It’s a proper cultivation Guide For beginners, Who want to Start Rooftop pomegranate Gardens.

Pomegranates can be farmed very easily in tubs or drums in roof gardens. Pomegranate is a very attractive, sweet, tasty, and nutritious fruit. Annar or pomegranate also has many medicinal properties. With regular care, the Pomegranate tree will bear fruit throughout the year.

How To Prepare Drum/Tub Soil For Pomegranate Cultivation on The RoofTop?

A 20-inch drum or tub will be required for planting pomegranate seedlings on the roof. 3-5 holes should be made at the bottom of the tub/drum so that water cannot accumulate at the base of the plant. For uninterrupted drainage of excess water, small pieces of bricks or stones should be placed over the holes in the bottom of the tub or drum, so that the holes are not blocked by the soil. The tub or drum plant should be placed in a place on the roof where there is always sunshine. Now mix 2 parts of sandy loam soil, 1 part of dung, 40-50 grams of TSP, 40-50 grams of potassium, and 200 grams of bone powder and fill the drum or tub, then leave it with water for 10-12 days. After 4/5 days the soil should be loosened and left for another 4-5 days.

How To Plant Pomegranate Seedlings For Farming?

A strong healthy seedling should be transplanted into the prepared tub when the soil is moist. At the time of planting, the root of the plant cannot be separated from the soil in any way. The seedling should be straight and planted properly. Then the soil at the base of the tree should be raised a little and the soil should be pressed by hand. As a result, water will not be able to penetrate through the root of the tree. A straight thin stick should be tied to the tree. At the beginning of planting, water should be given sparingly. Then gradually increase the watering. However, water cannot be allowed to accumulate at the base of the tree. If there is a shortage of sap in the soil, the plants should be irrigated as needed.

Other important Care: For Pomegranate Cultivation on The Rooftop

After 4/5 months of planting pomegranate or Annar or Currant seedlings, water should be given regularly after 25-30 days. Mustard leaves should be soaked in water for 10 days. Then dilute the water of the rotten leaves and give it to the root of the tree. After a year, the partial soil of the tub should be changed. 2 inches wide and 6 inches deep roots of the tub or drum should be discarded and the tub or drum should be refilled with new composted soil. This soil change is usually best done in October-November. After 10-15 days, the soil of the tub or drum should be slightly dug.

How To Apply Fertilizer To Pomegranate Trees on The Roof?

Fertilizer should be given regularly to the tree every year. The amount of fertilizer mentioned in table 6 should be applied to each 1-year-old tree.

Organic fertilizer 10 kg, Urea 125 grams, TSP 125 grams, Potassium fertilizer 125 grams.

The level of fertilizer should be increased a little every year. The above amount of fertilizer should be applied to the plant twice. 1st time in May-June and 2nd time in September-October should be applied to the soil at the root of the plant.

Weed Control in Rooftop Pomegranate Farming

Care should be taken to ensure that there are no weeds at the root of the pomegranate tree. For this, weeding should be done regularly. Because if the pomegranate is not cultivated cleanly, the tree is more likely to get diseased.

Irrigation And Drainage in Rooftop Pomegranate Cultivation

Falling trees should be given regular light irrigation. The soil at the base of the plant should never be waterlogged and the plant should not be kept too dry. If there is not enough juice in the soil after the application of fertilizers, irrigation must be provided.

Prune The Branches of The Pomegranate tree

The branches of the roof pomegranate tree should be pruned regularly. Pomegranate flowers grow on new branches of old branches. Branches need to be pruned to produce new branches on old branches. Also, the sap coming out from the roots of the pomegranate tree needs to be pruned.

Special Care For The Pomegranate Tree

Pomegranate flowers bloom little by little throughout the year. However, flowers do not produce fruit all the time. The flowers that bloom on the pomegranate tree in the month of February-April produce fruit in the month of April-June. But in this case, the quality of this fruit is not very good. The flowers that bloom in June and the fruits from those flowers are suitable for collection in October-November. The quality of fruits during this period is quite good. Therefore, in order to get more flowers at the beginning of June, special care should be taken from December 15 to May 30. At this time the irrigation should be stopped, and as a result, the growth of the plant stops. In the month of March-April, the tree should be irrigated and the soil at the base of the tree should be loosened. With the onset of the monsoon season, the trees start budding and fruiting.

How To Control Pomegranate Diseases And Insects in The Roof Garden?

In the farming of pomegranates on the roof, some diseases and insects attack the pomegranate. Some important disease-insect damage symptoms and control measures are discussed below.

Pomegranate Insects

1. Pomegranate fruit borer

This pest is identified as the main problem in pomegranate cultivation, its infestation is the highest. The Pomegranate borer is the worst enemy of the pomegranate fruit. The larvae of this species damage the fruit. Female butterflies lay eggs on flowers and small fruits. The larvae hatch from the eggs and bore into the developing fruit and eat the seeds and other parts of the fruit. Later, before turning into a caterpillar, it emerges from the fruit by making round holes in the skin of the fruit. As a result of being attacked by this insect, secondary infection can be caused by fungi and bacteria.

