Q. We live in Pahrump and our pomegranate tree looks quite dead. We purchased her as a one gallon tree in May of 2008, and planted her immediately. She has grown quite well, to a height of almost 5 feet, and even produced a few fruit last year. But she does not seem to be coming out of her winter slumber. There are no signs of growth of any kind on any of her branches, and she has developed 3 suckers (which she never did before). Any suggestions or advice? We would hate to think we’ve lost her. A. We also had some significant dieback to pomegranate at our orchard as well on some varieties of pomegranate.  We have 12 varieties growing there. This was not due, in my opinion, to unusually low winter temperatures but rather the timing of some winter freezes.  We had two bad ones come through Southern Nevada; one in the fall in November and the other one late spring.  I think the one in November did the most harm.  To my knowledge no one has published the minimum temperature for pomegranate varieties. In a general sense, it is common knowledge that 10F (-12 C) is generally regarded as pomegranates minimum temperature without freezing but this is not correct. It varies among varieties, if the plant had an application of fertilizer late in the growing season or not and what the weather was like prior to freezing temperatures. Like any other plant, its ability to withstand winter freezing has a lot to do with what the fall or spring temperatures were like prior to hitting that 10F and how the plant was managed. Most pomegranates are grown on their own roots and so hopefully you will see some suckering from the base of the plant particularly if it was mulched during the winter.  We also had some dieback to some figs which was unusual for us.

Q. I went and bought the iron chelate stuff you recommended however the instructions were not really clear.  This was for the lemon tree in the whiskey barrel with yellowing and not too many leaves.  Anyway I put about three teaspoons in the barrel and applied water.  I did not know this was going to turn the water red.  It all drained out red.  Hopefully enough stayed in to help the tree.  When should I do this again? A. Well the water coming out all red is not a good indicator of good soil health. It also means that any fertilizer applied is going to run through it as well. I would go to foliar fertilizer applications until you can improve the soil.             This EDDHA iron chelate that I recommend is not a good iron fertilizer for a liquid application to the leaves. Sorry. But it will be great once you improve the soil and it holds nutrients again and you apply it at the right time.             Another method you could use would be to lift out the whole rootball out of the container if it will come out easily for you and in one piece. You can cut around the tree with a shovel and see if you can lift it out of the container. If the rootball wants to fall apart and not come out in one piece, then I would forget lifting it out and replace the soil a bit each year.             If the tree can be lifted out, dump the excess soil left in the container, wash some of the soil from the roots and replant it in the container again after sanitizing it.             You can inspect the roots and cut off any unhealthy roots when it is out of the container. Do not let the roots dry out when you are doing this. Before you replant it, put the tree rootball in a container full of cool but not cold water and let it soak for a couple of hours.             Replant the tree. Stake it for a couple of months and repot the whole thing. Then apply the iron fertilizer you bought to that soil. But you will get very limited results from that iron without improving the soil. If this doesn’t make sense, email me with questions so I know what you understand and don’t understand.

Q. I’m looking to start a small backyard orchard of fruit trees next year here in Las Vegas. I was thinking of about 10 – 12 trees using the recommended varieties from your Xtremehorticulture blog.  I am still in the planning stages and would appreciate your recommendation on whether I should use bare root trees or container trees.  Bareroot fruit tree. Notice the “dogleg” on the trunk where the fruit variety was budded or “grafted” on to an appropriate rootstock. A. Bare root trees are only available during late winter or early spring before the leaves emerge from the tree. Bare root trees are typically small but establish very quickly if planted correctly. Directions for planting fruit trees can be found on my blog by searching “how to plant fruit trees” on the blog search engine.             There is nothing wrong with planting container grown trees provided they have not outgrown the container. If trees are grown for too long in the container before planting, this can lead to future problems.             Rows of the trees should run north and south so they don’t shade each other. However if the trees are planted in a triangular pattern (trees in neighboring rows are offset by half of their planting distance) rather than a square pattern (trees are directly opposite each other in neighboring rows) it doesn’t make much difference which direction the rows are running.             The distance between trees in the rows depends on how big you let them get. If you elect to keep them small so that you eliminate ladders for pruning, spraying and picking then you can plant most of them as close as 10 feet apart. If you do elect to keep them smaller than this it will require more pruning effort on your part.             Of course winter pruning will provide you with fruit wood that you can use for smoking or grilling or chip for surface wood mulch . No, this chipped wood will not cause more insects or diseases.             On larger trees, like apples and pears, make sure you use some rootstocks that help keep them smaller. The rootstocks on my recommended list will do that for you. The distance between the rows should be no closer than 10 feet apart.  Semi or moderately intensive planting of apples on semi-dwarf rootstocks in the former soviet union. The distance between trees is relatively close but because they are using large scale tractors for spraying, cultivating and harvesting the distance between the rows (the picture is between rows) is still relatively large. This could be even more intensive (more $ per acre) if the rows were closer together.             If you want to get some small equipment down the rows then I would put the rows no closer than 12 feet apart and you might even consider 14 feet if you are using a small tractor or larger wagons for harvesting.             Make sure you install your irrigation system and pre-dig your holes and amending the soil there before you begin planting. Plant directly into amended soil and thoroughly wet the soil with a hose several times after planting.             Avoid container trees which have been in the nursery for a long period of time. Any of the nursery or garden centers will be a good place to purchase these plants if they have been recently delivered there.               Buy these trees just before you are ready to plant them. Don’t buy and keep them at home for several days before planting. We all have good intentions but frequently these trees get neglected. When bringing them home, find a shady spot to put them until you are ready to plant. Do not keep them in the sun if temperatures are very warm or hot.