Pomegranate trees grow to heights of 20 feet or more at maturity for the full-sized varieties. They produce large, rounded fruit with a leathery green skin that turns red when ripe. The skin is peeled away to reveal the sectional chambers packed with faceted ruby red seeds. People enjoy eating or pressing the seeds for their juice, disposing of the hard center pit. The seeds are prized for their sweet tangy flavor, while the tree is prized for its easy-to-care-for nature.
Instructions
1. Pomegranate trees grow in temperate locations, where the winters are cool and the summers are hot. The trees tolerate mild frosts without harm, but will begin sustaining significant damage if temperatures fall below about 15 degrees F for sustained periods. Pomegranate trees may survive less-than-ideal conditions such as long cold winters, but will be less likely to bloom and set fruit. Ideal temperatures should stay between the low 30s and the high 90s throughout the year.
2. Locate pomegranate trees in direct full sun light, so they receive an entire day's exposure. The more sun and heat pomegranate trees are exposed to, the more likely they are to produce edible fruit. The more shade they grow in, the smaller and more bitter the fruit will be -- if they ever produce fruit at all.
3. Plant pomegranate tree saplings by mixing compost and granular tree fertilizer in the existing soil. Dig a hole at least twice as large as the root ball or the pot the tree is growing in. Pour in compost to fill the hole halfway, and mix the soil and compost thoroughly. Remove this mixture from hole with a shovel and pile nearby. Remove the pot from the sapling and place the root ball in the hole. Fill the hole with the soil and compost mixture so that the soil level is even with the crown of the tree, where the stem of trunk entered the soil in the pot.
4. Water pomegranate trees thoroughly after initial planting and allow the soil to dry out between watering. Pomegranate trees grow well in dry, semi-arid conditions with lots of sun and summer heat. Water deeply but infrequently to establish a deep and extensive root structure, which the tree can draw from to sustain it through dry spells.
5. Prune pomegranate trees sparingly. Prune the trees to direct branches away from other trees or from rubbing against a structure. Also prune the tops off to maintain a shorter more manageable tree for harvesting fruit.
Tips Warnings
Pomegranate trees make excellent container plants due to their ease of care and drought-hearty nature. Nursery retailers sell dwarf varieties, or prune standard varieties to keep them small. Apply a granular fertilizer once a year to the root zone, according to the product package. Care for pomegranates requires little more than water once they are established, but light annual feedings will encourage the best of growth.
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