Everything about pomegranate and its cultivation!

The fruit of the pomegranate because of its high content of vitamins A, B1, B2, C and E as well as iron, potassium, fiber, tannins, polyphenols, folic acid and many other antioxidant substances, is classified as nutritional superfood offered by the Earth.

The pomegranate is a tree or shrub depending on the trimming that is taking place, deciduous with a maximum height of no more than 5 meters. The leaves of the pomegranate are small and the flowers are big and red. The fruits are collected in autumn, usually in mid-October, depending on the climate.

Useful part of the pomegranate is considered the whole fruit except the stalk. The hue of a good and healthy pomegranate should be scarlet. To prevent the pomegranate to brust open prematurely, it needs much more water than usual during the summer. Τhe fruit becomes sweeter by watering regularly. Store seeds of the pomegranate, for natural and powerful body peeling. In addition, pomegranate contains proteins, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, all vitamin B complex other than B12, fiber, iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium.

If you find it difficult to consume as food, pomegranate makes a wonderful juice, especially combined with apple.

Planting

Planting is ideally done from November to March in well-drained soils. Planting should be done after the leaves fall in the fall and before they throw new shoots. Before planting, you can ideally add well-digested manure or perphosphate fertilizer

Plants in soil ball can be planted all year round while the pits should be about 30 * 30 cm depending on the size of the plant. Planting distances should be 4 * 4 meters for good sunbathing and ventilation of trees. If you choose to plant bare rooted seedlings, you must plant them immediately after purchase. After planting, water immediately so that the air leaves between the roots and the soil.


Pruning

If the pomegranate is left unpruned, it shows dense vegetation and branches, as a result of which it weakens and significantly reduces its production. The annual fruiting pruning or even every two years must be done in order to have enough, healthy and delicious fruits, while the most suitable season is winter from December to February. When branches begin to appear in the spring, we prune carefully to reduce the branches and allow the tree to give weight to the fruits.

We never prune on days with high humidity, rain, strong north winds and very low temperatures, as the cuts are a bridge to penetrate moisture and frost in the trunk of the pomegranate and rot it or invade diseases and germs. Fruit pruning aims to maintain the shape of the pomegranate, good ventilation, proper height and removal of diseased branches. If necessary, we renew some of the central shoots. At the end of each pruning, we smear the wounds with a special preparation to protect against diseases, and disinfect our tools.

The shaping pruning is done in young pomegranates to give the desired shape to the pomegranates, usually in a bushy shape. The pruning is done as in all trees, selecting from 3 to 5 basic shoots that will create the basic cup-shaped shape and remove the other branches from the base of the trunk. We will keep these shoots until the tree grows big enough that they need to be cut at height, ie from 2 meters and above. Spraying with copper after pruning and before flowering, protects against disease and strengthens your plant.

Varieties

The pomegranate is a deciduous shrub by nature. Since the 1980s, over 1,000 different varieties of pomegranate have been recorded: fruit-bearing and non-fruitbearing, of normal size and dwarfs. The fruit bearing ones can be sweet or sour. The most widespread varieties in Greece are Wonderful, Hermione and Acco.

Eversweet is one of the sweetest varieties to grow at home, and a good choice for those who live in cooler regions, as even immature fruits still have a sweet flavor. The pomegranates are large and pink to pale red, that have very small interior seeds. This pomegranade is well suited for garden or container growing. The fruits are ready to harvest between August and October.

Kazake is a Russian variety that can withstand some colder winter temperatures. This variety is well suited for small spaces as it’s a short one. It’s mature fruits are medium to large that can range from yellow-orange to light red. Ripe pomegranates, are harvested between September and October.

Texas Pink is an attractive tree with a vigorous, upright growth habit. with bright red flowers. Ready to harvest around October, the deep pink pomegranates have pink to red juicy soft arils with a sweet and slightly tart flavor.

Wonderful is a variety that sets fruit the size of a large orange, with a glossy peel and bright red colour. The seeds are full of flavor, reminiscent of red wine. When fully ripened, the fruit has a delicious flavor and produces a slightly sour juice. The fruit is quite resistant after harvesting, which usually begins mid-October.

Hermione isa variety with few thorns, and usually long and non-interlocking stems. It sets fruit of average size 300gr, with a relatively soft peel and not as red a color as the Wonderful variety. The seed is large and soft with a sweet and velvety flavor. There is also a sub-variety with a harder but juicier seed. The fruit of this variety are less resistant after harvesting than the Wonderful variety. Harvest usually begins mid-October.

