I’m growing some pomegranates from seeds and they’ve generally been good except recently they’ve developed this issue.
Leaves have begun to get black spots and the new shoot tips are dying. I had a look online and my general consensus was that it’s a fungal issue so I removed infected leaves and treated them with provanto fungus fighter plus but it doesn’t seem to have done anything. The photo of the leaves with the spots is before treatment and the photo of the dying shoot is after treatment.
I would really appreciate any help. I really hope they survive because I’ve went through a lot of effort to get them where they are!
I notice that the seedlings are somewhat crowded, in plastic pots and the soil seems mossy. Perhaps poor airflow and/or wet soil are contributing to the fungal issues?
They’re a year old now and I actually plan on tying them together so they become one tree with a thicker trunk. I’m not sure if repotting starts this stage would be a good idea, would it? The soil isn’t the most draining so that may be an issue. I’ll also remove some moss in that case. It’s odd as this issue wasn’t present beforehand and I’m not sure how I can help them recover.
I use a very well draining soil like would be used for cactus/succulents/citrus/Palm. I make the soil myself, yet any soil like that should do. Here in the south eastern USA that happens on a leaf here and there most years, some years are worst than that. I certainly think that the soil you are using is making it worst.
Also it helps to use a very well draining/well breathing pot, or grow bag.
You’re probably going to see intermittent problems with leaves because high humidity can lead to a number of fungal and bacterial issues. But they should be OK.
Will you be keeping this potted, or will it eventually go out into the ground? If kept in the pot, will you be thinning the number of individuals? If the plan is to stay potted and not drastically thinned – I would have concerns that it would quickly become root bound and swiftly decline. Even though they are the same species, even ´sibling seedlings´, and you intend that they eventual will fuse or be braided into one trunk – they are individual root systems vying for limited space and resources. I would suggest thinning down to 3 of the most vigorous seedlings – then follow alanmercieca suggestions of changing to a faster draining soil, and a grow bag, or an unglazed terracotta pot.
What draws you wanting a thicker trunk? Are you looking for a braided fig or mangrove look? I grew pomegranate in my backyard when I lived in Washington, DC. The individual plant tends to want to grow like a shrub (think hazel or cobnut), I kept mine pruned to 3-4 trunks and this required constant effort.
I appreciate your insight and comments. I will actually be turning my pomegranates into bonsai so I am after a thick trunk and I plan to prune in a way for it to be more of a tree than a shrub. So I do intend on keeping them potted and relatively small throughout their lifetime. It does seem like I need better soil etc. but my issue right now is that I don’t know how to solve the issue I have. They didn’t have this issue before and I feel it’s came about because I ended up overwatering them before I went away for a few days so I could rely on them not drying out in their pots. I was hoping it was the lesser of two evils but I’m not sure what else I could’ve done. I don’t seem to be able to fix this issue and I really don’t want them to die.
To judge from the photos, they don´t look in danger of eminent death. Snip off the sickly leaves, and with pot and soil corrected I believe they will grow of out their current malaise. I would also suggest not having the soil line set as deep in the next pot as this creates a wall that blocks airflow.
I make my own soil, so nothing you can buy, but any premium potting soil should do. Pro-Mix, Happy Frog, and many others.
These will form thick bushes by themselves. Mine have 2-5 trunks out of the ground in containers, one plant.
I realised this was an issue a bit later in. I might slip pot it back into the same pot but bulk out the soil as a temporary measure. Okay well I’ll cut off the poor growth and see where it gets me! Thank you:)
