Best known for their fruit , Punica granatum also offer glossy foliation , a tousled outflow contour , and a long season of beautiful flowers .
Though they ’re one of the pricy fruits in the produce islet , pomegranates are actually easy and cheap to grow at home . If you endure inUSDA zona 6 - 11 , there ’s at least one case of pomegranate for your area that will acquire fruit like to what you ’d purchase at the storehouse , with large Charles Edward Berry filled with hundreds of juicy source that have a tart flavor .
But it ’s not just about the yield . Pomegranates are suchattractive flowering shrubsthat they ’re often grown solely as ornamentals or for landscape gardening . Some produce beautiful flowers for months . Others create smaller , cosmetic berry ( great for wreaths and flower arrangements ) . Dwarf alternative extend their employment to small spots , pots , hedges , and evenbonsai .
Credit:Ed Gohlich
Ed Gohlich
Because they ordinarily do n’t need much precaution , pomegranates are idealistic for beginners and hands - off gardeners . But you should select the form carefully . Their cold - hardiness , plant sizing , fruit , and bloom vary dramatically . If you ’re gardening in Zones 5 and lower , they make easy- to moderate - care potted plants that require to come in indoors from mid - fall to mid - spring . A handful of evergreen plant pomegranate may even flower through winter in a ardent , bright windowpane .
Where to Plant Pomegranates
pomegranate tree are Middle Eastern and South Asian shrubs that thrive in plenty of sun and the heating system of summer . Though they can grow in part sunshine , poms need at least six hours a twenty-four hours to grow , flower , and fruit their safe . Ten or more hour of Dominicus a day in summer is even good . If you ’re in Zones 9 - 11 you could plant pomegranates wherever they ’ll get draw of wakeful andwell - drain soil . For anyone grow them in Zones 6 - 7 , pick out a land site where they will get maximum exposure in summer but protection in winter . In Zone 6 it ’s substantive that pomegranates get protection from an east - face wall , like the side of a house , shed , or retaining wall .
Part of the special charm of pomegranate is their tendency to cry and take on a natural spring shape . When they ’re load with yield or after a profound rain they may ask a lot of elbow room to extend out . Plant pomegranates where they ’ll have least 10 - 15 feet on all sides if you want them to be freestanding . Dwarf pomegranate give you more planting options . They ’re at home in a dense flowering shrub garden orin a hedging .
If you have space , consider planting two different mixture . You only need one pomegranate tree to get yield , but if you may plant two different kinds , each one will give you more than it would by itself . One dwarf pom in the garden or a pot and one large fruit shrub or tree will do the joke as long as they ’re in efflorescence at the same time .
Credit:Denny Schrock
How and When to Plant Pomegranates
Plant pomegranates any time of the year in Zones 9 and warm . In nerveless regions , it ’s best to plant in spring . That gives them a full season of growth before their first wintertime . A good stem arrangement increases the chance that they ’ll re - grow from the primer if they get damaged by cold weather . Wait until after thelast threat of springtime frost .
Though pomegranate tree adapt to most filth types , they ’ll value being planted in better dirt . Dig a large hole two or three feet in diameter and a foot to a foot and half deep . mix in the soil with a bag of manure or compost . Add peat moss or coconut meat coir . Place the Punica granatum in the center . Make certain it ’s sitting in the flat coat at the same deepness as it is in the pot it came in . If you require to , replace some of your rectify soil underneath it until it ’s at the correct floor . Fill the rest of the grunge back in the trap and water it in good .
Potted pomegranate need a potting mix that drains well but retains wet . Unless you ’re grow your pom as a bonsai , give it acontainer with enough roomfor the roots to spread out . dear drainage is essential . tot holes to the bottom with a drill if necessary ( and ensure you practice a disk if you lend it indoors to forefend damaging your home ) .
In northerly areas where it ’s too cold to grow pomegranate in the ground , some gardener acquire fruit pomegranate tree in turgid pots outdoors during summer and bring them into a nursery , sun parlor , or unheated garage for winter .
northerly gardeners may also experiment with ornamental dwarf pomegranates asperennials or annuals in the ground . They will croak back to the background in climates where they ’re not cold - hardy , but they may come back the next year . The drawback is that they may not flower until belated fall or not at all and they may not exist .
Denny Schrock
Pomegranate Care Tips
If you cull the right pomegranate and the right spot , you do n’t have to do much other than implant it . But you’re able to get yield rather if you featherbed them for a few years .
Light
The more sun the well . pomegranate tree suffer four hours but they require at least six hours to do well . If you rise evergreen varieties like ‘ Nana ’ in a pot indoors , they require the sunniest window you could give them in guild to keep them growing and flowering during winter , or considerusing a grow light .
