Pomegranate (Punica granatum) MOLLAR DE ELCHE

The most commonly grown variety in Spain, originating from Elche (Alicante). The variety is known for its exceptional sweetness, soft edible seeds and exterior fruit colors, oscillating between creamy yellow and deep pink depending on location.

Vigour: strong, forms a naturally branched, deciduous shrub up to 3 m high. It is easy to grow and easy to shape. Lives to old age, even several centuries. In wine-growing regions, we recommend planting the pomegranate tree in open ground. Can also be grown as a container plant in a large pot.
Site requirements: the ideal site for pomegranates is a sheltered sunny spot in the garden or patio. Pomegranate is undemanding to soil, but grows and produces better in deep, loamy soils rich in organic matter with a light, permeable subsoil.
Blossom: decorative orange flowers bloom gradually from June to July. The variety is self-pollinating.
Fruit: very large, 300 - 480 g, round. Skin creamy yellow to dark pink. Seeds small, soft, juicy, sweet, do not interfere with consumption.
Harvest season: depending on the location and climatic conditions, the fruits ripen gradually from September to October
Disease resistance: pomegranate shrubs are one of the easier fruits to work with since they are not usually affected by pests or diseases. Suitable for organic or no-spray culture.
Frost resistance: withstand frosts to -15°C, as the plants gets older becomes more frost tolerant. We recommend providing winter protection to young plants, for example an 8-10 cm layer of mulch, which will help protect the roots during winter.
Usage: juicy pomegranate seeds are consumed fresh, used to press the juice as well as to make the wine called Grenada. Pomegranate concentrate is used as an ingredient in salad dressings. Boiling pomegranate juice with sugar creates grenadine syrup, which is used as an ingredient in cocktails. In terms of taste, the pomegranate combines sweetness and acidity in an exotic way. That's why pomegranate seeds are ideal for refining desserts, meat and vegetarian dishes.

Pomegranates are not grafted onto a rootstock, but are grown on their own roots, so if the above-ground part of the plant is damaged during the winter, the roots remain undamaged and in the spring the pomegranate sprouts new shoots.