I agree with Alan. The amount of sunlight really affects a pomegranate's growth and fruit production. I have a row of 25 trees next to my neighbors property that receive morning shade until the sun comes up. That row is noticeable smaller than the other rows. Full sun is very important. I also found some heirloom pomegranates around here. One very old tree had a long liveoak limb that grew over the top of it. There were only 6 fruit on the tree and they were very small. The owner said they use to produce big fruits and heavy bearing. Then another guy near me has a heirloom pomegranate tree that is over 100 years old. It's in full sun & still produces heavy. The first one I mentioned is the sweetest one I've ever eaten & the other one is a great flavored sweet/sour type with a pale color. This winter I'm going to root cuttings from both. Full sun is the best for pomegranate trees.

My 2 yr old son developed a taste for pomegranates this winter and I'd love to grow one pomegranate tree in a very large pot (25 gal). I had previously contacted a nursery where they recommended sweet and eversweet, but I noticed a post where a F4F member chose to remove these trees in favor of others. I'm in zone 7a, any recommendations on which variety I should choose that would have excellent taste and would produce in my climate? Thanks so much in advance! I always appreciate how you all so freely share your knowledge and experience with us newbies :).

A friend of mine friend from North Carolina says Kazake produces the most fruit in his area. I'm not sure how cold your temperatures get, but the most cold tolerant soft seeded variety is Sumbar. I have 32 of that variety. In Texas they report temperatures as low as 7 degrees with no damage. If you want to try a soft seeded variety, until more research is done, that is the best soft seeded one to buy. Rolling River Nursery & Womack Nursery both have this variety. Also Ariana is proving to be a soft seeded cold tolerant variety. Also White Anar Yadz is another soft seeded variety that is proving to be a soft seeded cold tolerant variety too.

The black pomegranate with white arils are a recent discovery I found through a forum I started called "Growing Black Pomegranate Fruit " through Permies as the host. Victor from California has a 13 year old tree from which he sent me cuttings. I now have 5 rooted that has approximately 6-8 inches of growth. I found this black fruited beauty, but had hoped my forum would have found other black fruited pomegranates also. I have contact with someone from Portugal that collects black & purple fruited pomegranates. They have a great collection. I had been thinking about asking for seeds, but haven't yet. If they were willing to send me some seeds, would you want any?

I am in S.E.Nebraska zone 5b 

I was wondering if there are any  pomegranate cultivators, per haps dwarfs that would be good for pot culture?

 Grown like figs in the north ,out doors for the summer produce figs, then into cold dark cellar for winter ? or  as house plant for winter ? .

I  am interested in growing  some fruit , just curious if I could in zone 5b.

Do any of you have experience growing in pots in a colder climate ?

thanks

AUSTIN

Here's a variety that is supposed to take temperatures below 0. I have 5 I'm trying I bought last year from Burnt Ridge Nursery.

A.C. Sweet Pomegranate -WHERE TO BUY-
Developed by Arthur C. Combe of Beaver Dam, Arizona. Exterior color is red to bright pink, arils are pink to light red. Flavor is sweet and refreshing, seeds are soft and edible. Ripe fruit can hang for weeks without splitting. Very hardy plant will take temperatures to below zero. One of Utah's favored varieties. Required chill hours 100-200. Self-fruitful, best in Zones 6-10.

With pomegranate trees you have to research them. For example, Dave Wilson Nursery supplies trees nurseries all over, especially the western United States. Like their variety called Pink Satin is really called Sin Pepe. You get the idea they change the names & re-market it. Then a lot of companies in the eastern United States have a tendency to call everything Russian pomegranate. Really they are from the Turkmenistan collection that came to the United States. The bad thing is they don't tell you which variety it is because calling it Russian sells more trees. Personally I would recommend buying from someone who gives you the real name. Without the real name you just have to take their word for it. There is no way to research the actually variety. There are companies that give the real name, but most don't.

I have a small plant (don't know what kind) that I purchased some 12 years ago from a nursery catalog (Raintree??). Anyway, it is more of a spindly bush (4 foot tall at most) and it has NEVER produced a singe fruit much less a bud or budding flower. Should I dig it up and trash or do you know a way to make this sickly thing start producing??

Here are the questions I usually ask when someone has a pomegranate that is not producing fruit

1. What variety do you have? Some varieties are ornamental & some fruit bearing.
2. How tall is your tree? My trees have typically grown 5' to 7' the first year except dwarf varieties.
3. How old is your tree? Should let tree start bearing 3-5 years. Pick blooms off first couple of years to encourage tree growth.
4. Does your tree bloom? If so, what type of bloom? Some are ornamental.
5. Have you done a soil test? I knew my soil was poor, so I sent soil samples to Auburn University to be tested. The tests revealed what my soil was lacking and give me the ph level I had.
6. What fertilizer do you use? It is important to feed your pomegranate trees the right food. I had to us lime to raise my ph in order for my trees to properly use the fertilizer I gave them.
7. Have you ever trimmed you tree? In the beginning trim your trees each year to create more branching for high fruit yields. Pomegranates will naturally grow many suckers. You can grow bush form or tree form. Bush form-recommended 4-6 main branches. Tree form-trim off all suckers except one. These are recommended, but I know people who have never done anything and they still produce.
8. Does your tree receive full sun, partial shade, or mostly shade? Pomegranate trees need full sun. The more shade they have the less they grow & fruit.
9. What soil conditions do you have? Such as, is your soil well drained or is it a wet soil type that holds water? Pomegranate trees need well drained soil or they won't grow big enough to produce fruit. If you don't have this you have to build a mound to create it above your soil that holds water.
10. What is your humidity like? Some varieties bloom during rainy season which affects fruit set. Some varieties are poor producers in high humidity.

Since your from Florida, I would contact Pom Natural. They have a high number of Florida heirloom pomegranate trees that are proven to produce in Florida.

I want to try growing some poms

I am thinking that with me ," growing in pots " in  zone 5b . like figs .. outside warm weather . fig shuffle spring n fall stored  dormant in winter  in basement .

A am assuming a dwarf or semi dwarf variety's that are early ripening would be best ..???

suggestions ?


One cultivator  suggested to me was ....Red Silk ....?
a semi dwarf  ,said to be a more hardy and earlier ripening  sport  of Wonderful ?









..........

ShaneJennings:  I have been looking for a pomegranate that I can grow in my community garden and your black pomegranate looks very good AND beautiful!  And, are you willing to maybe sell me some cuttings? I'll PM you as well.

Shane, I'm not on Facebook but I'll keep checking here for your updates.  Thanks for everything!!!

Meg,

If Victor does not contact you, give till next year when mine become big enough and I'll send you some cuttings.