Shinkitai wrote:When does the pomegranate flower and fruit? I have had one for a number of years and never seen either. I also have a cutting from my original one planted in the garden and it has never flowered/fruited either. Both grow pretty strongly. Will they flower up here?
I have one at home in flower now,

It too is like this one from goff, (ie too small and needs to be in a collander). My reasoning is that I have 2 others in the ground to grow on, so I letting this one flower so I can enjoy them
@ Bebbas. Pup Summed it up quite succinctly above. To paraphrase him, The ONLY way to develop quality trees, is to grow them on in larger pots or the ground to develop the trunk and roots. Then reduce the pots size over a few years and develop the branching, then the foliage.
Instant Bonsai is a myth and as can been seen from the various competitions here, Trying to push a tree faster will result in many dying or just doing nothing for a long time. The winners of the development comps will be the ones that pick a tree that already has the process above done largely by natural development
From good trained stock, it will in most cases take 5 years to produce a tree that can be called Bonsai. From and untrained stock tree look at a few years more.
I tell all newbies, to buy not 1 but 2 trees at a time. By all means, put 1 in Bonsai pot so you can enjoy it, but put the other one in a collander or the ground for the day that you realise that Mogi and Pup ar correct. By then you will have trees ready to lift and make into Bonsai.
Ken