Soil and Water
pomegranate tree do n’t need the good soil or supplemental water . But they will execute better in rich soil with aneutral PHand with occasional deep watering , specially during the first year or two and during drought . If you grow in a locoweed , you will need to water every week and apply a good character pot dirt .
Temperature and Humidity
pomegranate tree prefer temperatures between 85 ° F and 100 ° F during the summer . Most of the older Punica granatum do n’t tolerate temperatures below 10 ° farad and can be damage by temp in the XX . A few commercial-grade - quality fruiting varieties can bear temperatures below zero .
Traditionally , pomegranate tree were think to do poorly in humid region . But more recently , they ’ve been find to develop well enough in humid Florida to potentially become a commercial-grade craw . Still , it ’s best to depend for pomegranates that are love to grow successfully where you last .
Fertilizer
Fertilizing during the growing time of year for a year or two can get you to that first harvest of yield in few years . For ornamental flowering type , extra nutrients can increase the frequency of salad days . Use all - function fertilizer oradd a stratum of compostor manure around your plant . But it ’s not necessary to use fertilizer if you want to take a hands - off approach . you’re able to still grow a vigorous , attractive , yield - debase Punica granatum without fertilise it . If you prefer to fertilise , either apply once in mid - to - late spring or monthly from mid - May to August .
Pruning
How much you call for to cut pomegranates look on whether you require to leave them in their natural bush form or cultivate them as single- or multi - trunk trees . pomegranate course maturate a dense , spreading set of stems from the base . For gardeners in Zones 6 - 8 , it ’s best to lease them grow naturally because it increases the chances they ’ll outlive an unexpectedly cold wintertime . When grown as a shrub , all you take to do isremove dead , diseased , or dying growth . keep off shaping them up too much . Part of their magic spell is their dishevel , slightly twisted increment .
When develop as a tree , you have to cultivate the form from the first class by selecting the stem or stems you require to develop into tree body . Pomegranate trees continue to attempt to regress to shrubs by sending up novel stems called suckers at the base . They have to be cut back throughout the class to maintain a tree form .
Pomegranates are often one of the last plants to leaf out in spring . Do n’t panic if you do n’t see leaves in April or May . Before you tailor off seemingly dead growth , call off the barque back at the ending of a branch . If there is any K , it ’s still live and you should hold back . If you see vigorous ontogeny from the base but nowhere else , give it a couple of weeks and cut it back if the branches do n’t flick out . Inspect closely to prove to salvage any last stems and branches .
In warmer regions , pruning should be scheduled for the end of winter or former spring . In colder areas , it ’s just to wait until the pomegranate begins to leaf out to check for winter damage and settle whether pruning is necessary .
Potting and Repotting
pomegranate in pots need more attention than pomegranates in the ground . Pot them in any standard potting ground orcome up with your own mix at home . After two or three old age you ’ll call for to modify the soil or move the plant to a larger pile . You may also use this as an chance to propagate a new pomegranate tree . If it has developed too many stanch at the crown and you ’d favour a little plant , divide it by separate the crown in the centerwith a script trowel .
Pests and Problems
Except for deer with adventuresome palates and advanced trouble - solving acquisition ( they can count on out how to open up the fruit and feed the ejaculate if they put their mind to it ) pomegranates do n’t have many problem . Whether you maturate your own or buy them at the store , chances are you ’ll open one or two a year and retrieve a rotted kernel . philia rot is the bounteous job you ’re probable to encounter . regrettably , there ’s nothing you may do about it .
How to Propagate Pomegranates
The easy way to make more of your a favorite pom is to part a sucker from the al-Qa’ida with pieces of root on it and pot it . Keep it moist and out of direct sun until it starts to get young ontogenesis .
As a playfulness experimentation in amateur crossing , you could put up pomegranates from seed , but they will be new and unique flora that might not have the suitable traits of the parents .
Harvesting Tips for Pomegranates
How you harvest depends on whether you want to run through pomegranates immediately or whether you want to store them . You ’ll probably want to do a little bit of both if you have enough . For the easiest off - the - plant eating , allow the berries split open naturally . Then thin or twine them off the branches . feed or juice them as soon as possible . The big plus to letting them split themselves is you do n’t need to use instrument to open them . They ’ll store for a couple of few weeks .
Once the leathery rind split open and debunk the seeds , chick and other animals may exhaust them before you get a chance .
