly shallower; curved-trunk style can be planted in square pots of medium depth. At this stage, still apply somewhat more fertilizer to promote tree growth and better perfect the shape, while also taking into account the needs of appreciation.
Care techniques for pomegranate bonsai
1. Shaping: Pomegranate trees have strong sprouting ability and produce new shoots several times within a year. Generally, vigorous new shoots that grow in spring can form fruiting mother branches; the following spring, the terminal buds or axillary buds that grow from these branches produce short new shoots that often flower, and among them the terminal-bud flowers are the easiest to set fruit. Shoots that grow in summer and autumn should be removed promptly. Bonsai shaping is usually carried out before spring budding, cutting out water shoots, overly dense branches and thin, weak branches, while taking care to retain those vigorous fruiting mother branches.
2. Fertilizing: Pomegranate trees like fertilizer more than ordinary flowering plants. When repotting, place a somewhat larger amount of fermented hoof pieces or cake fertilizer at the bottom of the pot. During the vigorous spring and summer growth period, apply fertilizer with a relatively high phosphorus content.
3. Environment: The period from late April to early June is the pomegranate's flower-bud differentiation stage; there should be ample light and watering should be appropriately reduced so that the potting soil is on the dry side. When the new leaves at the branch tips are slightly wilted, place the pomegranate in a shaded spot for 30 minutes, then water thoroughly into the pot. Repeat this several times, and flower buds will appear in about 20 days.
4. Fruit thinning: After the pomegranate fruits have set firmly, cut off excess fruits not needed for the design; a medium-sized pomegranate bonsai need only keep 3-5 fruits. The fruits should be distributed with varied heights and staggered arrangement, some sparse and some dense, not at equal distances. If there are too many fruits, besides looking chaotic, it will also affect the next year's fruiting.
Daily management of pomegranate bonsai
1. Sunlight: Pomegranate likes sun; it does not need shading at any time of year and can take all-day sunlight. Place it in a ventilated, sunny spot and there is no need to move it often.
2. Watering: Pomegranate likes dryness, and moisture should not be excessive. When watering during the flowering period, be careful not to water onto the flowers; if water seeps into the ovary, it will cause the flower base to rot, leading to flower and fruit drop. Therefore, during the pollination period, when encountering rainy days and when watering, prevent rainwater from seeping in.
3. Fertilizing: Pomegranate likes fertilizer. When changing the pot, apply fully rotted base fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer, preferably bone meal, which is high in phosphorus and has a long fertilizer effect. Generally apply once every 10 days or half a month; do not apply raw fertilizer. Do not fertilize during the flowering period or when fruit is about to set. This is the key to pomegranate fruiting: if fertility is too strong at this time, flowers drop easily and fruit is hard to set.
4. Cold protection: Pomegranate is not cold-tolerant. If the pomegranate is frozen, it will affect flowering and fruiting the following year, so good insulation management for the pomegranate must be done in winter.
5. Branch thinning: Pomegranate has strong sprouting ability; vigorous sprouted branches should be removed promptly, and branches and leaves should be pruned regularly to maintain the tree shape and strengthen ventilation and light. If there is too much fruit, it should also be thinned promptly to ensure nutrient supply and flowering and fruiting the following year.
Pest and disease control for pomegranate bonsai
1. Pomegranate dry rot
[Symptoms] It harms the fruit and also infects branches and trunk. Infected young fruit generally develop bean-sized light brown spots around the calyx tube, which gradually expand until the whole fruit rots. From July to September, spots are prone to occur on the underside of fruit touching leaves. After mature fruit are affected, they lose water and become brown mummified fruit. During storage it can cause fruit rot, with dense small black dots appearing on the fruit surface. When branches and trunk are damaged, the bark color turns dark brown and dries up, with dense small black dots on it. The junction between diseased and healthy tissue often cracks, and the diseased bark lifts and even peels off. Diseased branches weaken, leaves turn yellow, and the upper part quickly dies.
