How to Get Pomegranate Trees to Bear Fruit

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a shrub or small tree with evergreen leaves and deep red fruit that is similar in appearance to an apple. Bright, red flowers adorn the shrub, making the pomegranate desirable for landscaping. Flowers cluster on the tree in groups. Pomegranate tolerates many climates, but it doesn't like temperatures below 12 degrees F. Growing your pomegranate in the ideal conditions--hot summers and colder winters--will result in healthy fruit.

Things You'll Need

• Ammonium sulfate or nitrogen fertilizer
• Compost
• Mulch

Instructions

1. Plant your pomegranate in a warm and sunny location. Healthy fruit is the result of putting your plant in the hottest, sunniest location you can find.

2. Plant your pomegranate in well-drained soil. Pomegranate can handle acidic, loamy soil and gravelly soil.

3. Water every two to four weeks during the dry season. Pomegranate is mildly tolerant of saline water and adverse soil conditions.

4. Fertilize with 2 to 4 oz. of ammonium sulfate or nitrogen fertilizer during the first two springs after the pomegranate is planted. After the first two years, little fertilizer is needed, but the plant benefits from both compost and mulch for it to bear healthy fruit.

5. Prune when the pomegranate reaches 2 feet tall. Allow four or five shoots to develop after the initial pruning; the fruit grows at the tips of the shoots. New shoots above or below 1 foot should be shortened annually during the first three years. Remove only dead branches and suckers during the years that follow.

6. Watch for deer and gophers, which like to feed on pomegranate.

References

• Purdue University
• Pomegranate