Germinating Pomegranate seeds
 

Recently an article suggested that pomegranate seeds were quite easy to
germinate. I have rescued some from a pomegranate to that end.

I wonder though how to treat them to obtain germination. They are very
fragile and soft which makes me wonder what animal was normally involved
in their seed distribution in habitat. Can't be anything with teeth as
the seeds are so easily crushed. Ants maybe?

Any suggestions for the optimum conditions for growing them on?
With without the fleshy pith? Dried and rehydrated or fresh?
Any chance of fruiting one in the UK? Or purely ornamental?

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Germinating Pomegranate seeds
 

On 30/05/2017 10:36, Martin Brown wrote:
Recently an article suggested that pomegranate seeds were quite easy to
germinate. I have rescued some from a pomegranate to that end.

I wonder though how to treat them to obtain germination. They are very
fragile and soft which makes me wonder what animal was normally involved
in their seed distribution in habitat. Can't be anything with teeth as
the seeds are so easily crushed. Ants maybe?

Any suggestions for the optimum conditions for growing them on?
With without the fleshy pith? Dried and rehydrated or fresh?
Any chance of fruiting one in the UK? Or purely ornamental?

You would be better off buying seed of dwarf pomegranate, they keep to a
size where you can crop them in a pot.
http://www.suttons.co.uk/Gardening/F...bra_129867.htm

David @ a dull side of Swansea Bay

Germinating Pomegranate seeds
 

On 30 May 2017 10:36, Martin Brown wrote:
Recently an article suggested that pomegranate seeds were quite easy to
germinate. I have rescued some from a pomegranate to that end.

I wonder though how to treat them to obtain germination. They are very
fragile and soft which makes me wonder what animal was normally involved
in their seed distribution in habitat. Can't be anything with teeth as
the seeds are so easily crushed. Ants maybe?

Any suggestions for the optimum conditions for growing them on?
With without the fleshy pith? Dried and rehydrated or fresh?
Any chance of fruiting one in the UK? Or purely ornamental?

I bought one about 5ft tall some years ago, local Farm Shop was selling
them cheap. Planted in a sunny spot well protected by fences and shrubs
It makes a nice foliage plant. Do get the occasional flower in a good
summer which are most unusual. Really cannot see any possibility of
fruit.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Germinating Pomegranate seeds
 

On 30/05/17 18:54, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 30 May 2017 10:36, Martin Brown wrote:
Recently an article suggested that pomegranate seeds were quite easy to
germinate. I have rescued some from a pomegranate to that end.

I wonder though how to treat them to obtain germination. They are very
fragile and soft which makes me wonder what animal was normally involved
in their seed distribution in habitat. Can't be anything with teeth as
the seeds are so easily crushed. Ants maybe?

Any suggestions for the optimum conditions for growing them on?
With without the fleshy pith? Dried and rehydrated or fresh?
Any chance of fruiting one in the UK? Or purely ornamental?

I bought one about 5ft tall some years ago, local Farm Shop was selling
them cheap. Planted in a sunny spot well protected by fences and shrubs
It makes a nice foliage plant. Do get the occasional flower in a good
summer which are most unusual. Really cannot see any possibility of
fruit.

Many years ago the double-flowered from was often available from garden
centres. I seem to remember that it was claimed that this form was
somewhat hardier than the single-flowered form. However, being
double-flowered, there was no chance of fruit, despite what it says he
http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=3517&fromplants=pn%5Fid%3D571

--

Jeff

Germinating Pomegranate seeds
 

On 30 May 2017 22:46, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 30/05/17 18:54, Bob Hobden wrote:
On 30 May 2017 10:36, Martin Brown wrote:
Recently an article suggested that pomegranate seeds were quite easy to
germinate. I have rescued some from a pomegranate to that end.

I wonder though how to treat them to obtain germination. They are very
fragile and soft which makes me wonder what animal was normally involved
in their seed distribution in habitat. Can't be anything with teeth as
the seeds are so easily crushed. Ants maybe?

Any suggestions for the optimum conditions for growing them on?
With without the fleshy pith? Dried and rehydrated or fresh?
Any chance of fruiting one in the UK? Or purely ornamental?

I bought one about 5ft tall some years ago, local Farm Shop was selling
them cheap. Planted in a sunny spot well protected by fences and shrubs
It makes a nice foliage plant. Do get the occasional flower in a good
summer which are most unusual. Really cannot see any possibility of
fruit.

Many years ago the double-flowered from was often available from garden
centres. I seem to remember that it was claimed that this form was
somewhat hardier than the single-flowered form. However, being
double-flowered, there was no chance of fruit, despite what it says he
http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=3517&fromplants=pn%5Fid%3D571

Looking at the flowers ours looks more like the single variety.