[Control] ① Strengthen cultivation management to improve the tree's disease resistance. ② Clean the orchard; in winter, together with pruning, remove diseased branches, rotten fruit and so on thoroughly. In summer, promptly pick off diseased fallen fruit and bury deeply or burn. ③ Take care to protect the tree from freezing or injury. ④ Bag the fruit. ⑤ Scrape off branch and trunk lesions and bury them deeply, then apply a protective pesticide such as asomate. ⑥ Spray lime-sulfur mixture in early spring; from May to August use Bordeaux mixture, carbendazim and so on alternately, spraying once every 15-20 days, for a relatively good effect.
2. Pomegranate brown spot disease
[Symptoms] After leaves are infected, small dark brown spots first appear, which after expansion become nearly round; the lesion edge is black to dark brown and slightly raised, while the center is grayish brown. The symptoms on the underside and upper side of the leaf are the same. Lesions on fruit are nearly round or irregular, black and slightly sunken, and also have small gray velvety granules. After the fruit colors, the outer edge of the lesion appears pale yellowish white.
[Control] ① Strengthen cultivation management, prune rationally, and enhance tree vigor. ② Clean the orchard; after leaf fall, gather fallen leaves and fallen fruit in the orchard and burn or bury them deeply. ③ For chemical control, use 140-fold equal-strength Bordeaux mixture or 0.125-0.17% solution of 80% ultrafine carbendazim, spraying once at the early stage of disease; the control effect can reach more than 80%, and if sprayed 3 times in succession the effect is even better.
3. Peach fruit borer
[Symptoms] Eggs are mainly laid in the pomegranate calyx tube. Newly hatched larvae mostly feed within the calyx tube or bore into fruit at twin fruit or where fruit touches leaves, or tunnel into the fruit. The larvae have the habit of transferring to other hosts. After the larvae mature, they mostly spin cocoons inside damaged fruit, between fruit, or in bark crevices, and pupate within the cocoon.
[Control] ① Scrape bark and plug tree holes in early spring. ② Plug the calyx tube with pesticide mud: mix 10 g of 90% trichlorfon, 100 times soil and 10 kg water into pesticide mud, form it into balls to plug the calyx tube, which can effectively control larval damage for 70-80 days. ③ Take advantage of the peach fruit borer's strong tendency to lay eggs on sunflower heads. Plant some sunflowers around the orchard; after flowering they attract adults to lay eggs, and then spray pesticide regularly for control. ④ During the adult occurrence period, spray 0.1% solution of 50% fenitrothion emulsion; 5 days after field application the kill rate is above 90%. During the first generation's egg and larval hatching period, spray 50% phoxim or 0.1% solution of 90% trichlorfon 1-2 times, with a relatively good effect.
4. Pomegranate owlet moth
[Symptoms] The larvae feed on buds and leaves. The larval body color resembles bark color, so it is not easily found. It rests quietly by day and feeds at night. Mature larvae pupate and emerge at the trunk forks. At the end of September the mature larvae descend from the tree and pupate in the soil near the trunk to overwinter. Generations overlap, and adults suck fruit juice.
[Control] ① After leaf fall and before budding, dig out overwintering pupae around the trunk. ② During the larval occurrence period, spraying 0.15% solution of 90% trichlorfon or 0.2% solution of 50% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate can effectively control it.
5. Yellow slug moth
[Symptoms] It occurs 2 generations a year and overwinters as mature larvae in cocoons. The following year, pupation begins in late May. The first-generation adult occurrence period is from mid-July to late August. Second-generation larvae begin damaging in late July, with the most severe damage in early to mid-August. Newly hatched larvae concentrate to do damage, mostly gnawing leaf flesh on the underside of leaves; after growing larger they gradually disperse, their food intake increases, and they can eat leaves entirely, leaving only the petiole.
[Control] ① In winter, together with winter pruning, cut off the cocoons. ② During the period when larvae concentrate to do damage, inspect the orchard and pick off leaves to destroy the larvae. ③ During the larval occurrence period, spraying 0.15% solution of 90% trichlorfon or 50% dichlorvos both gives relatively good control effects.
6. Tortoise wax scale
[Symptoms] One generation a year; it overwinters as fertilized female adults on small branches. The following year it begins doing damage in March and April. The peak egg-laying period is during the wheat harvest. In late June larvae begin feeding and doing damage, and secrete wax to form a scale shell. Newly hatched insects are quite active and can spread long distances by wind. The insects begin to differentiate in late July; in September male and female adults appear. After mating the males die, while the females continue to do damage, and in November they enter the overwintering state.
