Pomegranate Trees

While pomegranate plants are trees, they have a strong tendency to grow into dense bushes. In order to shape your pomegranate bush or grow it as it a tree you will need to prune your tree at least annually. There are no drawbacks to letting your pomegranate grow as a bush in terms of fruit product but many people prefer the aesthetic value that can be gained by pruning your pomegranate into a more obvious tree form. In fact heavy pruning can even reduce the yield of fruit, so bear this in mind before you go about intensive sculpting of your pomegranate bush.

Tools For Pruning

You will need a few tools to trim a pomegranate in the most effective way possible, first a pair of shears or loppers, and some form of plant wound sealant to encourage a quick recover as well as ward off disease. You should also try to prune your pomegranate just before spring or during spring so that the pomegranate plant can make a vigorous recovery.

If you want to trim your pomegranate bush into a tree you should find what you want to be the main trunk of the plant. Then starting from the base of your chosen trunk cut back all of the suckers on the bottom quarter of your pomegranate bush. After you have made these first cuts go back and make sure all your cuts are clean (not ragged or bent). Finally seal the sharp cuts with a plant wound sealant, most nurseries will sell it as an arborist supply because it is mostly used when pruning wood producing plants. If you want to have fruit in the season, don’t prune more than 20 – 30 % of the stems away in one season. An aggressively pruned pomegranate tree will recover well but it won’t produce nearly as much fruit that season compared to if it were left not pruned.

Shaping Your Tree and Final Tips

If your pomegranate tree leans in a direction that you don’t want or too extremely in any direction you should support your tree at the main trunk. You can either support your newly formed tree with a supportive stake or by tying the trunk off to a nearby supporting structure. After you are done pruning and supporting your pomegranate tree make sure you have adequately fed it for the coming growing season. Provide your tree with a deep watering as well as food so that your newly pruned true can quickly grow back.

Learn more about pomegranates, http://www.agardeninthecity.com is for the urban gardener and plant enthusist.