Pomegranate

[Slickrick773]

Bought this pomegranate a few months ago. Had a flower and has produced one more since. Would like the trunk to thicken and taper. Some more flowers & pomegranate would be nice too. Any advice?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Where do you live?

 

[Slickrick773]

Where do you live?

Chicago, it’s in a west facing window with humitity between 50-60%

 

[bonsaichile]

Put it outside

 

[Slickrick773]

Put it outside

Yeah, putting it on my deck rail for as long as weather permits. The rail is east facing, and other decks block sunlight from the south. It gets decent sunlight in the am but very little in the pm.

 

[GrimLore]

They need Bees and Marigolds are a good way to make that happen - easy and inexpensive....

That is if you want flora and fruit...

Grimmy

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Chicago, it’s in a west facing window with humitity between 50-60%

Do you know what kind of pomegranate it is? Some don't fruit at all...

 

[Slickrick773]

Do you know what kind of pomegranate it is? Some don't fruit at all...

nah, just dwarf pom

 

[augustine]

To thicken a larger container is used. (but not too large). (Ground growing also but it's probably too cold for a pomegranate in Chicago.) Get good draining soil. Fertilizer, sunlight, place outside, etc. Don't overwater.

I notice you have a tray, don't let your tree sit in water. Important - if you take outside introduce it to sunlight gradually. (in other words don't put into strong sunlight right away)

There is an article on thickening trunks in the article section of evergreengardenworks.com.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Here's what you need to know about pomegranate...

(1) They are tropical plants, so no freezing temps.
(2) They like direct sun.
(3) They like heat, but NOT damp. They are originally from Mediterranean so water deeply, but infrequently, similar to olives. Almost let the roots dry between waterings. Also excessive humidity inhibits flowering and can cause premature flower drop.
(4) They tend to throw suckers, which draws significantly from the strength of the main trunk. Remove all suckers whenever they occur.
(5) They are self-pollinating, so if you have a fruiting variety, they will fruit with only a single plant.
(6) They require acidic soil - as much if not more than azaleas. They thrive in soil with pH as low as 5.5. Keep your soil in the 5.5 - 6.5 range.
(7) They will flower sporadically when young, but really start to take off when they are 3-4 years of age. They are not long-lived plants, and flowering tapers off significantly once they reach about 15 years of age.

That's about it!

FWIW they are extremely hardy when established. In landscape here in Southern Cal, I almost consider them nuisance plants, because they can throw long growth that will bend to the ground, root, and establish new parent plants. You can cut them flush to the soil line and they will bounce back like nothing happened. In order to remove them you have to dig them up by the roots

 

[Slickrick773]

Here's what you need to know about pomegranate...

(1) They are tropical plants, so no freezing temps.
(2) They like direct sun.
(3) They like heat, but NOT damp. They are originally from Mediterranean so water deeply, but infrequently, similar to olives. Almost let the roots dry between waterings. Also excessive humidity inhibits flowering and can cause premature flower drop.
(4) They tend to throw suckers, which draws significantly from the strength of the main trunk. Remove all suckers whenever they occur.
(5) They are self-pollinating, so if you have a fruiting variety, they will fruit with only a single plant.
(6) They require acidic soil - as much if not more than azaleas. They thrive in soil with pH as low as 5.5. Keep your soil in the 5.5 - 6.5 range.
(7) They will flower sporadically when young, but really start to take off when they are 3-4 years of age. They are not long-lived plants, and flowering tapers off significantly once they reach about 15 years of age.

That's about it!

FWIW they are extremely hardy when established. In landscape here in Southern Cal, I almost consider them nuisance plants, because they can throw long growth that will bend to the ground, root, and establish new parent plants. You can cut them flush to the soil line and they will bounce back like nothing happened. In order to remove them you have to dig them up by the roots

What would you recommend as a soil mix for my Pom?

How to they reactive to hard pruning?

My goal is to thicken the trunk. Torn between just letting it grow tall vs doing a hard prune in the spring to develop branches.

Thanks

 

[augustine]

Soil for Pom - well draining and acidic granular bonsai substrate. Do not use potting soil..

Let's hear from the guys on this issue - I don't know if pom can be repotted now. or whether yours should be repotted. If drainage is OK you can leave it be this year. Don't overwater. (Place a bamboo skewer or chopstick into the soil. you can remove and see if plants needs water)

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I'm in the Chicago area. I've had a pomegranate for most of the 35 to 40 years I've raised bonsai. One lived 35 years in my care, they are very rugged plants, surviving all manner of abuse.

To thicken your trunk you need to move it to a container that holds at least 2 gallons of media. I often would prune my pomegranate, and then repot in July. It is a good time to do it in Chicago - weather is finally warm enough for good growth - this DOES NOT APPLY TO GROWERS ELSEWHERE. If you are in Texas, July may well be the absolutely worst time to repot a pomegranate, but in Chicago, we finally have good repotting weather.

