Neji-Kan "twisted trunk Pomegranate

Marcus let me give you a more proper overview;

You will no doubt have a better experience with them in Cornwall then I do in Upstate NY. Up here in this zone I'm several zones outside the trees normal climate so i have to jump through a few hoops with regards its dormancy and the slow growth in the cooler spring. This tree is one of my "favorite headaches" in that it drops its leaves, comes inside to avoid the winter, then decides a month later its spring time in January and starts growing. All this growth produced indoors will be spindly and will be prone to burning in spring so I lose most of it (it sits for a good month looking like krap) then enjoy the explosion of new proper growth that the tree will produce for me once summer arrives but as I say those are MY zone issues with the species, your climate is more forgiving then mine. Up here they're a bit of a fish out of water.

As I say I have found Neji-Kan to be a strong grower once the heat kicks in. I position mine in screeching full hot sun on a piece of slate to help create even more heat..the thing loves it. One thing that is tricky is keeping them happy with watering. Its best to allow them to wilt a touch then go for a deep watering. Mine is in pure turface and does well. They must drain freely as they dislike standing water for any length of time. Mine has yet to flower but I am working on branching now and forgoing the long extension that would be required for flowers.

They are also prone to cercospora fungal attacks but I can keep it to a minimum by not soaking the foliage. They develop Zinc deficiencies early in the season but thats rather common among pomegranates and usually the tree mends it on its own once soil temps rise in summer.

If you have an opportunity to find a nice old twisted specimen jump on it as they are rare. These are very slow growing trees and the twisting and sinuous veining of the trunks takes a great deal of time to develop. I have only seen two Neji-kan Poms for sale that had fully mature trunks, the price was high for a shohin sized tree but I knew it was a rare opportunity so I grabbed it.

I would definitely recommend you do the same!

best
-Jay

Hi Jay,

Any developments on your punica?

Regards.

yes... i too would dig an update as i acquired one this summer, though no-where near as developed as yours...

also what zone are you in ?

i am in zone 5 and find these, what i call "in-betweeners", tricky at best re dormancy...

this past winter i treated my other dwarf pom, crepe myrtle, etc to just a short 2 month dormancy in an unheated garage, then back in the house for a bit, then to a sunny spot in my garden window, until it was safe to put them outside...

looking to do the same with this one...

I am from Portugal

Don't think he is with us any more.

Rui Marques wrote:I am from Portugal

sorry rui - i meant dr. gonzo...

thanks jim... i thought prior posts proclaimed "guest" when someone leaves the forum...

i thought prior posts proclaimed "guest" when someone leaves the forum...

Only when they go to the trouble of deleting themselves from the membership list.

ahhh... i see
still... looks like the good doctor visited in july of this year...