As I talk to many people that have come to the United States, I am finding out many people who love figs also love pomegranates. They seem like partners. When you see one, you usually see the other. It seems like when someone brings fig cuttings from their home country to US, usually they have a pomegranate tree in their yard also. I am currently trying different types of pomegranate varieties to see what grows best in Alabama. With that being said, I started a Facebook page to connect other pomegranate growers. https://www.facebook.com/alabamapomegranateassociation/

If you find an heirloom pomegranate while your getting fig cuttings, I would like to get cuttings & try it here?

Thanks

Shane

Great to see someone growing pomegranates!
I love pomegranates wish there was a variety that can grow in Zone 6.

I'm not how cold you get, but I've been in contact with a guy from New Mexico that his grandmother has an heirloom pomegranate tree at about 4,500 feet that has survived-17 below zero. He said he is going to send me cuttings. Hopefully, he does, then maybe down the road I could send some to try. In the mean time, check out salavatski & Kazake.

Thanks for the info Shane.
Here it can get to -25C/-13 F or colder a few days a year. 
Is it possible that with some winter protection varieties like salavatski & Kazake could survive?  The trees would need to be kept small or bushy and protected like a fig.

I'll let you know if the guy from New Mexico sends me the heirloom cuttings that has survived-17 Fahrenheit below zero.

Pomegranates and figs are highly symbolic fruits.  Where in Alabama are you growing pomegranates?

How quick do pomegranate cuttings take to fruit?

Wow, sounds like it makes since to buy big plants in that case.

[QUOTE=tennesseefig]How quick do pomegranate cuttings take to fruit?[/QUOTE]

I've had some varieties trying to bloom the first year and some are slower. For the early to bear ones, you should pick the blooms off the first two years to make the plants bigger. Recommended fruiting 2-5 years. It really depends on how much of a balanced heat, water, & fertilizer you give them. Last year I gave some cuttings from India to my dad who is retired. With his TLC, some were 5 1/2 feet tall in one year and blooming just before frost. The key is watch their leaves. Young trees who need water leaves will droop and when fertilizer is needed the leaf color will change from green to a lighter green and even yellowing, and then lots of heat will make them grow faster.

[QUOTE=tennesseefig]Pomegranates and figs are highly symbolic fruits.  Where in Alabama are you growing pomegranates?[/QUOTE]

I live in south Alabama, but have a micro climate. I live in a pocket that is colder than everyone around me. Like last week I had 22 degrees, the same as Birmingham, while towns near me had close to 30 degrees. For some reason the cold settles in my community and in the summer the opposite happens I'm a little hotter than them. Usually in spring things are sometimes even 6 weeks later to leaf out.

Shanejennings, I agree many members are interested in pomegranates! I am currently rooting two different varieties of pomegranates for my patio. I am hoping that I may get some of the Russian cold hardy varieties to survive the winter in a geo thermal greenhouse (when I get around to it)! Keep us posted on your endeavors.


[QUOTE=Shanejennings]As I talk to many people that have come to the United States, I am finding out many people who love figs also love pomegranates. They seem like partners. When you see one, you usually see the other. It seems like when someone brings fig cuttings from their home country to US, usually they have a pomegranate tree in their yard also. I am currently trying different types of pomegranate varieties to see what grows best in Alabama. With that being said, I started a Facebook page to connect other pomegranate growers. https://www.facebook.com/alabamapomegranateassociation/ If you find an heirloom pomegranate while your getting fig cuttings, I would like to get cuttings & try it here? Thanks Shane[/QUOTE]

Are pomegranates easy to propagate from cuttings? 

@alanmercieca - I had no idea that they would be so relatively easy to grow. I'd imagine they would be kinda tricky because of the hard exterior of the fruit which probably would require a lot of energy from the plant but very cool!

Is anyone selling pom cuttings or could recommend a reliable seller? I'm looking to get 3-4 more varieties.

Also, I heard that Granada is the earliest variety. Is this true?

I've only started trying to root fig cuttings, but I would be interested in trying my hands at rooting pomegranate cuttings too. Is there someone here that has a couple cuttings I could try? Is it best to have more than one variety? I am perfectly willing to pay for them and or shipping. I live in zone 9 and would to make my yard an edible orchard.

