[Arid_gardener] Re: pomegranate tree

Thu May 1 22:23:04 MST 2008

Rosemary, I can't picture in my mind what might be ailing or retarding your 
Pomegranite. As a wild guess, I would surmise that your irrigation is 
restricted too close to the center missing the feeder roots that would be 
near the drip line. To determine where it is located use a stick to make a 
line around the bush defining approximately the outer reach of the foliage. 
Make that line the center of a shallow trench a foot to two feet wide. 
Adjust the hose flow to maintain a shallow head of water in the trench for 
as long as it takes to soak to a depth of about three feet deep. To check 
depth, make a probe with a 4 foot length of 1/4th brass rod from the 
hardware. Put a dull point on one end and mount the other on a piece of old 
broom handle. When you can sink the probe to its hilt several places around 
the basin, shut the water off. Don't irrigate again until you can scratch 
three inches in the basin and find dry soil. As your tree grows you must, of 
course move the trench outward to approximately keep up with it. I have 
thirty eight year old citrus trees that have never had a drop of water 
inside that trench unless it rained, but you must, I believe, flush irrigate 
to a depth of at least 36 inches to disolve salts from the feeder root zone. 
Use 21-0-0 in the same trench.

If this creates more questions than it answers, Rosemary, don't hesitate to 
inquire further.

Dick Gross, Master Gardener Volunteer
U of A Maricopa County Cooperative Extension.
Bcc: Arid Gardener,

From: "Leo M/Rosemary J Abrami" <abrami at cox.net>
To: "Dick" <rkgross3 at cox.net>
Cc: "Olin Miller" <>; <>
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 8:21 AM
Subject: Re: [Arid_gardener] Re: pomegranate tree

> Thanks for all this advice.
> We bought the plant from a nursery and I haven't a clue what variety  it 
> is - maybe I can backtrack and ask them what they sold us.
> Last year we left the fruits on for aaaaages, hoping they would turn  red, 
> so I don't think that was the problem.  I suspect that the one  red fruit 
> we got was from the stock and the rest may be from the  graft - is this 
> possible?
> Don't know how to handle the watering situation.  As I said, the  bubbler 
> frequency is controlled by the condo association system and,  besides 
> which, the pomegranate is surrounded by other plants  (including my 
> thriving herb garden) that need water.  Will have to  think about that...
> Our whole garden is 24' x18' with a paved patio in the middle and a  path 
> on two sides so there's really very little room.  Despite this  we have 
> four trees: lemon, apricot, fig, pomegranate; salvia, vinca,  nasturtiums, 
> sunflowers, assorted native bulbs, papyrus,  passionflower vine, morning 
> glories, aforesaid herb garden and  whatever I put into pots for seasonal 
> color.  Oh, and four chairs, a  table with an umbrella in the middle and 
> one of the most beautiful  lizards you have ever met!   My favorite is the 
> salvia which feeds  bees, hummingbirds, finches and sparrows and is a 
> source of never- ending enjoyment for them and me!
> Rosemary Abrami
>
>
>
>
> On Apr 30, 2008, at 9:37 PM, Dick wrote:
>
>> Pomegranites are easily and readily sprouted from cuttungs that  always 
>> run true. Don't waste your time with seeds but I have never  heard of 
>> them sprouting anyway. In the Desert Museum in Tuscon is a  Golden 
>> variety of Pomegranate from which I collected a cutting 20  years ago. It 
>> grew but somewhere along the way I lost track of it.  That Golden variety 
>> is, to the best of my knowledge, a novelty. I  have a vigorous Wonderful 
>> in a 20 gallon pot but the species does  well in this climate. In fact, I 
>> believe it is a desert or low  water use plant and evergreen but, if in 
>> the ground, benefits from  deep watering at the drip line no oftener than 
>> every two weeks  after it is established but almost never in the cool 
>> months when  the highs are rarely over 75F. You can train this plant, 
>> that wants  to be a bush, to a small single trunk tree if you really work 
>> at  it,  or a multi-stem bush. My wonderful is multi-stem, eight feet 
>> tall.
>>
>> Dick Gross, Master Gardener Volunteer/Sec/Ed Arizona Rare Fruit  Growers, 
>> Inc.
>> U of A Maricopa County Cooperative Extension
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- To: <arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu>; 
>> <abrami at cox.net>
>> Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 11:33 PM
>> Subject: [Arid_gardener] Re: pomegranate tree
>>
>>
>>> Pomegranates should be deep watered every two weeks in the summer  and 
>>> don't
>>> really need any water during he dormant winter period.  They can  take 
>>> more
>>> water but deep watering every twice a week seems like a lot.  A
>>> nitrogen-based fertilizer like ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) the first  few 
>>> years
>>> is helpful but not really necessary after that.  The deep red type is
>>> usually 'Wonderful" and will produce fruit the same as the  parent.  But
>>> there is a lot of cross pollination and if your plant was grown  from 
>>> seed,
>>> there is no way to tell if the grains will be pale pink or red.   We 
>>> also
>>> found that the fruit is a deeper red if left on the bush as long as
>>> possible.
>>>
>>> Olin Miller, Master Gardener Volunteer
>>> U of A Cooperative Extension, Maricopa County AZ
>>> ============================================
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: <abrami at cox.net>
>>> To: <arid_gardener at Ag.arizona.edu>
>>> Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2008 9:41 AM
>>> Subject: [Arid_gardener] Question from Home-Hort WWW page
>>>
>>>
>>>> Rosemary Abrami
>>>> 85375-4903
>>>> abrami at cox.net
>>>>
>>>> We have a pomegranate tree in our small, sheltered yard.  It is  strong 
>>>> and
>>>> healthy, presently covered in lush foliage and many blooms, as  well as
>>>> several already-forming fruits.
>>>> Watering is on a communal bubbler system controlled by the condo  i.e. 
>>>> we
>>>> can't affect it, and waters deeply twice a week at present,  increasing 
>>>> to
>>>> three times a week in the very hot months.
>>>> I fertilized with  16-8-4P when the first buds started showing.
>>>> Last year we had an large crop BUT the fruits were dry and only  pale 
>>>> pink
>>>> inside, apart from one small fruit that was deep red and juicy.   What 
>>>> a
>>>> disappointment!
>>>> What can we do this year to make sure that we get a delicious and
>>>> nutritious crop?  All suggestions gratefully accepted
>>>
>>>
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>>> All contents copyright 2007. Arizona Board of Regents/University  of 
>>> Arizona
>>
> 