Help for the Home Gardener From the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
Client's Request: We've recently moved into a new home with several fruit trees in the back garden. I would like some advice on what fertilizer is recommended for them. Additionally, one of the trees is a pomegranate, could I use some citrus fertilizer I brought when we moved here. Thanks!
MGCC Help Desk Response: Thank you for contacting the UC Master Gardener Help Desk with your questions about fertilizing fruit trees.

The link below takes you to a free UC publication that will give you specific information on fertilizing fruit trees. It includes information on organic choices, manures, and chemical fertilizers. It also provides information on the specific amounts and timing of fertilizer application.. http://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/The_Big_Picture/Fertilization/.
I have also included a link following to information on general care of fruit trees that you may find helpful:. Fruit trees, nuts, berries, & grapevines.
Your second question was whether you can use citrus fertilizer on your pomegranate tree. Pomegranates prefer a neutral to slightly acidic soil- a pH of 5.5 to 7.0. Citrus prefer a more acidic soil, at a pH of 4.5 to 5.5. Packaged citrus fertilizer mixes will tend to increase the acidity of the soil (i.e. lower the pH). Without knowing the pH of your soil, it is impossible to say whether the citrus fertilizer would be harmful to your pomegranate by changing the soil pH to level that is too acidic. Home soil testing is relatively inexpensive and easy to do. There are a variety of home test kits available at garden centers and plant nurseries. Attached is a document containing information on home soil test kits. If you choose not to test your soil, and you pomegranate tree is healthy and thriving, my suggestion would be to not use the citrus fertilizer. You can use it on your citrus; and citrus usually require routine fertilization during the year. Following is another link- this one gives information on pomegranates. https://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pomegranate.html .
I hope you find this information helpful. Please feel free to contact us again if you have further questions or concerns.
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (SMH)
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Note: The UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523, although we will be moving this spring. We will notify you if/when that occurs. We can also be reached via telephone: (925)646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/ MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog (http://ucanr.edu/blogs/CCMGBlog/)
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Soil Test Kits UC Davis Garden Web
Adcive for the Home Gardener From the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
My questions are around best practices for fruit production. Should I fertilize the plant, and if so, with what and when? Should it have lots of water, little water, or none? Any advice will be welcomed
MGCC Help Desk Response: hank you for your inquiry to the UC Master Gardener Help Desk about how to get more fruit on your pomegranate bush.
There are a number of possible reasons why your bush is not producing more fruit:
- Pomegranates are self-pollinating, but do you have adequate pollinators in your garden? Growing a variety of flowering herbs and other plants that attract bees and hummingbirds can encourage their presence in your garden and enhance the ability of the pomegranate to self-pollinate. Also, planting another pomegranate bush may help.
- Is your bush getting at least 6 hours of bright sunlight a day? Shading of the bush by other trees, fences or buildings may reduce fruit production.
- Do you have the right cultivar for your area? Some cultivars are ornamental only. Here is a link to suggested cultivars: http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/plant_pomegranate.pdf
- Is your bush getting enough water or too much water? Although pomegranates are drought tolerant, they do require irrigation. Good drainage is important in order to prevent root rot. Mulch will help to retain moisture.
- Do you fertilize your bush? Fertilizing your shrub in March and July will help with fruit production. Excessive nitrogen should be avoided.
- Have you pruned your bush too severely? Do you remove suckers that grow from the root area? The suckers drain energy from the plant.
- Netting the bush can help to discourage squirrels from taking the fruit. The fruits ripen in 6-7 months and should be cut from the branch and not pulled off--to prevent damage to the plant.
- Since you mentioned that the bush drops its flowers in the spring, there is most likely some cause for the flowers dropping at that time as well. Besides wind and/or frost, the flower drop could be moisture stress because of the lack of rain earlier. (Not an issue this year!) Checking the moisture level of your soil at flowering time would be beneficial. Using a soil probe to check the moisture or just digging down 6 to 12 inches and checking how moist the soil is by hand are the best methods. The following website will explain how to check moisture content by look and feel. http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/county/training/inspprcd/handouts/soil_moist_feel_test.pdf
- Mulching your tree will also help with moisture issues. Placing 2 to 4 inches of mulch throughout the root zone of your tree is appropriate, but also provide 12" of clearance around the trunk.
Here are some links that provide more information about growing pomegranates that may be helpful:
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pomegranate.html
http://homeorchard.ucanr.edu/Fruits_&_Nuts/Pomegranate/
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/pomegranate.html
These links will give you more specific information about the questions listed above.
I hope this information is helpful and let us know if you have any further questions. Good luck!
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (EKP)
Note: The UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/ MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog (http://ucanr.edu/blogs/CCMGBlog/).
/span>Help for the Home Gardener from the Contra Costa Master Gardener Help Desk
Client's Problem:
CCMG Help Desk Response:
Thank you for contacting the Contra Costa Master Gardeners with your pomegranate question.
Although pomegranates are known to be drought resistant, they do require even moisture during the growing season to set fruit properly. Our historic drought over the past 3 years has affected many plants and trees ability to cope. How are you irrigating your tree? Are you on drip or sprinkler? Are you watering throughout the root zone of the tree or only close to the trunk? Is the rest of your yard that is close by the tree irrigated? Also, does the tree receive at least 6 hours of sun or have other trees shaded out your pomegranate over the years since it was planted? Because of the drought, the soil is very depleted of moisture, even clay soils which retain water for much longer than other soil types are often quite depleted.
Since you mentioned that the tree drops its flowers in the spring there most likely is some cause for the flowers dropping at that time. Besides wind and/or frost, the flower drop could be moisture stress because of the lack of rain earlier. Checking the moisture level of your soil at flowering time would be beneficial. Using a soil probe to check the moisture or just digging down 6 to 12 inches and checking how moist the soil is by hand are the best methods. The following website will explain how to check moisture content by look and feel. http://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/county/training/inspprcd/handouts/soil_moist_feel_test.pdf
Mulching your tree will also help with moisture issues. Placing 2 to 4 inches of mulch throughout the root zone of your tree is appropriate, but also provide 12" of clearance around the trunk.
You mentioned that the tree was sending out lots of branches from the lower trunk. Are these suckers coming up from the root zone or actual branches coming off the main trunk?. Does your tree have one central trunk or many trunks coming up from the ground? If the tree is spending a lot of energy making vegetative growth it may not have enough left over to spend on fruit. Removal of water sprouts and/or branches below the bud graft (if any) is also recommended. See the links below for more information on this.
You also mentioned that your tree is 30-40 years old. Some varieties of pomegranate decline after 15 to 20 years of production, although others can live for 100+ years. Most slow down production in the 20-25 year range.
It appears that it may be several reasons for your lack of fruit production. Drought conditions, lack of irrigation and age of the tree being the most likely.
For more information on Pomegranate care please refer to the following websites, including an online book on pomegranate care.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS/pomegranate.html
http://ucanr.edu/sites/Pomegranates/files/164443.pdf
Hope that information helps you. Please feel free to ask more questions if need be. Best of luck with your pomegranate tree.
Contra Costa Master Gardeners Help Desk
Editor's Note: The Contra Costa Master Gardener Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523.
We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, and we are on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/
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