Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Large Percentage of Pomegranate Fruit Comes from Older, Larger Wood

Leave a Comment / green, older wood, size, split pomegranate /

Q. I need some help.  I planted a pomegranate tree about three years ago. The tree looks great and there are always lots of fruit. The problem is that by the time the fruit gets up to about 2″ in size they are splitting open.  Can’t figure out the reason and I am yet to harvest a good pomegranate.  It gets full sunshine in summer and water 3-4 times a week. Any suggestions? A. Are the arils (pulp) sweet? Maybe it is ready to harvest.             First of all, the fruit should be larger than that. The fruit should get larger as it gets older and the tree is pruned correctly. A high percentage of small fruit is produced on smaller branches.  The number of large fruit is more as the tree gets larger. A higher percentage of larger fruit will come from the larger branches. That’s the reason for getting rid of the much smaller suckers. Get rid of the suckers at the bottom of the tree and force production on to about 5 or 6 main limbs that you keep. The best and larger fruit are produced on older wood. Small fruit are produced on young and smaller wood. I think the reason why some California growers prune toward only one large central trunk is that the fruit collected from it gets larger earlier.  Pomegranate pruned into a tree shape instead of a bush.             If the fruit is green when it splits, the same is true. The tree was not getting enough water as the fruit was getting larger. The fruit starts to become red, or red or white, or red and white when it starts into its last ripening phase. Yellow pomegranate brought to me in Tajikistan.             Fruit splitting is oftentimes a harvesting problem. Taste the seeds inside (called the arils) and see if they are sweet or ‘as expected”. There is a wide variation in flavor so don’t be surprised if the fruit taste is “puckery”. If the arils are sweet or “as expected”, it might be ready to harvest. Pomegranates are ready to harvest, depending on the variety, from September (‘Utah Sweet’) until early December (‘Wonderful’). The fruit should not crack unless they are past their harvest time. Young fruit still green and developing. It is several weeks away from harvest and sweet.             If the fruit are splitting before they are ready to harvest (not sweet yet but getting there) then it is a watering issue. Just like melons, as the rind sets up for harvest (sugars are accumulating) watering becomes critical. Watering when the rind gets hard (and it doesn’t need it) will split the fruit. w Pomegranate rind split and ready for harvest. Probably ‘Wonderful’.

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Figs Dropping From Tree

Leave a Comment / desert, falling off, fig fruit, green, irrigation, Las Vegas, Mohave Desert, Mojave Desert, mulch, nevada, not mature, small /

Q. We planted a fig tree a couple of years ago. Year before last it produced a couple of figs. Last year there were perhaps a dozen figs which never got larger than a small grape. These did not emerge until November and never grew to full size. The tree was fertilized with 16-16-16 commercial fertilizer, and had plenty of water. Can you tell us why the fruit did not mature and what we might do to have a better result this next season? A. The usual problem is not watering at the right time and keeping the soil moist during production of fruit. We can get two good crops of figs here. The first one is called the Briba crop and is borne on last year’s wood (2013 growth). This is the Briba crop. Notice how the figs are developing on older, brown wood from last year. You can see the new growth pushing from the terminal bud, is green and about two inches long.             The second crop is the Main crop and grows on the current season wood (2014 growth). If the tree is pruned or last years wood is killed by freezing weather, you will only get a main crop. This picture shows you the larger Briba crop still developing at the bottom on older wood. Above these fruit are smaller fruit still developing on this years growth, the main crop. The Briba crop will be harvested while the main crop is still developing.             The main crop occurs when it gets hot and if the tree is not getting enough water the figs will get button sized, get hard and drop off. There is a potential third crop in about September and October but the weather does not stay warm enough in the fall for it to mature.             This third crop will get button sized and will fail to develop due to winter weather coming in. That third crop may form without the summer crop if the tree is not getting enough water. Then in the fall it is getting enough and tries to set fruit but it is too late and fails. Although this is another readers picture, this is what this reader is probably talking about. Late season figs never get to ripen. However, if you keep the soil moist during the summer months, the first two crops will ripen.             I would mulch around the tree with about four inches of wood mulch and cover the soil to a distance of about six feet from the trunk. Water in a basin around the trunk about six feet in diameter.             The basin should be able to hold at least two inches of water but four would be better. Fill the basin with water each time you irrigate. Water once a week now, twice a week in May, three times a week in June, drop it to twice a week in September and once a week mid October.             Once the leaves fall off in winter you can water about every 10 to 14 days. Fertilize once in February with a fruit tree fertilizer or four fertilizer stakes per tree, one in each quadrant of the irrigation basin.

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