You need to let the pomegranate grow out, way out, let some branches and your leader run 5 feet or more if you can. Prune back to get it to fit indoors for winter. I use a pumice based mix. They really are not that fussy about potting mix. I've used Chicago tap water for years as my water source, pomegranate like it.

3 to 5 years of letting grow out, way out, then chopping back and growing out again should get you a trunk over 2 inches in diameter. You probably won't be able to have a monster 6 inch diameter trunk without ground growing for a number of years.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Pomegranate are not true tropicals, they will tolerate a few degrees of frost. They do not like the roots freezing, so if the pot freezes solid, the tree may be a goner. I have had mine bounce back just fine from +25 F, but killed dead by +19 F. Best to think of them as tropical rather than flirt with serious freeze damage.

 

[Slickrick773]

Pomegranate are not true tropicals, they will tolerate a few degrees of frost. They do not like the roots freezing, so if the pot freezes solid, the tree may be a goner. I have had mine bounce back just fine from +25 F, but killed dead by +19 F. Best to think of them as tropical rather than flirt with serious freeze damage.

Leo, your experience & advice is very much appreciated! Was considering sending it to my mom in Cali to thicken the trunk in ground, but I’ll keep it in Chiberia and do as you suggested. Would be happy if I could get the trunk up to about 2" thick. I let it grow wild since March, but just cut back 8-10”. Can’t speak to how developed the roots are, but I’ll start looking for a nice pot and repot asap.

Questions:
It's in an 8" pot now, any suggestions on the next step up? Roundabout how long should I wait for the second repot, and what size pot then?
Is July a good month to repot other species? I have a couple figs, a juniper, an azalea, Chinese elm, and a braided money tree. But could use a couple extra holes in my head... selling anything?



Thanks,
-Rick

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Volume is a key consideration when trying to thicken trunks. Surface area of leaves (the photosynthetic engine of growth) and the volume of roots supporting the photosynthesis engine. More is better for rapid growth (within reason) More leaf surface area = more photosynthesis, = more growth. More roots means you can support more leaves. A nice bonsai pot tends to be shallow and not hold all that much soil (low volume) which will slow down trunk thickening.

While trunk thickening I would use ugly nursery style pots, or an Anderson flat if you want to get fancy. You want about 3 gallons volume for most rapid growth. This will not be attractive, but it will work in terms of allowing the tree to grow rapidly.

The 8 inch bonsai pot looks nice, and the depth looks good, but it is hard to know the volume it holds, you will have to decide. It looks big enough to finish out this year's growing season. Move it to a larger pot next year. May-June-July, is a good time to repot. Either just as a new flush of growth starts in spring, for me often early May, or after some older new growth has hardened off late June, July or first week or so of August. No later than August 15 for Chicagoland area.

Remember, each time you repot you stall the trunk thickening, disturbing the roots will temporarily slow growth until it recovers. Try not to repot more than once a year. Once every 2 or 3 years is better. Once you have the trunk size you need, and you move into refinement phase, repotting can be done once every 3 to 5 years, possibly even less frequently.

 

[JoeR]

Pomegranate are not true tropicals, they will tolerate a few degrees of frost. They do not like the roots freezing, so if the pot freezes solid, the tree may be a goner. I have had mine bounce back just fine from +25 F, but killed dead by +19 F. Best to think of them as tropical rather than flirt with serious freeze damage.

Interesting. I have left mine out all winter twice now and it’s bounced back. It is a dwarf Pom, though, which might make a difference. I also mulch it in leaves and pine needles against the house. I’ve read/so I’m just parroting/ that they are healthier with a short dormancy period. Again I don’t know fir sure, all I do know is how mine has responded.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

They do seem more vigorous with a short winter dormancy, but in Chicago area, winter is brutal, and can come on quickly, so for a beginning, I recommend playing safe.

There's a reason I know they will survive -25 F, and will be killed dead by +19 F. I made an addition to the compost heap to learn that.

If @Slickrick773 has the ability to store a tree in winter between 32 - 40 F, he could do what I did half the time with my pomegranate. Leave it out to get a couple frosts, cold enough to knock all the leaves off. Then into controlled storage for the rest of the winter. If you can keep them below 40 F until safe to put outside, great. If your winter storage gets to warm you will have weak leggy foliage you will need to cut off as you put it out in spring.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Honestly, running under lights or on the windowsill wasn't a bad option. You can go either way.

 

[ABCarve]

This is the 5th growing season for this from a 2” nursery pot. I’ve done nothing to it other than fertilize and let it grow. No pruning at all. It simply is a nice plant. Flowers constantly and I got a 3” fruit last year. I’m cutting most of the fruit that sets now. Our growing season doesn’t allow it to mature well. Not very good to eat. I do let some grow just to impress my friends ?.