Hi Phil ! Thanks so much for your post. I’m always glad to hear from another PomPerson on this forum.
I am going to post a .pdf which Shane, at the Alabama Pomegranate Association put together. Using it, I was able to choose varieties I was interested in according to ‘taste’ and description of seed hardness. More importantly - This list has been extremely helpful in identifying pomegranate varieties that might fare better than others, in my climate.
@Philbert Off the top of my head . . . I would suggest that you try Salavatski, Kazake, Lyubimyi “Favorite”, Agat and/or Afganski - in Oregon. I know these to be very cold-hardy.
Are your poms in pots? Also - what are your low temperatures in Oregon? I’ll bet you have similar ‘humidity’ problems, as I do in VA. I always battle the fungus that produces black spots on the fruit. The interior of my fruit is fine . . . but the outside is damaged by these fungal areas. Obviously, pomegranates like drier conditions than I have to offer, in Eastern VA. I keep trying different ‘fungal solutions’, (literally)! I’m using the Bee Safe 3-in-One this summer.
I learned one big lesson this year, which really seems to be paying off with all of my pomegranates.
I had been timid with the fertilizer, in the past - not wanting to burn the feeder roots. This year, in late winter, I raked away the old mulch and spread manure with compost all around the base of my more mature trees. AND I broadcast 10-10-10 under the drip line of each tree - even around the young ones which had been planted for over a year. WOW - I have blossoms and healthy growth like I’ve never seen before! Now - I just hope that the young trees will hold onto a few of the fruit that are forming! This pic is the very young fruit on my older Grenada, which I planted in my landscape, years ago. Even on these immature fruits, you can see what might be the beginnings of this year’s black fungus.
Philbert and others who are growing pomegranates, please post more photos of your pomegranates, as the summer progresses!
@GeorgiaGent I am not aware of a cold-hardy double-flowered Russian variety. But, perhaps I just never noticed that in any of the literature. I certainly have not seen any of those offered for sale, with that description . . . but that does not mean that there isn’t one! I think that I’ve read about other poms with double blossoms - ornamental, as you said. Maybe with very small fruit, if any at all? I have the same double-blossom variety as @alanmercieca . ‘Faye’s Paintbrush’ - which I believe to be El Paso #1 - (but Alan would be the expert on that). He was kind enough to share a young plant with me a few years ago. I kept it in a pot for a couple of years - and then planted it out in the field this spring. I didn’t get any blooms, so far, this spring - but it could still flower. __
Note: We’ve decided to try the ‘cardboard mulch method’. Keeping the weeds and grass away from the base of 20-some pomegranate shrubs has not been an easy task! So, I went to Sam’s Club and loaded my cart with the large sheets of cardboard that they put between the stacks of cans, etc. We will have to add layers, as the ‘mulch’ deteriorates . . . but it is killing the grass and weeds under the trees - and keeping the mowers away from the outer branches! It also makes it much easier to remove the dropped blossoms - and to spray, if we need to - without risking hitting the plants. I will post updates on the ‘success - or not’ of this method of mulching.
If anyone else has had experience with ‘Cardboard Mulch’ - good or bad - please comment about that! Thanks! - Karen
Faye’s Paintbrush
ListOfVarieties-AlabamaPomAssoc.pdf (154.5 KB)
I edited this list to include all of my ‘notes’ and records of ‘my’ varieties - and those I’m interested in. I didn’t save a copy of an un-edited version, but you can get one from Alabama Pomegranate Association. (They have a facebook page, too.)
I was very surprised it survived a hard freeze and frost after leafing out with very little damage. Having it against a south facing brick wall must help.
