If you're looking for a small tree with gorgeous flowers and delicious fruit that's easy to grow, pick a pomegranate. Really more of a large shrub rather than a tree, the pomegranate grows in most soils and is drought resistant. It will do well in hot summers, and can withstand cold temperatures down to 10°F. The fruits range from two to five inches, with a red or purple rind, and each fruit contains hundreds of small edible seeds with sweet juicy pulp. Pomegranate juice is nutritious and makes a delicious jelly; the fresh seeds are popular for desserts or garnishes.
Instructions
1. Choose an area that will allow for a medium to large tree; mature pomegranate trees grow to 12 to 15 feet. Pick a sunny site; they will grow in part sun but prefer a site with full sun. Select a place in your yard that's protected from strong winds or harsh cold.
2. Buy a young pomegranate tree from your local nursery and plant according to their directions---or you can grow your own by starting with cuttings from an established tree. Use a sharp knife to take eight-inch cuttings in late winter or early spring, about the same diameter as your finger. Dip the lower three inches of the cut end into rooting hormone and plant the shoot standing straight up in the soil with the bud and just a couple inches of twig exposed at the soil's surface.
3. Keep the soil moist around your pomegranate cutting until it becomes established. Don't over-water it; too much irrigation will cause excess foliage and inhibit strong growth and fruit production. The pomegranate can withstand long periods of drought, according to the University of California Davis Farm Advisor's Office, but when properly irrigated, will produce healthy crops of fruit each year. Keep the soil from drying out during the summer; this is especially important in late summer as the fruit ripens.
4. pomegranate tree lightly; pomegranates do not respond well to heavy fertilization. Use about two pounds of fertilizer for young trees, with a nutrient balance of 8-8-8 in March and again in November. Feed your mature trees in spring and fall using three to four pounds of fertilizer.
5. Prune pomegranate trees into a tree shape with a main stem and well spaced branches; pomegranates will tend toward shrubbiness and produce a heavy growth of suckers. Try to encourage a healthy form, according to the Arizona Cooperative Extension Service, by selecting one main trunk and removing suckers regularly. "Three to five scaffold branches should be selected, starting about 10 inches above the soil level and spaced four to six inches apart along the trunk," says Jeff Schalau, Yavapai County Director. "As the tree takes shape, select two or three shoots per scaffold branch." Remove all dead wood and any branches that cross the trunk or interfere with other branches.
6. Pick pomegranates when they ripen, usually in August; you can pick before the fruit is completely ripe. Break the pomegranates open and enjoy the pulp fresh, or score the rinds and submerge the fruit in a pan or bowl of water. Separate the seeds and the white pitch under water; the pith will float and the seed pulp sinks, so it's easy to pour off the inedible pith. Top your morning cereal or ice cream with fresh pomegranate pulp, or toss it with sliced strawberries or fresh blueberries for a fruit side dish. Juice your pomegranates with a fruit juicer, or use them like berries for making jelly.
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