Acco is a variety with many thorns and tangled stems, which sets small and medium sized fruit (250-400gr), with a glossy peel and deep red colour. Its seed is deep red and semi-hard, with relatively sweet taste although more tangy than the previous varieties. Acco’s fruits are quite sensitive after harvest, which begins mid-September.

Karavelos variety sets glossy fruit with a yellowish-red colour. Their seeds and taste are similar to that of the Hermione variety, but the fruit is quite resistant after harvesting which begins mid-October.

Addition of fertilizers

The addition of fertilizer is based on the soil in which the cultivation takes place. The main components that the pomegranate needs for healthy growth, are nitrogen, necessary for growth and flowering and therefore fruiting, potassium which plays an important role in the size and quality of the fruit, and of course we can not to exclude water, which regulates fruit yield and fruit quality.

A complete fertilizer mixture for pomegranates should also contain phosphorus, calcium, sulfur, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, copper and boron. We start in March and finish in July, before the early fruits are harvested. Beware of excessive nitrogen fertilization as it rapidly increases the growth of branches and reduces the quality of the fruit.

Healing properties

Pomegranate from ancient times is considered the fruit of fertility and good luck, and it is no accidental characterization. As the fruit is rich in vitamins and is considered a great superfood.

Consumption of pomegranate juice prevents and slows down many forms of cancer, such as breast, prostate or skin cancer.

The properties of the pomegranate are numerous and many of them rare. It is anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial, and acts as a healing agent, and is therefore very useful in abrasions and injuries.

It stimulates our body’s immune system due to high levels of vitamin C, while in cases of cold or asthma it has very good antitussive and astringent properties. Its juice is also very effective for various gum diseases while also strengthening and protecting the teeth.

One of the most important and best known properties of the pomegranate is the beneficial effect it has on our heart and blood. It normalizes blood pressure, lowers cholesterol levels, good and bad, supports the production of healthy red blood cells, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Generally it acts as a tonic of the heart, cleanses the blood, helps in better blood circulation and the functioning of the cardiovascular system and prevents arteriosclerosis.

Other pomegranate properties are the protection from brain damage and the prevention of eye diseases due to its high vitamin A content. It is very effective in treating symptoms during menopause and also improves erectile function in men and increases fertility in both sexes. It is considered very good tonic and detoxifying.

Other uses of pomegranate are related to the protection and in some cases the curing of our internal organs: It heals from chronic diarrhea and dysentery and generally normalizes our digestive system. Protects the kidneys from toxins and cleans them, while offering rare protection to the liver and helping to regenerate it.

Pomegranate helps regulate blood sugar, thereby improving body sensitivity to insulin and factors that affect metabolic syndrome. It therefore protects against obesity and can help in weight loss. Finally, consuming pomegranate, either the fruit or its juice, offers spiritual clarity.

There are no side effects and precautions in use, unless there is an allergy to the fruit. Consumption as in all foods and herbs, needs measure.

Cosmetic uses

The fruit of the pomegranate due to the many vitamins taht contains and the antioxidants, is one of the strongest anti-aging products od nature!It not only prevents premature aging from solar radiation and the mistreatment of the skin, but fights and free radicals, both internally and externally, offering cellular vigor and faster renewal of skin tissues.

The pomegranate juice rejuvenates the skin, and also has the ability to clean and smooth the skin by gently exfoliating it. It is excellent for hydrating the skin and smoothes wrinkles. The pomegranate is ideal both for face and body, providing the same properties and leaving a feeling of youthful and clean skin.

The glow that pomegranate gives to the skin is incomparable, while it greatly helps to prevent and eliminate freckles. Pomegranate treats effectively burns and herpes virus. The shine that pomegranate gives, is not limited to the face or the body. It is also very effective, the use of pomegranate in hair, as it smoothes and helps to avoid frizz.

Great is the efficacy of pomegranate in cases of acne, which greatly helps to restore skin and deep cleaning, while in cases of dry skin it’s a strong moisturizer, it softens even very tired body areas such as the heels.

As the best cosmetic is what we eat, pomegranate cleans and moisturizes the body effectively, it increases water retention, while the calories are very low. So don’t forget to eat fruits rich and tasty as pomegranate!