Q. One of my pomegranate trees has very pale leaves on
one of its branches and dark healthy green leaves on the others. I put nitrogen fertilizer on both sides of
the tree plus we did put a balanced fertilizer on it and some compost.
Pomegranate with one stem off color. What to do? Read on.
A. When one branch of a plant is dramatically different
in color while the other branches are healthy, it means that whatever is
causing this problem is at the bottom of that sick part. Since borers are not
common in pomegranate the cause is most likely manmade or a disease problem.
Look at
the main stem just below the yellow leaves. The leaves below this point should
be healthy while the leaves above it should be sickly. If the entire stem is
sick, then look at the stem just above and below where it enters the ground.
If the
entire stem is sick but alive then I am guessing it is damage below this area from
tools, machinery, or disease. If the stem is totally dead then it involves a
lot more guesswork. Mower damage, if planted in a lawn, can cause this type of
damage. This type of damage makes the plant worse during hot summer months when
everything is more stressed. Line trimmer damage can cause the same type of
damage as mowers. Diseases like “collar rot” that “choke” the stem, when the
plant is kept moist all the time, can cause the same visual damage as mowers
and line trimmers.
What to
do? If there is mulch surrounding the stems or anything that can act like a sponge
and hold water, pull it back and away from the stems 6 to 12 inches and let
this area dry out.
Never
water daily. Always give the soil a chance to “dry out” before watering again. The
only areas of a landscape that need daily watering are lawns, vegetable gardens
and flower beds.
Whatever
the cause, this yellowing stem probably should be removed. Sanitize your
lopper, pruning shears or saw with alcohol and remove the stem at ground level.
It is best to do it in the fall or winter, but you can remove it now on
pomegranates with no problems.