Pomegranate tree ∗ The 10 best planting and care tips

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Punica granatum
• Family: loosestrife family (Lythraceae)
• Occurrence: West, Central Asia, Mediterranean
• Growth: shrub, small tree
• Growth height: 150 cm to 500 cm
• Hardiness: conditionally hardy
• Leaves: deciduous, lanceolate
• Flower: bell-shaped
• Fruit: pseudofruit with chambers
• Fruit property: edible
• Harvest time: October to December
• Use: Mediterranean garden, container plant

hardiness

Where do pomegranates grow? The answer decides whether you plant Punica granatum in a bucket or bed. A look at the Asian and Mediterranean range leaves no doubt: The pomegranate tree is conditionally hardy. Whether you cultivate the shrub as a container plant or plant it out depends on these conditions:

• Plant pomegranate trees outdoors: possible in hardiness zone 7 (flatlands, wine-growing regions, river valleys, North Sea coast)
• Temporary temperature minimum: – 15° Celsius

Pomegranate plants only survive the minimum temperature for a few hours. Because even mild regions in Germany are not immune to unpredictable weather (see the freezing cold winter of 2021), winter protection should always be at hand. You can read more about this in our care instructions below.

growth

In their natural habitat, pomegranates thrive as large shrubs or trees. The numerous twigs are initially angular, later rounded and have a reddish-brown to grey-brown bark. Side branches often end with a thorn. The following overview summarizes the dimensions of growth:

• Growth type: bushy shrub or small tree with a richly branched crown
• Growth height when planted out in the garden: 400 cm to 500 cm
• Growth height as a container plant: 150 cm to 300 cm, rarely up to 400 cm

In Germany, pomegranates are preferably cultivated as a shrub, as the following video demonstrates:

SWR gardening expert Volker Kugel plants a pomegranate tree

blossom

Depending on where it is overwintered, orange-red, bell-shaped flowers with a diameter of 2 cm to 4 cm open in early summer or summer. Hobby gardeners appreciate that the colorful flowers are hermaphrodite. In a small garden, on a balcony or terrace, one shrub is enough for a rich harvest of exotic pomegranates.

Sheet

The leaves on the pomegranate tree are colorful throughout the year. The foliage is characterized by these properties:

• Leaf colour: bronze when they shoot, later shiny dark green on top, matt green underneath
• Autumn colour: golden yellow
• Leaf shape: short-stalked, elliptical to lanceolate
• Leaf size: 2 cm to 9 cm long, 1 cm to 2 cm wide
• Texture: waxy, leathery
• Arrangement: opposite to whorled

fruit

Pomegranates grow as pseudofruits. These form from sepals, carpels and petals into a capsule with several chambers. There are numerous seeds in each chamber, surrounded by red, juicy pulp. The fruit skin is crowned by a tip of calyx lobes and bursts open when fully ripe. The following table provides an overview of fruit properties worth knowing:

You can eat the pulp and seeds raw in a fruit salad or freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. Pomegranate wine is also made from the healthy juice. Pomegranate gives meat and game dishes a fruity note.

Plant a pomegranate tree

You can buy and plant a pomegranate as a tree or shrub in specialist shops. Two recommended shopping sources are 'Flora Tosakana' and 'Pflanzmich.de'. Experienced hobby gardeners treat themselves to the green fun factor by growing a pomegranate themselves. The following sections explain both variants in a compact and comprehensible manner.

pull pomegranate

We recommend the cuttings method for propagation. In contrast to sowing of seeds, the fruit qualities of the mother plant are retained. Furthermore, a Punica bush propagated by cuttings flowers and bears fruit in the third or fourth year. How to do it right:

1. The best time is in early summer
2. 15 cm long, semi-lignified cut cuttings
3. Fill pots with potting soil and moisten
4. Defoliate two-thirds of the cuttings
5. interface in rooting powder dip
6. Stick the leafless shoot section into the ground
7. Keep constantly slightly moist in a bright, warm location

Take care of the cuttings by overwintering them behind glass. As soon as the future pomegranate trees have rooted through the nursery pot, repot your offspring. With a growth height of 20 to 30 centimeters, you can plant the shrub in a bed or in a bucket. Regular pruning of the shoots motivates the plant to branch out in a bushy manner.

Location

Pomegranate plants are sun worshipers and love the warmth. In this location, the exotic beauties thrive in all their glory:

• Full sun, warm location with at least six hours of sunshine per day
• Planted trees always with a sunny house wall or dry stone wall in the floral back.
• In a pot preferably sheltered from the wind and rain.
• Soil quality: sandy-dry to fresh, with good drainage when it rains
• Substrate quality: loose, permeable, with mineral content (expanded clay,(€19.00 at Amazon*)lava granules, quartz sand)

A pomegranate tree also thrives in a shady location. However, the shrub does not flower or bear fruit in this location.