You can buy really good plants from Greensea farms in Florida. They have a very wide selection.

Thanks I'll look them up.

Pomegranates and Figs go perfectly together. In fact I have a narrow and long strip of land 2ft x 16 ft that has 2 fig trees on the ends and 2 pomegranates trees in the middle. A bit crowded (this is California so a house lot is the size of a postage stamp) but worth it. All are extremely low maintenance and all produce in abundance. The pomegranates (starting in the spring to the end of November) always produce several shoots from the base (some slightly below ground). The easiest and sure way to propagate the pomegranates is to cut one of the base shoots with a bit of root. even with a tiny sliver of root they seem to survive well 100% success so far 3/3.

Pomegranates are naturally a bush not a tree. If you want it to grow and look like a tree, you have to keep cutting the many shoots and branches in the lower section and this allows the dominant or in my case 2 dominant verticals to get really strong and appear like a tree

By the way, i never fertilize either the figs nor the pomegranates. I used to water them twice a week but due to the drought i cut back to once a week last summer and I think the crop actually increased on both. They both started producing some fruits in the 4th year but started producing more heavily after 6 years. The soil where these are planted is horrible (very hard compressed clay) but this area gets plenty of sun. My recommendation is to pick the sunniest part of the yard    

[QUOTE=ross]Is anyone selling pom cuttings or could recommend a reliable seller? I'm looking to get 3-4 more varieties.

Also, I heard that Granada is the earliest variety. Is this true?[/QUOTE]

The variety called Sumbar produces by July in Texas. I have some but not producing yet. Thanks Alan for answering people. I forgot to click follow. Womack Nursery & Rolling River Nursery carry them.

Great news! I just found a great heirloom pomegranate in Allentown Florida. Dark red skin, stain your hands red arils, large fruit, & heavy producer with sweet taste. Excited about this one! I would still like to find as many pomegranate heirlooms as I can to save these varieties. Keep me posted.

I would avoid RR, as I and others have received mislabled plants from them.

I'd rather buy cuttings than plants. It's much cheaper that way. Can anyone recommend a seller?

Ross,

I've got about 70 varieties that I planted last spring. Too small & wispy for cuttings this year. If you are interested, there are several heirloom pomegranate varieties I know of. Some trees are over 100 years old. If you would like some of them, send me a private message?

Thanks,

Shane

Shane:  I would like some info on those varieties so I'll PM you as well.

Thanks!

[QUOTE=Shanejennings]As I talk to many people that have come to the United States, I am finding out many people who love figs also love pomegranates. They seem like partners. When you see one, you usually see the other. It seems like when someone brings fig cuttings from their home country to US, usually they have a pomegranate tree in their yard also. I am currently trying different types of pomegranate varieties to see what grows best in Alabama. With that being said, I started a Facebook page to connect other pomegranate growers. https://www.facebook.com/alabamapomegranateassociation/ If you find an heirloom pomegranate while your getting fig cuttings, I would like to get cuttings & try it here? Thanks Shane[/QUOTE]

Figs and pomegranates make a good combination. The figs have plenty of fruit and no flowers and the pomegranates have plenty of flowers and no fruit.

That's funny! I have the opposite problem. I have pomegranates and no figs because the birds eat them all. Maybe you have to send me some of your figs. Ha ha!

Pomegranates produce best in well drained soil. Someone about 45 minutes away from me planted pomegranate trees in a spot that was not well drained. After 7 years no Growth & no fruit. My trees are planted in well drained soil. In one year my trees were bigger than his after seven years. Well drained is the key.

[QUOTE=gpag0nze][QUOTE=Shanejennings]As I talk to many people that have come to the United States, I am finding out many people who love figs also love pomegranates. They seem like partners. When you see one, you usually see the other. It seems like when someone brings fig cuttings from their home country to US, usually they have a pomegranate tree in their yard also. I am currently trying different types of pomegranate varieties to see what grows best in Alabama. With that being said, I started a Facebook page to connect other pomegranate growers. https://www.facebook.com/alabamapomegranateassociation/ If you find an heirloom pomegranate while your getting fig cuttings, I would like to get cuttings & try it here? Thanks Shane[/QUOTE]

Figs and pomegranates make a good combination. The figs have plenty of fruit and no flowers and the pomegranates have plenty of flowers and no fruit.[/QUOTE]

Peter,

I found a heirloom pomegranate in Greenville Alabama. It had never produced a fruit ever, but it was gorgeous! The flowers were not like normal pomegranate flowers. The flowers were a big carnation like flower. Some varieties are ornamental that do not produce fruit.

