“The standard — fruited in year one, about 12 fruit at 2.5 years.”
Background
Discovered in Florida and brought to California in 1896, where it was planted near Porterville; exact parentage was never documented, but it descends from Middle Eastern and Mediterranean germplasm. It is the dominant U.S. commercial cultivar and the benchmark behind the POM Wonderful brand. The UA arboretum notes pomegranate appears in Egyptian mythology and art, the Old Testament, and the Babylonian Talmud.
Distinguishing traits
Large 4-5 inch deep purple-red fruit with deep crimson juice; sweet-tart vinous flavor; excellent for juicing; medium-hard seeds; self-fertile; ripens September-October; resists fruit cracking after rain. The UA arboretum describes pomegranate as a branched, spiny shrub or small tree of 16-20 feet with showy red vase-shaped flowers.
Desert care — zone 9b
- Chill hours
- 150-200 hours (low).
- Cold hardiness
- USDA zones 7-10; hardy to about 10-12°F. Protect young plants in hard freezes.
- Heat tolerance
- Extremely heat tolerant; thrives in desert summers.
- Water
- Drought tolerant once established; roughly 3-8 gallons per week May-September for good fruiting; reduce in winter. The UA arboretum rates water use as low, calling it extremely drought tolerant.
- Soil
- Very adaptable, tolerates alkaline desert soils; must drain well. The UA arboretum notes it thrives on calcareous alkaline soil as well as deep acidic loam.
- Sun exposure
- Full sun.
Where to buy
- Stark Bro's
- Food Forest Nursery
- Trees of Antiquity