Cold Hardy Russian Red Pomegranate Planting Directions
Introduction
The Russian Red is not only the best tasting of the cold hardy pomegranates, but also the easiest to grow. Three tips to keep in mind when growing your Russian Red are:
- The more sun the better
- Be conservative when watering
- Protect from wind
Follow these three tips to enjoy close to 100 pounds of pomegranates a year!
Location
When choosing a place to plant your Russian Red look for the place with the most sun. Your tree can tolerate partial sun, but will thrive better in direct sun. Another consideration to keep in mind when planting is moisture. Don’t plant the pomegranate in low areas or areas that flood during storms. They like ground that is high and dry.
Planting Directions
In the ground
To plant in the ground, start my building up a wide mound around three inches tall. Next dig a hole twice the width of the pot your tree came in and the same depth. Add a handful or two of sand and some slow release fruit tree fertilizer in the whole. Fill the hole back in around the tree with your extra dirt and sand.
In a pot
First fill the bottom of the pot with two to three inches of rock or gravel. Next fill the container with soil to the height of the pot your Russian Red came in. Place the plant in and fill around the roots with potting mix up to the top of the new container.
Watering
When watering be a bit conservative, pomegranates don’t like to be wet. For the first two weeks water every three days, after that trim back to every seven.
Fertilizer
Pomegranates like a balanced fertilizer, meaning all three numbers on the package are the same such as 10-10-10. Citrus fertilizer and organic compost work good as well. Fertilize twice a year the first year up to three times a year after that.
Pollination and Fruiting
The pomegranate is self fertile, but you can increase your fruit yield of by 68% through planting a second pomegranate to cross-pollinate.
Picking and Pruning
Your pomegranates will be ready to pick around six to seven months after the flowers have set in. The fruit is ripe after it has turned a ligt crimson red. Make sure you pick the fruit then and don’t let it over ripen because it will split open and ruin on the tree. When picking your pomegranates off the tree, do not pull the fruit off the tree. Clip the fruit off with pruners close to the base of the fruit so you do not damage the fruit or the tree.
Trouble shooting
The Russian Pomegranate is extremely hardy with few pests and diseases. If you have a problem a general rule of thumb is to cut back watering.
Dropping leaves after Transplant:
Being transplanted is stressful for a young pomegranate. The best way to help the pomegranate make a seamless transition is to give it a transplant specific fertilizer. A fertilizer formulated for transplanting will have nutrients such as kelp and beneficial bacteria like Mycroryzal Fungi.
Light brown spots on the leaves:
Little brown spots are caused by either fungus or heavy summer rains. If you think it is the fungus you should apply a mild fungicide. Preferably your fungicide should be natural and low in copper sulfate as pomegranates detest copper sulfate.
Fruit splitting:
The fruit is either overly ripe or the tree is undergoing watering stress. Watering stress can be caused by excessive drought or excessive watering; so the best way to remedy it is by being consistent.