Pomegranate Trees
Question from Monty:
Please help me to get me pomegranates set fruit. I have large bushes flowering for a long time already. But all the little pomes or baby fruits fall soon after the flowers drop the petals. One bush fruited fine in the past. But this year, nothing set. I even tried spraying some open flowers with gibberelic acid I got on eBay. Nothing happened. I think the merchant was a fraud and the product is fake. Should I spray ‘Blossom Set’? Which consists of calcium solution. Any suggestion? 2 big bushes with lots of flowers, no fruit. One I believe is Eversweet, or Utah Sweet in West L.A., the other is Wonderful near beach. Thanks.
Answer from Pat:
Most pomegranates are self-fruitful, that is they do not need another tree to cross pollinate with. However cross pollination is beneficial and gives more fruit. When pomegranates set flowers but fail to bear fruit this comes from lack of pollination. Bees and other insects pollinate pomegranate. No bees, no fruit. The solution is to hand-pollinate. When the flowers are fresh but have no dew on the pollen, take a sable artists paint brush and go all over the tree from fruit to fruit pollinating all of them like a bee. Also go from tree to tree to cross pollinate which will give you a larger crop.
Additionally, do all you can to attract bees to your garden. Install some bee houses for native bees and send for the larvae to get them started. Do not ever spray. Put water in your garden in some form other than the garden hose. I mean bird baths and a fountain. This will help attract and keep beneficials in residence. Grow a lot of pollen producing wildflowers and other flowers like sweet alyssum. These steps will help to attract bees.
Blossom set will not help Pomegranate.
I live in Valley Center California in the north east end of San Diego County. My two trees are about 10 years old. As you said in earlier posts from others they did not bear fruit the first 5 years. In the 5 years since I have gotten some beautiful sweet juicy fruit from them. In the last two seasons the fruit has been very big but the seeds do not produce much juice. I felt I was picking too soon but even well into the season it was still like that. I’ve been looking for the perfect time to pick, what the fruit should look like, which I have learned. Still this year, even though it is a bit early, the seeds are without a lot of juice.
The trees are in full sun and it gets very hot in the summer. Except for the heavy rain this last winter, the rest of the year has been hot. Trees have never been pruned or fertilized and are not grown in a lawn. Why are the seeds not getting juice?
Thank you
I am sorry to say that I think the problem with your pomegranate trees may be global warming which in turn is producing climate change. During the last two growing seasons there have been wild swings in temperature, particularly in spring. Whereas some plants seem able to cope with this problem, others do not and fruit trees seem to be particularly sensitive. Many home growers and even people growing pomegranates in the Near East have experienced the same thing you are experiencing, plus in some cases, they find totally dry, white seeds inside the fruit. It is too late this year to do anything about this. Next year if I were you I would monitor soil moisture especially on hot days and if soil is bone dry apply water by moving a sprinkler around under the drip lines of the trees. (tips of branches) Moisture from a sprinkler under the trees could also help cool the air by causing evaporation.
Pat my pom is huge and has hundreds of fruit every year but the seed pods inside never turn red or even pink. The seeds are full of sweet juice but the color is pale. Is there any reason why or a fix or maybe do I have a variety that fruit on the inside just doesn’t turn that ruby color. thank you for your advice
Several pomegranate trees bear sweet juicy fruit that is pink and not red in color. Undoubtedly your tree is one of these.
My friend has a pomergrante tree 6 yrs ago I had the best fruit from it. He says it has been there awhile & he wishes to get rid of it. It has not been pruned is over grown w/ (?) new growth shooting out all over & not produced fruit in 2 yrs. My question is : can & if so how may I get that puppy producing on my property 40 miles away? I love it! Also I would like to send a picture of it so you can establish if it is actually new growth or a different plant taking over. May I?
Transplanting a pomegranate to your property will not work. Please purchase a copy of Sunset Western Garden Book, read all the information on pomegranate, choose a variety correct for your climate zone (do not take the advice of an ordinary nursery (they do not know the facts), plant a 5-gallon size tree, providing good location, full sun and according to best practices and take care of it according to directions. Then you will have success.