How to Prune Pomegranates

The pomegranate is a fruit well known for its edible seeds. It grows on a shrub between 6 and 15 feet tall. The many stems grow straight up and then droop over time, unless the branches are pruned. The 3-inch long leaves are shiny, the fruit is red (green when mature) and grow to 3 inches in diameter. Pomegranates (Punica granatum) thrive in areas where the summers are long and hot and the winters are cool. They do well in most soil types, including alkaline, sandy, salty and clayey.

Things You'll Need

• Gardening gloves
• Garden snips

Instructions

1. Prune the stems down either to one main stem or a few. Pruning is best done during the dormant season when fruit isn't producing; usually in the winter.

2. Cut the main stem down to the ground. It will grow back. Keeping the stems cut way back prevents them from growing too tall, which means using a ladder to get the pomegranates from the top of the shrub.

3. Remove the suckers arising from the pomegranate roots---there are usually many. This stops new growth. You can pinch them off with your fingers.

4. Cut off the suckers from any remaining stems. Use garden snips to clear the new growth from the branches.

5. Continue to prune your pomegranate shrubs every year, and by year four, your bush can produce up to 300 pounds of pomegranates.

Tips & Warnings

• The pomegranate shrub is easy to maintain and hard to harm. Keeping the shrub pruned down to one main stem is ideal for keeping the shrub under control.

• Do not let the suckers grow up from the roots. This will cause your pomegranate shrub to grow too large, depleting the fruit of proper nutrients.

References

• Floritdata: Punica Granatum (Pomegranite)