[Control] ① During the overwintering period, scrape bark manually, cut off infested branch tips, and spray 5% diesel emulsion. ② In early spring, spray 1 time with 5° lime-sulfur mixture. ③ In summer during the egg hatching period, spray 1 time with 0.17% solution of 50% wettable carbaryl.
7. Scale insects
[Symptoms] It occurs 3-4 generations a year and overwinters as last-instar nymphs in cortex cracks, old bark and on fruit stalks of 2-3-year-old branches. The following year it begins doing damage in April. As the nymphs grow, a waxy covering gradually forms and they differentiate into males and females. In early May the female adults have a raised back and lay eggs in felt-like sacs. Nymph hatching periods are from late May to early June, mid-to-late July, and late August to early September. In early October the nymphs begin to overwinter. It mainly spreads through seedlings and cuttings.
[Control] ① For seriously affected orchards, use a stiff brush dipped in systemic insecticide and brush once from top to bottom along the branches and trunk; the effect is relatively good. ② In early spring when overwintering nymphs emerge from dormancy is the key period for chemical control; the best treatment is 3-5° lime-sulfur mixture plus 0.3% laundry detergent, with a control effect of more than 95%.
Five key points for caring for pomegranate bonsai in daily life, and care methods
A pomegranate bonsai, placed on a balcony or in a hall, is a fine bonsai with strong ornamental value. In daily life, what care methods and key care points does a pomegranate bonsai have? Next let us learn about them together.
1. Sunlight
Pomegranate likes sun; it does not need shading at any time of year and can take all-day sunlight. Place it in a ventilated, sunny spot and there is no need to move it often.
2. Watering
Pomegranate likes dryness, and moisture should not be excessive. When watering during the flowering period, be careful not to water onto the flowers; if water seeps into the ovary, it will cause the flower base to rot, leading to flower and fruit drop. Therefore, during the pollination period, when encountering rainy days and when watering, prevent rainwater from seeping in.
3. Fertilizing
Pomegranate likes fertilizer. When changing the pot, apply fully rotted base fertilizer and phosphate fertilizer, preferably bone meal, which is high in phosphorus and has a long fertilizer effect. Generally apply once every 10 days or half a month; do not apply raw fertilizer. Do not fertilize during the flowering period or when fruit is about to set. This is the key to pomegranate fruiting: if fertility is too strong at this time, flowers drop easily and fruit is hard to set.
4. Cold protection
Pomegranate is not cold-tolerant. If the pomegranate is frozen, it will affect flowering and fruiting the following year, so good insulation management for the pomegranate must be done in winter.
5. Branch thinning and fruit thinning
Pomegranate has strong sprouting ability; vigorous sprouted branches should be removed promptly, and branches and leaves should be pruned regularly to maintain the tree shape and strengthen ventilation and light. If there is too much fruit, it should also be thinned promptly to ensure nutrient supply and flowering and fruiting the following year.
The above is the knowledge about pomegranate trees that I have introduced for you. If you want to learn more information, please continue to follow Duorou Huapu, and we will provide you with more information.
Making and caring for pomegranate bonsai
Pomegranates are not only planted in large numbers in the country's gardens; they have now also entered the backyards of many stump and flowering-plant enthusiasts. To appreciate the pomegranate's "one touch of red among ten thousand green leaves; moving spring beauty needs not much", you need to take good care of the pomegranate bonsai in ordinary times. So, how should a pomegranate bonsai be cared for?
Care
1. Repotting
Repot once every 1-2 years. Young trees should be moved into a slightly larger pot, while old stumps can use the original pot. When repotting, remove half of the old potting soil, add new soil, and cut off old roots and excessively long fibrous roots to encourage new root growth. Use humus soil made by composting cake fertilizer, poultry manure and so on with leaves, weeds, sandy soil and the like; it contains relatively more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer and is beneficial to pomegranate flowering and fruiting. If not repotted for many years, there will be many fibrous roots and little soil in the pot, and with insufficient fertilizer it will bloom little or not at all.
2. Fertilizing
Pomegranate likes fertilizer more than ordinary potted flowering plants, so apply good base fertilizer when repotting. When growing pomegranate in ordinary culture soil, apply liquid fertilizer with relatively high phosphorus content, and appropriately apply 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate several times.
