Is It The Pot?

[Watto]

A little while ago I was out walking the dog and picked up a pomegranate fruit, took it home with the objective of growing a few from seed.
I should say that digging mature stock is usually the go for me, but it doesn't hurt to try something different.
I was reasonably successful and grew quite a few, gave some away, and potted a few. Now the process for potting was the same for all of them except I was fast running out of pots, so put one in a different pot. Now a couple of years later the only one to flower is the one in the different pot, yet all of them are in the same mix, get treated the same treatment in regard to fertilizer, water etc.
Is it possible that the pot makes this much difference?

[matlea]

Maybe it likes the better drainage? Either way they all look very healthy!

[matlea]

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[goughi]

If the stock was from cuttings with no or little genetic variation you could perhaps put the difference down to the pot or its position relative to sunlight or some other abiotic factor.

However, the stock comes from seed where you would expect a fair degree of genetic variability. It may be this variability that has led to only one plant flowering.

If you wanted to demonstrate that it was the pot, the experimental design would call for genetically identical material and many replicates of the sets of pots maybe with randomised placements to remove other factors such as light.

Anyway they are good looking plants, are you developing any as bonsai?

Regards
Mark

[Bonsai4ever]

Watto, there have been numerous posts on other Bonsai sites as to the benefits of root growth in pool pond pots similar to your colander. It has something to do with the water evaporation and air supply that make the roots grow quicker, more healthy and more vigorous. I am sure that if you were to bare root this and one other you would find that this one has a better root structure.

[Ray M]

Hi Watto,
I agree with Mark about seeds. I also would like to share that I have been growing trees in colanders for over 20 years. I have had great success with colanders when growing trees prier to considering them as bonsai, and then putting them in bonsai pots.

This post is just a little glimpse of my use of colanders. viewtopic.php?f=104&t=14664

I also use colanders for ground planting. Plant the tree in a colander and place it in the ground up to the rim of the colander. This makes it very easy for removing the tree and colander for root trimming. Remove the roots on the outside of the colander and place back into the ground and allow to grow again. This can be repeated many times and it doesn't disturb the root ball close to the trunk. If this is not clear I will find a photo and post it when I get back home. I am away in Bathurst at the moment.

Regards Ray

[cre8ivbonsai]

Also interesting, from what I can see in the photo, that the flowering tree appears to have one of the thinnest trunks, and slightly sparser foliage? or am I just seeing things?

Maybe drier conditions, with more oxygen helps with flowering (I've been told a similar thing, that withholding water in late summer with Wisterias encourages their flowering )

[Watto]

Mark - all these are grown from seed, but I only had one fruit. There will be some variable plants form those seeds I agree and it may be that this is the reason. It is just a bit ironic that the only one to flower so far is the one in that pot.
Ray - I have noted your growing in colanders and they do appear to be doing very nicely. Thanks for the tip on growing them in the ground as well, excellant idea and I will give that a go over the next few years.
Cre8 - all the plants are really the same trunk diameter, the different appearance are just how I treated them. As an example, one has three trunks tristed together (with the hope they will naturally graft together), some are upright, some raft like etc.

Thanks for your comments and interest, they are all bound for bonsai at some time in the future, if they survive the next few rounds of experiments.

[Ray M]

Hi Watto,
I have posted about the colanders being used for ground planting. viewtopic.php?f=9&t=14986

Regards Ray