Plant a pomegranate tree

Plant a pomegranate tree with drainage. In the bed, please sprinkle the bottom of the planting pit with chippings, lava mulch or pebbles. In the bucket, cover the bottom of the pot 3 to 5 centimeters high with expanded clay or lava granules. A start fertilization off horn shavings(€9.00 at Amazon*) and compost soil stimulates growth. Simply mix the organic fertilizer into the soil or pot substrate.

Measure the planting depth so that the tree disc flush with the surrounding ground. Then form a small wall with soil so that irrigation water reaches the roots and does not run off unused. Ideally, place potted plants in the planter with a 3 centimeter high watering edge.

Maintain pomegranate tree

The care of a pomegranate plant during the growth phase is characterized by a high water and nutrient requirement. An occasional pruning serves to maintain its shape. If a pomegranate tree is given the right hibernation, it can also become very old in Germany. The following sections explain the details:

Pour

Water your pomegranate tree whenever the soil feels dry. In full sun, this may be necessary daily, especially when the shrub is flowering and bearing fruit. The plant survives short periods of drought better than waterlogging. If, on the other hand, you expect the tree to have a longer, dry phase, the leaves will fall off in droves.

Fertilize

From March to September please add an organic liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water once a week. Planted pomegranates fertilize They mature in March and June with 3 liters of compost and 100 grams horn shavings(€9.00 at Amazon*) per square meter. From the beginning of October, stop the nutrient supply so that the shoots mature before winter.

Cut pomegranate tree

An annual pruning is not necessary and does not contribute to a higher crop yield. The following tips explain when and how to cut a pomegranate tree:

• Tree or shrub has grown too large: Cut back overly long shoots before putting them into winter quarters
• treetop bare: thin out the crown of the tree in early spring
• The shrub becomes an impenetrable undergrowth: cut off the oldest shoots at the base in February
• Pruning: thick branches up a stringsaw off, twigs at buds or dormant Eyes to cut

It is important to note that a spring pruning appointment will remove the flower buds that have already formed.

digression

How to properly cut pomegranate fruit briefly explained

hibernate

You can use a pomegranate tree like a olive tree hibernate. Both trees are native to the Mediterranean and have a similarly limited winter hardiness. You can read the best tips for a successful hibernation here:

• container plant: put in late in bright, frost-free winter quarters with 5° to 10° Celsius (the cooler, the darker it can be).
• Care in winter quarters: water sparingly and do not fertilize
• In the bed: tree disc mulch with leaves and needles, cover a hood made of winter fleece, wrap trunk with jute.
• Winter care in the bed: water during cold frost on mild days, remove protective hood at temperatures above freezing point.

Popular Varieties

If you buy a pomegranate tree in Germany, you have the choice between dwarf varieties, fruit varieties and ornamental varieties:

• Punica granatum Nana: Dwarf pomegranate tree with orange-red flowers and a height of 2 m, beautiful as a container plant.
• Wonderful: the best-known variety in the USA inspires with orange-colored flowers and deep red pomegranates.
• Nero: Rarity with black-skinned pomegranates containing juicy, red-black flesh.
• Dente di Cavallo: Premium variety for the hobby garden, reliable, robust, long-lived with medium-sized, tasty fruits.
• Mollar de Elche: inspires with juicy flesh and soft seeds that you can eat with.
• Flore Pleno: strong-growing ornamental pomegranate bears lush, double flowers, does not bear fruit, more sensitive to frost than fruit varieties.
• Legrellei: opulent ornamental variety with a romantic splendor of densely filled, orange-red flowers with a white ruffled edge, needs a winter quarters.

FAQ

My pomegranate tree is not blooming. Why is it?

If a pomegranate tree keeps its flowers under lock and key, there are various reasons behind it. A pruning in the spring removes already formed buds. Late ground frosts freeze the buds. A nitrogen-rich, mineral fertilization drives growth at the expense of flowering.

How can you grow a pomegranate tree yourself?

The easiest way to grow a pomegranate tree is from cuttings that you cut in early summer and take care of with overwintering. It turns out to be more complex sowing of pomegranate seeds. The seeds germinate in poor potting soil at a constant 20° Celsius within two weeks. However, the first flowering period is several years away.

Is a pomegranate tree hardy?

Pomegranate plants are conditionally hardy. In concrete terms, this means that the trees and shrubs survive brief frosts of -10° to -15° Celsius unscathed. A young pomegranate tree in a tub is at risk of frost damage even at temperatures around freezing point.