Photo by Jacqueline Shubitowski

 Pomegranate

By Tami Reece  UCCE Master Gardener

Common name of plant: Pomegranate

Scientific name: Punica granatum

Planting area: Sunset zone 7-10

Size: 12 to 20 feet height and 12 to 15 feet width

Bloom Season: flowers bloom late May to June; fruit ripens September to October.

Exposure: minimum 6 hours full sun.

Pruning needs: prune during dormancy to remove crossing branches and to

open up the center to allow light and air to reach blooms.

Water needs: drought tolerant; however, for good fruit production, irrigate 5 to 6 inches every 10 days.

Snapshot: Pomegranates grow naturally as a shrub but can be pruned into small trees. Pomegranates are deciduous in the interior and desert areas. Along the coast, they may lose only a portion of their leaves in the winter. Pomegranates are cold hardy down to 10F when dormant and must be protected from frost in late fall before full dormancy or early spring when it begins to bud. It is adaptable to different soil types, growing best in deep loam, though it will tolerate sandy and clay soils. In wetter areas, they are prone to root decay from fungal diseases.

Pomegranates can be grown from seed but are easier to propagate by cuttings. 

The pomegranate fruit is red-purple in color. The husk has two parts: an outer, hard pericarp, and an inner, spongy mesocarp, which comprises the fruit's inner wall where the arils attach. Membranes of the mesocarp are organized as nonsymmetrical chambers that contain richly red colored arils. The number of arils in a pomegranate varies from 200 to almost 1,400. Pomegranate arils are delicious used in savory recipes, baked goods, sprinkled on salads, pressed into juice, or simply eaten fresh, straight from the fruit.

A good variety to add to your garden is the “Wonderful” pomegranate. It produces beautiful, sweet, delicious ruby red arils with the fruit growing to the size of grapefruits. If you are looking for a mid-size tree to add color and beauty to your landscape and fruit to your table, try planting a low maintenance drought tolerant pomegranate tree!

Advice to Grow By Workshops

We have a new garden! The Centennial Park Demonstration Garden will be open to the public for the very first time on Saturday, August 12, 2023, 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. Join us for a free family friendly event. There will be garden tours, meet and greet master gardener volunteers, a kid friendly fun activity, and much more. The garden is located at Centennial Park, 600 Nickerson Dr. Paso Robles. Hope to see you there!

Our next Advice to Grow By Workshop will be August 19th, 2023, at 10:00 to 12:00 p.m. in our Garden of the Seven Sisters Demonstration Garden at 2154 Sierra Way, San Luis Obispo. The topic will be “Fire Safe Landscaping.” The workshop is free and open to the public. Docents will be available after the workshop until 1:00 pm. If inclement weather, the workshop will be canceled.

You can view workshops on Instagram live at slo mg or visit our You Tube channel at “San Luis Obispo County UC Master Gardeners.”

Visit our website at ucanr.edu/sites/mgslo/ or email questions to anrmgslo@ucanr.edu.

UCCE Master Gardener Helpline offices:

San Luis Obispo: 805-781-5939 (Monday and Thursday 1:00 to 5:00)

Arroyo Grande: 805-473-7190 (Wednesday 10:00 to 12:00)

Templeton: 805-434-4105 (Wednesday 9:00 to 12:00)