Wednesday, May 23, 2012

It's Wonderful


The ‘Wonderful’ variety of pomegranate tree has large orange-red flowers and deliciously tangy purple-red fruit.  Well, at least that’s what the label says.  I’ve yet to see a flower or fruit, so at this point I’m going on faith.

I have wanted to try growing a pomegranate tree for awhile.  I was just waiting for the right opportunity to present itself.  I needed to find a spot in full sun with good drainage and I just couldn’t decide on the perfect location until recently.

No one likes to see a beautiful, stately oak tree die before it’s time, but the recent removal of a dead tree presented me with a pomegranate planting opportunity.  

To get my pomegranate tree off to the best start possible, I’m going to plant it using the recommended planting instructions provided on the grower’s label.  The first step is to dig a hole three times the diameter of the root ball.


The instructions recommend setting the top of the root ball two inches above grade, so be careful not to dig the hole too deep.  Planting a tree too deeply is probably the biggest planting mistake that people make when planting a new tree.

I like to mix compost into the native soil.  My soil ranges from sand to clay, but this site contains a sandy loam that is more on the sandy side.  The compost will help the soil retain moisture, which the pomegranate will appreciate. 

Fill in the hole and create an ample basin around the tree.  A large water basin will ensure the water soaks down into the root ball where it is needed for the tree to get established.

 If I take care of this tree, in a couple of years, I’ll have tasty pomegranates.  Isn’t that wonderful?



6 comments:

  1. Good instructions and it looks like a good spot. I've never grown pomegranates, but I like eating them Good luck with your newest addition.

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    1. The oak tree that was there took up a surprising amount of space. A pomegranate will never grow as stately as an oak, but I think I will like the full, bushy qualities of the pomegranate, plus the bonus fruit.

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  2. I used to want to replace the rose bush with a pomegranate tree. I think I'm cured of that, if only because the rose bush survived without any supplemental water last summer.

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  3. That looks like a fine tree. You should have lots of success with all that careful planning and planting!

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  4. Sorry to hear that you lost a large Oak tree. I'm sure you will have fun watching your pomegranate tree grow. Plus you get to enjoy those tasty seeds.

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  5. Thanks for the reminders on how to plant trees. I am going to plant my appalachian redbud this weekend... going to take awhile to dig the hole I can tell you!

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