1 month old pomegranate sprout - Wintertime?

Hya all!
This is my first post on this forum, so be gentle :gnthb:

So, this summer i planted some pomegranate seeds i brought home from Turkey last fall. Of the 9 seeds i planted, 2 of them became sprouts after a month. Now, they are about 4-5 cm tall and with 6 or so leaves, and continually growing.

The problem is that I live in Norway, where the climate dont take kindly to pomegranate plants. I have a rainy fall with little sun and a cold winter with little sun ahead and I dont know what to do with the plants in order for them so survive. They way I see, I have 2 options:

#1 would be to have the plants inside all winter and fall, in room temperature and by a window so they can absorb the most of the small amount of sunshine we get.

#2 would be to keep them in some kind of an inside celler I got with a constant temperature of 10 degrees celsius and under the constant light of an UV-lamp

So, what conditions would you experts recommend for my pomegranat plants?

Thanks for any response!
OB

Edit: I appologize for double-posting in different sub-forums! This one seemed more appropriate

 

Hi Bobby
I'm not an expert on pomegranate's but can I suggestyou treat
your's as a house plant, as it grows repot it into larger pots, it will
probably not grow large enough to bear fruit but you could just enjoy
it as a temporary foliage houseplant and treat it as you would any
houseplant, natural light (if possible),warmth, food and water. let us know
how you get on. no doubt other members will be able help.

Pete :gnthb:

 

Thanks for the response Pete, seems like you know what youre talking about

Now, I dont know much about house plants (the closeset Ive been eariler is catuses), but such a small sprout like mine, isnt there a possibility that it could wither and die from lack of sun during the winter season?

Oh, and what kind of food do I give it?

Thanks!

 

Bobby, I've grown pomegranate plants outside for more than 30 yrs.

I'm not saying we get winters as cold as Oslo but in that time I can remember a few nasty ones.
It can result in the plants being cut back to the ground but mine have always resprouted in spring.

They are deciduous so would make awful house plants in winter.
Once you plants are a reasonable size I would put outside in pots for the summer and move into your cellar after the first frost kills the leaves.
If they are cool enough they will stay dormant all winter and I doubt they will need light.
Its an experiment that might just work.

Maybe for this winter it might be best to keep them on the window sill but dont keep them warm and dont overwater once the leaves fall off.

 

Ok, so even though the plant is kept in artificial climate (room temperature), it will still follow its natural season cycle and loose the leaves during fall, then regain them at springtime?

Is there any special care I can give them during fall and winter? Appearantly, it was a no-go on the UV-lamp, but should I occationally give it some kind of plant nutrition, in order for it to survive?

And one more thing, how often should I water them when they've lost their leaves?

Thanks in advance!

 

You do ask some difficult questions Bob
I think pomegranate is usually classed as semi deciduous, that is, it will lose some or most of its leaves in winter.
I'm guessing you natural light in winter is pretty low, so I think the plants will respond by losing all their leaves.
I personally dont think its worth bothering with winter lighting unless your growing other plants in that manner.

Once they have no leaves growth has stopped, so very little water is required and definitely no feeding, they are dormant and need to be kept that way until the light allows growth, probably after March.
As soon as you see new buds appear it means the plants are wanting to grow, so you can then slowly increase watering and some feeding.

 

You can grow plants under lights over the winter. I have a light box and do just that. But the light levels have to be very high to simulate outside conditions and that can be expensive on anything other than a small scale.

I would agree with Pete and say that it wouldn't be worth doing for one plant. I justify my light box by filling it with 100 cuttings or 30 pots of seed. And as soon as they have rooted or germinated I put them on the windowsills and start another batch.

 

I do apologize for difficult questions, but you guys sure have the knowledge to answer them!

Now, Pete, Pete and Peter, thank you for your answers, I feel alot more educated now!
It seems that we'll fire up the lamp anyway, we have a big lemon pot-tree and some other sub-tropic plants which could justify the use of it.

I may also try both methods, store one of the plants in the window sill, the other one under the light, see how it works out.

Any small plants being kept in a light box, will they loose the leaves, or will they just keep growing throughout the winter?

Oh, and one more Q: as you might know, UV-light from the sun is partially absorbed by windowglass (that is why you can sit for days behind a window on a sunny day, and never get tan), so during hot sunny days, will the plants benefit more from being placed OUTSIDE instead of inside on the window sill?

Thanks

 

In a light box I think they would retain their leaves and continue to grow, there are many hardy plants that dont like such conditions and need a dormant period.

Not sure if pomegranate would be one of those, I doubt it.
Plants will always benefit from being outside when possible, its just that some plants have a higher heat requirement than others.
Grown under glass permanently many plants become leggy and dont ripen the wood properly.
Outside growing is slower but stronger.

 

Thanks for response!

I was thinking about making one of the plants into a bonsai tree, and the other one into a large plant which might even bear fruits someday.

But Pete, considering the climate, is there any possibility a pomegranate tree can survive outside all year round if I plant it when its a pretty big plant?

And now that my plants growth season is extended to 12 months (lightbox during fall and winter), I really want to know HOW OFTEN i am suppose to feed the plants, and with what?

Thank you!

 

If it can survive outside depends on your winter temperatures and how much continual frost you get.

They seem to be able to take minus 10 as long as its not for long, sort of one night with above freezing the next day.
Below that ad you likely to get all the top growth killed and it should reshoot from the roots.
Snow cover is a help, and stops lower temperatures from penetrating deeper into the soil.

I always plant anything thats a bit tender very near a house wall facing south or west, it gives them a better chance.

As to feeding, any general plant food will do, just follow the instructions.