3. Light and water control
During the pomegranate's flower-bud differentiation period, besides ample light, water must also be controlled to keep the potting soil on the dry side. When the leaves are slightly wilted, first place the pomegranate in a shaded spot for about 30 minutes; after the temperature of the potting soil and the pomegranate plant has dropped somewhat, spray clear water on the leaves, and after a moment water into the pot. Repeat several times, and flower buds will appear in about 25 days.
4. Pollination
If the flowering period encounters cloudy weather, natural pollination is affected. At this time, move the pomegranate to a ventilated, rain-sheltered place, and after the weather clears place it back in the sun for care. Pomegranate flowers are male and female: male flowers are large at the front end and smaller where the rear connects to the flower stalk; female flowers are small at the front end and larger where the rear connects to the flower stalk. To increase the fruit-setting rate, artificial pollination can be used. The method is: when the first flush of flowers has just opened, use a writing brush to lightly dab a few times on the pistil, then again lightly dab a few times on the pistil, repeating several times, to assist pollination. Pollination is best done in the morning; the weather is hot at noon, which is unfavorable for pollination.
5. Branch thinning
After leaf fall or before spring budding, prune and shape the pomegranate once. If there are too many flower buds, cut off some promptly. After fruit set, cut off fruits not needed according to the design. The layout should be staggered in height and well balanced in density to further enhance its overall beauty.
Care
The pomegranate flowering period is generally from May to July, and the fruit ripens from September to October. The fruit remains on the tree for a relatively long time; if not picked, it can stay until the following spring. For making bonsai, ornamental fruiting pomegranates are often chosen. Key care points for pomegranate bonsai:
1. Repotting Pomegranate bonsai should be repotted once every 2 years, when the trees bud in spring. Remove 1/2 of the old potting soil and add new culture soil with a certain fertility. Special attention should be paid to placing at the bottom of the pot fermented poultry manure containing relatively more phosphorus and potassium, but the amount should be appropriate.
2. Light Pomegranate trees like light. With insufficient light (less than 4 hours of light per day), they bloom little or even fail to bloom and fruit. As long as water is sufficient, pomegranate trees are not afraid of sun.
3. Watering In ordinary times, follow the watering principle of watering whenever the soil is dry, but during the flower-bud differentiation period, flowering period and early fruit-setting period, water somewhat less, and it is better for the potting soil to be on the dry side.
4. Fertilizing Besides normal fertilizing, after buds appear and during the fruit growth period, apply 2 times 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate liquid fertilizer or thin liquid fertilizer made by composting poultry manure, with about 10 days between the 2 applications.
5. Pruning For a graceful tree shape, prune the pomegranate tree once before spring sprouting, cutting out water shoots, overly dense branches and thin, weak branches. But take care to retain the vigorous branches grown last year, since flowers and fruit often form on these branches, especially at the branch tips.
6. Bud thinning After buds appear, remove some of the flower buds that are too dense or unsuitable for the design. Buds that are large at the front and small at the rear only bloom and do not fruit; buds that are large at the rear and small at the front fruit after flowering. Pay attention to this characteristic when thinning buds.
7. Fruit thinning When the fruit diameter reaches about 1 cm, remove fruits unsuitable for the design. Because pomegranate bonsai is mainly for ornament, it is not that the more fruit the better. If too much fruit is kept this year and not removed in time, the tree will set less fruit next year.
Making
Pomegranate flowers are large and brightly colored, with a long flowering period, blooming continuously from around the wheat harvest until October, and the pomegranate fruit is also brightly colored. Because it offers both ornamental flowers and edible fruit, it is deeply loved by people, and bonsai made from pomegranate are especially favored.
(1) Selection of varieties and flower pots. If the main purpose is flower viewing, choose double-petaled varieties with large flowers and bright colors, such as large-flowered pomegranate or peony pomegranate; if the main purpose is fruit viewing, choose red varieties with beautiful fruit shape, such as Taishan red pomegranate. It can also be decided according to personal preference or need. For flower pots, clay tile pots are preferable because they drain and breathe well, which benefits pomegranate growth; their drawback is that they are not very attractive and break easily. Plastic pots, glazed porcelain pots and the like are attractive in appearance and come in many patterns, but their breathability and drainage are relatively poor, so choose according to the situation. The size of the pot should be determined by the size of the seedling.