--
Regards
Bob Hobden

Germinating Pomegranate seeds
 

In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:
Recently an article suggested that pomegranate seeds were quite easy to
germinate. I have rescued some from a pomegranate to that end.

I wonder though how to treat them to obtain germination. They are very
fragile and soft which makes me wonder what animal was normally involved
in their seed distribution in habitat. Can't be anything with teeth as
the seeds are so easily crushed. Ants maybe?

Not that easily. If the seeds are very soft, they will be infertile
ones. They require a definite bite, and then get stuck in your
teeth. In nature, some wouldn't get crushed and pass through.

Any suggestions for the optimum conditions for growing them on?
With without the fleshy pith? Dried and rehydrated or fresh?
Any chance of fruiting one in the UK? Or purely ornamental?

I never got mine to flower, but the leaves are attractively bronzy.

And no. They require heat to fruit, and I don't mean a joke like
a few days at 30 Celsius. But they are serious drought-resistant;
mine got dessicated one summer when I was on holiday, lost all its
leaves, and simply grew new ones later. But DON'T plant them in any
soil that might waterlog, even temporarily.

The same applies to Strelitzia - they are both arid terrain plants.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Germinating Pomegranate seeds
 

On 08/06/2017 09:21, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:
Recently an article suggested that pomegranate seeds were quite easy to
germinate. I have rescued some from a pomegranate to that end.

I wonder though how to treat them to obtain germination. They are very
fragile and soft which makes me wonder what animal was normally involved
in their seed distribution in habitat. Can't be anything with teeth as
the seeds are so easily crushed. Ants maybe?

Not that easily. If the seeds are very soft, they will be infertile
ones. They require a definite bite, and then get stuck in your
teeth. In nature, some wouldn't get crushed and pass through.

OK. Thanks for that. Wasting my time on these fragile white things then.

Any suggestions for the optimum conditions for growing them on?
With without the fleshy pith? Dried and rehydrated or fresh?
Any chance of fruiting one in the UK? Or purely ornamental?

I never got mine to flower, but the leaves are attractively bronzy.

So it is growable in Cambridge but for foliage only. How disappointing!
They flower OK in France but don't get useful fruit. They do look exotic
which is why I fancied trying them.

And no. They require heat to fruit, and I don't mean a joke like
a few days at 30 Celsius. But they are serious drought-resistant;
mine got dessicated one summer when I was on holiday, lost all its
leaves, and simply grew new ones later. But DON'T plant them in any
soil that might waterlog, even temporarily.

I have no chance then. We are on solid clay. Came back today to find
everything waterlogged after 50mm or rain previous two days. Odd really
since everything was baked hard and brick like after weeks of drought.

The same applies to Strelitzia - they are both arid terrain plants.

I can just about grow rosemary in the rain shadow of the garage but the
places where drought tolerant plants will grow are very limited.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Germinating Pomegranate seeds
 

In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:

Not that easily. If the seeds are very soft, they will be infertile
ones. They require a definite bite, and then get stuck in your
teeth. In nature, some wouldn't get crushed and pass through.

OK. Thanks for that. Wasting my time on these fragile white things then.

Yes.

Any suggestions for the optimum conditions for growing them on?
With without the fleshy pith? Dried and rehydrated or fresh?
Any chance of fruiting one in the UK? Or purely ornamental?

I never got mine to flower, but the leaves are attractively bronzy.

So it is growable in Cambridge but for foliage only. How disappointing!
They flower OK in France but don't get useful fruit. They do look exotic
which is why I fancied trying them.

That was ONE seedling - I was probably just unlucky! Other people
have got them to flower.

And no. They require heat to fruit, and I don't mean a joke like
a few days at 30 Celsius. But they are serious drought-resistant;
mine got dessicated one summer when I was on holiday, lost all its
leaves, and simply grew new ones later. But DON'T plant them in any
soil that might waterlog, even temporarily.

I have no chance then. We are on solid clay. Came back today to find
everything waterlogged after 50mm or rain previous two days. Odd really
since everything was baked hard and brick like after weeks of drought.

Grow them in pots then, with a free-draining John Innes mixture. That's
what I did.

The same applies to Strelitzia - they are both arid terrain plants.

I can just about grow rosemary in the rain shadow of the garage but the
places where drought tolerant plants will grow are very limited.

Ditto. Rosemary also does well in a free-draining John Innes mixture
in a pot - and it doesn't even have to be a big one. I have some in
4" pots that I took for cuttings and have been neglecting for years.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.