Unsplit pomegranate tree can store for several month in thecrisper drawer of your fridge . bask the first few schism pomegranates and harvest the remaining inviolate fruit to store . They ’ll often change coloring or develop stretch marks when they ’re about to split .
Types of Pomegranate
Even though they ’re all botanically know asPunica granatum , pomegranate devolve into discrete radical . Most of them lose their leaves in fall and go dormant no matter where they ’re grown . Others are evergreen if the temperature abide warm enough . Some create big , edible fruit . Many midget produce small ornamental berries that are usually considered too much problem and too sour to eat on . Then there are the flowering Punica granatum . They often have fully double flush as salient as the most refined rose wine andcamellias . ordinarily they just keep flowering and never mark fruit .
‘Haku-Botan’
This pomegranate variety combines elaborate flowers , large fruit , and unusual colour . Its to the full threefold blooms , berry , and semen are pick colored . redundant lemony seeds have a tinge of ananas . It grows about 10 foot tall in Zones 7 - 11 .
‘Madame Legrelle’
Also bonk as the California Sunset Punica granatum , ' Madame Legrelle ' features fully doubly variegated coral and cream rosiness that are deeply veined with impressionist stripes . It does n’t typeset fruit but flower all season on 15 - foot - tall plant in Zones 8 - 11 .
‘Nana Black’
Known for its elegant purple - to - black fruit , it ’s also one of the few pomegranates that is evergreen in warm climate or indoors . The little berries are perfect for wreaths and floral arranging but in all likelihood not deserving the trouble to eat them . It grows about four foot tall in Zones 7 - 11 .
‘Pepe Le Pom’
A recent gamey - performance pomegranate for the landscape or pot , this compendious bush flowers all time of year and put up small fruit that look like festive vacation ornaments . When it sheds its glossy leaf in fall , you get something like a attractively decorated variant of a Charlie Brown Christmas tree . It ’s potentially evergreen when grow in a pot indoors . It reaches four feet grandiloquent in Zones 7 - 11 .
‘Red Silk’
This nanus pomegranate tree produces declamatory , delicious yield . The flavour had hints of red berries and almond . idealistic for Northern gardeners who want fruit from their potted pom , it grow about 6 feet tall in Zones 7b-11 .
‘Salavatski’
Cold - hardy to at least -6 ° atomic number 9 , it ’s the double-dyed Punica granatum for Northern gardeners in zone 6 or 7 . When mature , it bring on a heavy craw of big berries comparable in quality to storage - bought poms . When pressed , the juice has the refreshing tartness of lemonade with the richness and sweetness of grape juice . It will grow in Zones 6 - 11 , but expect a protected slur near a wall in Zone 6 .
‘Wonderful’
The received grocery account pomegranate that launched the pomegranate industriousness in California . As a novel fruit , the tone is modest and sweet , often with tip of cherry . Its store - corrupt succus often tastes slimly like a cordial or vermouth . It grows about 15 feet tall in Zones 7 - 11 ( with winter protective covering in Zone 7 ) .
Frequently Asked Questions
Tocut give a whole pomegranate , you ’ll need a pairing tongue and a cut board . The world-wide idea is to seduce the rind and pull the berry apart , rather than slice up all the direction through the fruit . you may do it with one cut by create a shallow score through the skin all the fashion around the center . endeavor to pull it apart without forcing it or bursting the seeds . Some will choose to abbreviate the little crown at the top off and mark into quarters or along all the segments of the fruit . More cut means it ’s easier to pull apart but it takes more time and you ’re more potential to cut down into the seeds .
Many guides suggest placing pomegranates in a stadium of water to loose the seeds and prevent juice from spraying on cloths and wall . It adds an spare step , makes it harder to deseed , and may ruin the taste and texture of the seeds if they absorb water .
Pomegranate juice does stain , like boo or grapevine juice . But once you get used to deseeding , it ’s well-fixed to avoid spray your cloths . When attempt to pull apart a halve fruit , keep the rind side facing you and the seed side away from you . Keep a fresh washcloth handy . invalidate fall apart white .
The edible part of pomegranate is technically all germ , the racy bed is actually a seed coat call up a sarcotesta ( often inaccurately referred to as an aril ) . They commonly have a nutty eye that add a crunchy texture .
However , some pomegranates have a center so hard that it ’s unpleasant to jaw . They’regrown for juicing . In any typesetter’s case , you could spit the substantial center of the seeds out , but it would normally be visionary .
pomegranate tree are large berry filled with C of juicy seeds that taste like cherry , cranberry , lemon , and raspberry with a filbert - like nitty-gritty . Some are more sour or sweet than others . Others include hints of berries , pineapple , almond , or vermouth .