(2) Preparation of culture soil. Potted pomegranate soil should be loose and airy, retain fertilizer and water, and be rich in nutrients. It can be mixed evenly with 3 parts garden topsoil, 3 parts leaf mold, 2 parts barnyard manure and 2 parts fine sand, or mixed with horse manure, garden soil and fine sand at a ratio of 1/3 each to make culture soil, piled up and tightly covered with plastic film, sterilized at high temperature for 15-20 days, then sieved and put into pots.
(3) Potting and planting. Before spring budding, cover the drainage hole of the flower pot with a tile piece, then add soil to about 2/3 of the pot, mounding the soil into a hill shape. Select a seedling with an intact root system, many fibrous roots and a good tree shape, place the root system spread out in the pot, and continue adding soil; while adding soil, gently lift the seedling upward so that the root system and soil are in close contact. The potting soil should not be too full; the root crown should be level with the soil surface. Press the soil firm, water thoroughly, and after the water seeps down, cover the surface with dry soil to preserve moisture, and place in a shaded spot. Generally do not water before budding, to help raise temperature and promote rooting.
(4) Bonsai styling and production techniques. Depending on the materials selected and processing methods, bonsai are mainly divided into two major categories: tree-stump bonsai and landscape bonsai. For example, the Zaozhuang Yicheng pomegranate bonsai is mainly tree-stump bonsai. It uses the pomegranate tree as the main body, and sometimes also uses rocks and so on as accompaniment to make elegant and unusual pomegranate bonsai, mainly for appreciating the various styled postures of the pomegranate tree and the characteristics of its trunk, flowers, fruit, branches and leaves. Through artistic processing such as carving, tying and pulling, twisting shoots, pruning, pinching, bud removal, bark peeling, wounding and bending, and through careful cultivation and long-term control of growth and development, a pomegranate bonsai is created with the force of a miniature landscape within a foot and an ancient, simple air.
(5) Management techniques
1. Branch and leaf management. When new shoots grow to 10-15 cm, pinch them to control length and promote flowering; adventitious buds sprouting on the main trunk, main branches and at the root crown affect the design and ventilation and should be removed promptly. To dwarf the tree, during the period of vigorous new shoot growth, spray 2-3 times with 200-fold 15% paclobutrazol solution, which helps control length and promote flowering and can also achieve the effect of shrinking a dragon into an inch.
2. Fertilizing. Pomegranate likes fertilizer. Apply sufficient base fertilizer when planting. During each phenological period of the growing season, apply additional fertilizer multiple times to supplement the nutrients needed for plant growth. In spring, mainly nitrogen fertilizer; in autumn, mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizer; or use fully rotted liquid made by composting bean cake, chicken and duck manure and so on for irrigation. Also, during the growing season, carry out 3-5 foliar fertilizer sprays at a concentration of 0.3%-0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution to supplement soil fertilization.
3. Watering. Pomegranate trees are drought-tolerant tree species. With too much water the tree tends to grow leggy, so generally do not water unless dry; when watering, water thoroughly. If fertilizing is not done after rain, then after fertilizing be sure to water. During the flowering and fruit-setting periods, maintain appropriate drought to prevent flower and fruit drop.
4. Flower and fruit management. Pomegranate likes a sunny and warm environment. The daily light duration must be at least more than 4 hours for it to bloom. Throughout the entire growth and development period, the flower pot should be placed in a sunny, ventilated spot. During the flower-bud differentiation period, keep the potting soil appropriately dry to favor flower-bud formation. During the flowering period, try to avoid spraying pesticide. To increase the fruit-setting rate, spray 0.3% borax solution during the flowering period, or use artificial supplementary pollination. The method is: during the flowering period before 10 a.m. each day, pick off fully opened bell-shaped flowers and lightly tap them against the stigma of tube-shaped flowers; each bell-shaped flower can pollinate 15-20 tube-shaped flowers, and the fruit-setting rate can increase by more than 50%. For other cultivation management and pest and disease control, refer to field management.