I have only 1 pomegranate plant, cultivar: Grenada, and 1 is enough for me....I think  :-)

My figs keep me busy.

But pomegranates are special to me...many great trees in Spain in my life.  

Joe

I picked up cuttings from 3 heirloom pomegranate this week to root. This coming week I be going to a community near Defuniak Springs Florida to get some more heirloom pomegranate cuttings.

I picked up the pomegranate cuttings. The man also give me an heirloom fig that make 2" fruits.

[QUOTE=pino]Great to see someone growing pomegranates!
I love pomegranates wish there was a variety that can grow in Zone 6.[/QUOTE]

The Russian pomegranates should grow just fine in zone 6, they just don't like humidity.

[QUOTE=Joe_Athens1945]I have only 1 pomegranate plant, cultivar: Grenada, and 1 is enough for me....I think  :-)

My figs keep me busy.

But pomegranates are special to me...many great trees in Spain in my life.  

Joe[/QUOTE]

Joe, does your pomegranate do OK with Georgia humidity? I would love to grow one here in Arkansas, but I was warned they would split.

[QUOTE=GeneDaniels]The Russian pomegranates should grow just fine in zone 6, they just don't like humidity.[/QUOTE] 

I have disagree with you there having grown many of the cold hardy Russian cultivars in zone 7  they don't like single digits. In general even the cold hardy listed ones are not as hardy as figs and don't recover from freeze back as well.

Well, I can't say from personally growing them. But I have seen them growing in post Soviet Central Asia in places where it hits -15C at times. But the air is extremely dry, like 5-10% humidity. So maybe that is the key?

Either way, not looking to argue :-) 

Hello Gene,

A customer of mine brought me a pomegranate from Tajikistan. I saved some seeds & have 32 seedlings growing. What country did you see them in?

We had pomegranates in Southern Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. All of these are North of Tajikistan. I have also heard of them growing even further north in the Caucus mountain region of southern Russia

Not looking to argue either,  and would love to be proven wrong:) as this summer I planted out inground about 30 cultivars I had sized up a year or 2 in pots. Over the last 2 winters I lost pretty much every one I had in ground. This winter has been a little milder and I tried planting back in less exposed area than I had on a windy open hillside prior.  Hoping if I get a couple winters with lows above 10F maybe they can establish.   I thought last winter all my inground except Kazake were dead and even it was dead to ground, but as I was digging them out in Oct? Salavatski had a shoot just breaking ground after setting there all summer with out breath of life. The other 6 cultivars were dead Here is a couple recent threads on zone 6/7 thoughts on Pomegranates

http://growingfruit.org/t/are-there-any-pomegranates-for-me-7a-6b/4090

http://growingfruit.org/t/mid-atlantic-pomegranate-realities/964

Just found a sweet, soft seeded, red heirloom pomegranate in Jay, Florida. The owner said it produces an average of about 300-400 pomegranates a year. So excited to go back this dormant season and get cuttings. It is amazing how many heirloom pomegranate varieties are out there.

Shane that's a lot of Pom's. Do you think it's related to "shari" ? (I have lots of those). In any case, my crimson sky (Natitski Ranii) is pushing out flowers and it was planted in August of 2015... (I pulled a few flowers off my Austin (syrian), but the CS was in a trade gallon pot from EL, and the Austin in the root choking 4 inch pot...) Below is All crimson sky, less than 2 years old by the Roman calender:

Lewi,

This one is different than the ones you mentioned. It's a unique variety. I was told by an lady in her nineties that every home in west Florida had heirloom pomegranate varieties when she was growing up. I think what happened in the 1980's when the temperature hovered around zero Fahrenheit, it killed many of them. The really cold tolerant ones survived. Part of the old way of getting a pomegranate tree was planting a seed. There are a lot of unique varieties out there that differ greatly because of planting pomegranate seeds. I've seen red, pink, golden yellow, and purple heirloom pomegranate varieties. What I am saying is there is more out there than what people think. Because these heirlooms were planted by seed, some of them has adapted to our environment and even built up disease resistance to common problems in the southeastern United States. These heirloom pomegranate varieties are here, we just have to find them before they are lost. Usually most pomegranate varieties do not bear heavy in high humidity, but this heirloom does.

