Questions about Growing Dwarf Pom from Seed

[Bonsaimennonite]

Hello all,
A few months ago I bought an "extra dwarf pomegranate" tree from Baker Creek Seeds. Out of twelve seeds, this one came up. (Here is how it looked in the first two weeks)

This was taken in bright light, but the plant is normally in a dorm room with max 4 hours of bright light a day. It sits in a cool windowsill. It is in a glass pickle jar filled with dirt from my home backyard.

I have never grown a bonsai before. When/how do I remove the tree to cut the root? How old does it have to be or what should it look like when I start trimming? If I were to put this tree in the ground would it grow to a normal size? Are the odds in my favor for this tree's survival? I have so many questions and appreciate any advice!

Best,

BonsaiMennonite

 

[Shibui]

There are no real answers to most of your questions as there are many options.
You can lift seedlings almost any time to trim the roots or transplant them. Sometimes seedlings are transplanted when they are even younger than yours. Others can leave them in the seedling container for several years before doing any work with roots. I prefer earlier root work to establish well ramified lateral roots that are valued by bonsai growers.
Trimming can start any time depending what you are aiming for. Most people let seedlings grow freely for a start because lots of above ground growth usually = faster thickening of the trunk which is also valued by bonsai people because it can make the tree look older.
If your seedling is transplanted to the ground it will grow much faster and larger than when grown in a container. Normal size depends what you mean by normal. You have told us it is from an 'extra dwarf'. Genetics is interesting. Extra dwarf could be a stable variety in which case seedlings may also be dwarf but it may just be a chance variation from the normal species in which case seedlings could be any size. We do know its Mom but have no idea who the Dad is. If Dad is a large variety the seedling could grow any size but if the flower self pollinated there is a far better chance the new plant will also be dwarf.

Are the odds in my favor for this tree's survival?

Quite frankly, No, but that's only because you are new to this and reality is that most newbies have heavy losses until they learn about all the aspects of plant care and culture - water, feed, sun, heat, cold, potting mix, containers, etc, etc. Don't let that put you off though. Keep going, learn lots and good luck.

 

[Bonsai_Bentley]

Kind of a related question. I live in zone 8 and I have a dwarf pomegranate. The nursery that I bought them from is located in Virginia. Their label says that the tree should be brought indoors during the winter. Information I've found online suggests that I can leave it outside in my region. What would you do?

 

[eryk2kartman]

I grow some pomegranate from seed, ive noticed, they need a lot of light, mine wasnt really happy indoors, until i moved it to the green house, they grew much better.
Bare in mind this is tropical/semitropical tree that requires a lot of sun and warm weather.
Do some research online, dontr trust the label on the plant. here is a bit of info

Punica granatum var. nana | dwarf pomegranate Shrubs/RHS Gardening

Find help & information on Punica granatum var. nana dwarf pomegranate Shrubs from the RHS

www.rhs.org.uk

i kno wits UK web but general info is the same,
Hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)

 

[Bonsai_Bentley]

I grow some pomegranate from seed, ive noticed, they need a lot of light, mine wasnt really happy indoors, until i moved it to the green house, they grew much better.
Bare in mind this is tropical/semitropical tree that requires a lot of sun and warm weather.
Do some research online, dontr trust the label on the plant. here is a bit of info

Punica granatum var. nana | dwarf pomegranate Shrubs/RHS Gardening

Find help & information on Punica granatum var. nana dwarf pomegranate Shrubs from the RHS

www.rhs.org.uk

i kno wits UK web but general info is the same,
Hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)

I generally intended to bring it indoors, but when checked the zone hardiness I noticed that it can handle zone 8 which I took to mean that it can be outside during the winter. Then I read that it's a Mediterranean species which led me to believe that it would likely prefer to be indoors. My only concern is whether or not the tree would burn itself out if I didn't allow it to go into winter dormancy. I've got the prefect place for it indoors though. I have a room that gets like from both South and East facing windows.

 

[eryk2kartman]

My only concern is whether or not the tree would burn itself out if I didn't allow it to go into winter dormancy. I've got the prefect place for it indoors though. I have a room that gets like from both South and East facing windows.

I dont think they need winter dormacy, even if its not super cold dormacy as some decidus trees need, i guess a bit lower temps that are during the summer, if you think about it, for example, in Spain the winter is still pretty worm. They definitely need a lot of light. Mine are in the kitchen, so far they are ok.