Control:

• • Infected fruits should be removed from the tree or the infected fruits lying on the ground should be picked and destroyed.
  • If the fruit starts to grow after the fruit has been harvested, bagging the fruit with cloth polythene or paper will prevent the attack of this insect.
  • In addition, if the level of attack is high, phosphamidon group insecticides at the rate of 1 ml per liter of water should be sprayed on the plants and fruits at intervals of 12-15 days.

2. Stem borer

infestations are commonly seen in neglected trees. The larvae of this insect penetrate the bark of the trunk and branches at night and eat the inside. During the day, the larvae hide in the hollows of the twigs and excrete waste matter. The attack of this insect can be observed by looking at small holes or waste material in the trunk or branches.

Control

• • Arrangements should be made to kill insects by inserting the fine wire into the hole.
  • Clean the excrement of the worm from the hole and fill the hole with a petroleum-like substance with the help of an injection syringe or cotton and close the hole with clay, the insect will die.

3. Sap-sucking insects: Very Effected Problem of Pomegranate Cultivation

Aphids, whiteflies, scale insects, thrips, jab beetles, and spiders are considered pests of pomegranate juice. Leaves, buds, flowers, and small fruits fall due to the attack of these insects. Whiteflies and caterpillars feed on the leaves and young twigs. As a result, the affected area becomes discolored and deformed. Besides, a type of honey is secreted from the body of these insects, which sticks to the leaves. Later, a kind of fungus grows on this secreted honey on the surface of the leaf. As a result, the food production process of the plant is disturbed. Spider mites and thrips damage leaves, flower buds, panicles, and corms and feed on the sap that oozes from the wounds. As a result, leaf axils curl and flower drop and fruiting is inhibited.

Control

• • Infested parts should be cut and burnt early in attack for control of umbels and scale insects. After that, diazinon insecticide should be mixed with water at the rate of 1 ml per liter of water and sprayed on the plants.
  • To suppress the jab beetle or whitefly, 1 ml of dimethoate or 0.5 ml of imidacloprid should be mixed with water and sprayed on the plants twice at intervals of 10-12 days.
  •  For control of spiders, Vertimec/Sanmectin at the rate of 1.25 ml per liter of water and sulfur fungicide at the rate of 2 g should be sprayed on the plants.

Diseases of pomegranate:

1. Fruit spot disease

This disease is caused by fungi. When fruit trees are infected with this fungus, many small and irregular spots appear on the affected fruit. These spots are surrounded by greenish-yellow spots. Later the spots become long spots. The seeds under the fruit peel turn brown. The market value of affected fruit is reduced due to quality loss.

Control

• • The diseased part should be cut and burnt. Mancozeb (Indophil M45/ Diethane M45) at the rate of 2 gm per liter of water or Carbandism (Noin/ Autostin/Mcozym) at the rate of 1 gm per liter of water mixed with fungicide at 8-10 days interval to spray well 2-3 times from the head to the root of the plant. will be

2. Fruit rot disease

This fungal disease is usually seen during the monsoon season. If the flower is infected with this disease, fruiting is inhibited and young fruits drop. The disease can be identified by seeing yellow or black spots on the fruit, especially on the buds. Attack of fruit rot causes the skin of the fruit to shrivel and the weight of the fruit to decrease. Infected fruits are unripe, small in size, and lose their luster. Later the fruit becomes soft and rots.

Control

• • Fruit rot should be cut and burnt. Mancozeb fungicide should be mixed with water at the rate of 2 grams per liter of water and sprayed well 3 times from the head to the root of the plant at intervals of 7-10 days.

3. Fruit bursting

This problem is a threat to pomegranate cultivation. Pomegranate fruit cracking is a serious problem. It is not a fungal disease. This is usually due to nutrient deficiencies or variations in soil moisture. Fruit growth is stunted when the soil lacks moisture during dry weather during fruit growth. Due to this, the skin of the fruit becomes hard. Then, when there is a sudden rain, when there is an excess of juice in the soil, the inner part of the fruit grows rapidly. Due to this the fruit peel bursts due to the internal pressure.

Control

• • Pomegranate trees should be irrigated frequently after fruiting.
  • Boron fertilizers such as boric acid should be applied to the soil at the rate of 40 grams per plant.
  • During fruit growth, soluble boron mixed with 2 gm/liter of water should be sprayed well on fruits and plants at intervals of 7-10 days.
  • Moreover, those varieties of pomegranate which do not have the problem of fruit cracking should be cultivated.

Fruit Collection

Pomegranate seedlings start yielding in 3-4 years. It takes 6 months from flowering to fruit ripening. The fruit can be harvested when the color of the ripe fruit peel is yellowish brown. If the fruit is left on the tree for too long, there is a possibility of the fruit bursting. It is best to harvest the fruits of trees that are prone to bursting shortly before fruit ripening. But the taste and quality of malnourished fruits are not very good. Pomegranate skin is very hard so the ripe fruit can be stored for a long time and the fruit does not spoil easily during transportation during marketing.

The Yields

Pomegranate trees usually start bearing fruit at the age of four to five years. However, the initial yield is not as expected. Generally, pomegranate trees give good yield from the age of 6-8 years. Not more than 20-25 fruits are obtained per plant at the time of first fruiting. Yield increases with age. A ten-year-old tree bears an average of 100-150 fruits. But with good care, 200-250 fruits are available per tree. A pomegranate tree can produce profitable crops for up to thirty years.

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