Shane,

The best varieties do need saving...especially those that could produce as much as claimed, and have market appeal (red)...

The heirloom in Jay sounds like a real winner...would love to trial it in the sandhills. My Shari poms are going on a full three years and nary a flower...I know they will one day, but until then....

An academic interest in the Jay heritage pomegranate and maybe "Austin" as well might be enough to start a deep south pomegranate industry.

Lewi,
Sure, this dormant season when I go back to get some cuttings I can get some for you to. In that general area there are quite a few other heirloom varieties around. They are all distinct and different than one another. I guess that proves the variable among seedlings, that is if they came from the same general source. The other varieties I am rooting too also tend to produce well in high humidity. I have another one I found in Allentown that just might be a commercial possibly for the southeast United States. It's large fruited, very sweet, dark red skin, arils are so dark red they stain your hands red, and a heavy producer. Of course, I have not tasted either one yet. I am just going off the descriptions the owners have given me. This fall will be an exciting time to taste both of these heirloom varieties. Even if not a commercial viability, it still is very important to save these heirloom varieties before they are gone because the new generation just buys potted trees and does not plant pomegranate trees by seeds anymore. What got me started is just 10 minutes from my house is an heirloom pomegranate tree that is over 100 years old that has a nice fruit with a fruity taste in Loxley Alabama.

Shane,

Thank you.

You're a generous man to make the offer, shipping and something for your gasoline is on me. I am very intrested in the Jay FL, and Allentown FL pomegranites...

Don't get me wrong...any pomegranate that has survived 30+years of variable weather is valuble...even if just for medicinal value...(the best anti viral juice...better than Sambucus-elderberry IMHO).

As for stain your hands ( face and uniform) red Poms...I have some fun memories better left to face to face discussions. :)

I had a lady contact me last weekend that had a pomegranate that she rooted from an old heirloom years ago. Her rooted tree never bore any fruit, but bloomed a lot. I had her send me pictures of the blooms. Well, weird as it sounds her blooms look like a beautiful carnation type flower like a ornamental pomegranate. The only thing I could come up with is the one limb she rooted from must have been a bud sport.

[QUOTE=Lewi]Shane,

Thank you.

You're a generous man to make the offer, shipping and something for your gasoline is on me. I am very intrested in the Jay FL, and Allentown FL pomegranites...

Don't get me wrong...any pomegranate that has survived 30+years of variable weather is valuble...even if just for medicinal value...(the best anti viral juice...better than Sambucus-elderberry IMHO).

As for stain your hands ( face and uniform) red Poms...I have some fun memories better left to face to face discussions. :)[/QUOTE]

Lewi,

Send me a private message address and this coming dormant season we will get you some cuttings.

I just found an unusual heirloom pomegranate 2 weeks ago. I stopped at an old country store in the middle of no where(No town name). The old lady rents out her mother's old home in Evergreen, Alabama that has a pomegranate tree that produces orange fruited sweet pomegranate with soft seeded orange arils. Interesting color!

I like also Fig, Pomegrate, Sibirian Kiwi, Kaki, winterhard Citrus, Asimina Triloba... But it is heavy by so good hard Plant. The most Cuttings in ebay com from the South and they think not for the people in winterhard Klima. So also in normal Plantshops.
So i help me to make winterhard Seedlings.

[QUOTE=Paul]I like also Fig, Pomegrate, Sibirian Kiwi, Kaki, winterhard Citrus, Asimina Triloba... But it is heavy by so good hard Plant. The most Cuttings in ebay com from the South and they think not for the people in winterhard Klima. So also in normal Plantshops.
So i help me to make winterhard Seedlings.

[/QUOTE]

Hello Paul,

Where are you located so I can give you some recommendations on winter Hardy varieties?

I was impressed by the hardiness of the pomegranate tree. I recently saw some trees at the community garden growing behind the beehive.
These trees are not being irrigated and growing almost wild at this point. I took some pictures.