Pomegranate Care

Pomegranate Care

Pomegranates are easy to grow. They do not need much water or fertilizer. Pomegranates are naturally adapted to regions with cool winters and hot summers, perfect for California gardens! Pomegranates can be kept to 6' tall with regular pruning in mid-summer. Fruit can be stored in cool, dry place for up to 3 months. Fruit is eaten fresh, used in salads, salsas and preserves. They are high in antioxidants and vitamin C.

Planting
Plant pomegranates in the warmest and sunniest spot available. With full sun exposure, more fruit will be produced, but trees will also tolerate part shade. Well drained garden soil is preferable, but pomegranate trees will also thrive in gravel, acidic loam or calcareous soils. 

Watering
New plantings need sufficient water to thrive and get established. Thereafter established pomegranates only need watering about once every 2-3 weeks during the dry season. Soils with ample organic matter have better water holding capacity.

Pruning 
Pomegranates can be pruned as a shrub or a tree. For tree shape,
when it reaches 2 feet tall the young tree should be cut back to the point where only 4 or 5 shoots are allowed to develop, taking care to maintain a balanced form. Remove suckers and unwanted shoots as they appear. If selected branches are about a foot from the ground the resulting tree will have a short and well defined trunk. Fruits are produced on new growth tips. If trees' branches are cut back annually for the first three years, selected branches will grow many side shoots, thus producing a tree with maximum fruit productivity and appealing form. After initial pruning and shaping in the first three years, only occasional suckering and dead branch removal will be necessary.

Fertilizing
Pomegranates benefit from rich fertile soils, especially during the first three seasons of growth and establishment. In the West, pomegranate groves typically receive nitrogen based fertilizer applications in spring, the first two seasons of establishment. Thereafter an annual application of compost or well rotted manure is helpful.