Pomegranates in zone 7

Steve, I checked few days ago and found it split. Tastewise it was comparable to store bought pomegranates, edible but but too sour for my liking. The Rannii was way better. We had late frost in April that delayed the plant and also quite cold May so with “normal” weather Salavatski can ripen even in cold European zone 7A/B climate.
Salavatski3

4 Likes

That’s awesome Paul!

Is yours a regular Rannii, not a Nikitski Rannii? I planted a regular Rannii this summer and am interested to see if it’ll survive this winter.

2 Likes

Mine is Rannii (the one sold in Rolling River Nursery). I was always wondering if it’s the same as Nikitski Rannii but never found out. That one was in pot for 2 years and now already 3 winters outside with no dieback. The lowest temperature was 7.8F
Here is a picture (I think I posted it somewhere here already)

5 Likes

That’s awesome to hear it’s so cold hardy and tastes good! :slight_smile:

I found this online recently while looking up cold hardy pomegranates, and it has lots of really good information, and it lists Rannii as a separate cultivar.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://ucanr.edu/sites/Pomegranates/files/164443.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwj0jv6qpo3lAhVEip4KHasWCzA4ChAWMAB6BAgGEAE&usg=AOvVaw1ZPjPhVgUG7FCqmB1C-v1M

“DPUN 112 1/25 Rannii – Good sweet flavor, mellow. Smaller fruit. Seed
slightly harder than Wonderful.”

Does that description match the Rannii you’re growing?

1 Like

Rannii and Nikitski Rannii are two different varieties (rannii means early in Russian). Nikitski Rannii has hard seeds. Rannii has medium-hard seeds in August - early September, but seeds become medium-soft in late September - early October.

3 Likes

Thank you Stan, this is very valuable information for me. I bought the Nikitski Rannii couple of days ago as well so at least I know it’s not gonna be a double.

3 Likes

There is also Sverkhranniy variety which, if judged by the name, should ripen super-early (early August according to some sources).

3 Likes

I had that one about 5 years ago but gave it away and now I regret that decision.
Of course the friend I gave it to lost the tag so he doesn’t know which one it is now.
I bought these Russian and Ukrainian varieties this year so I am quite curious how they will perform:
Gulosha pink
Gulosha red
Gulosha burgundy
Nikitskiy early
Crimean red
Crimean Stripped
Ak-Dona

5 Likes

Well this is an excellent topic and I would like to share some information and insight regarding the more hardy pomegranate cultivars around the world.
Being from Greece, pomegranates have been a renown fruit for my country for quite some time now and we do grow several unique cultivars/varieties in vastly different areas.
While for the most part people associate pomegranate with the warmer Mediterranean climates, we do have some frost hardy ones, as well being sweet varieties in areas within the 7a - 6b USDA zone / Dsb - Dfb Koppen classification zones.
There are several people and collectives who have unearthed and also preserved several older and traditional trees within Greece, such as https://ecovariety.gr/ does.

The most famous one would be the Aridaia (also spelled Aridaea) pomegranate. Large size fruit, weighing roughly around a kilo (2.2+ pounds) and the record of the heaviest / largest fruit being in about 1.5 kilos (3.3 pounds)!

The second one is called Foustanis (also spelled Foustanes) from Foustani, Pella, Greece and has a mid-large fruit.


And the third one is called Margarita from Margarita, Eddesa, Greece, which also has a mid-large fruit.

All the above are found in the northern Greece, where temperatures around -20c (-4F) have been recorded, and have also frost and burned apple trees and cherries to the ground, yet these pomegranates are native to those places.

10 Likes

this turned into another incredible post.
we’re zone 7 & have experience with two Pomegranates.

  1. a small potted Kazake (12" tall) didn’t make it over winter. it’s pot was buried in woodchips (our overwintering technique for our potted girls).
  2. a larger “White” (5’) was planted this spring began flowering June 2. she has about 4-5 fruit & is thriving. fingers crossed for the winter. winter is coming… :wink:
5 Likes

Any updates for your lovely pomegranates friend?

2 Likes

Hello Gretta! the ~4 fruit became a little … not good. like, fungus got the fruit. i heard that too much rain during the flowering cycle may be the cause. i have a lot to learn. i’m patient so i’ll watch the pattern over the years.
we planted a Utah Sweet a few days ago and look forward to our ‘girls’ waking up from their winter rest!
hope all is well with you!

2 Likes

I’m in zone 6a and for me the Hyrdanar X Goulosha dwarf pomegranate seems to grow well in container here. Protected in the winter. It stays small. Out of the few I have tried to grow this one fruited heavily the first time it flowered. I got about 8 fruits. The squirrels got half of them I got the other half.
The fruit was quite tart, but I had to pick it as a hard freeze was coming. It made an excellent syrup. I only had a few but mixed with dogwood cherries for a wonderful syrup.
The fruit probably could have used more time. The earlier ones were taken by the tree rats.

The plant is less than 2 feet tall.

2 Likes

Hi Pistachio. I did not see this post - when you first put it out there. I am in 7B . . . or 8A . . . depending on who you talk to. It keeps switching - and there are micro-climate issues here, because I am fairly close to the Atlantic coast.
I have many many varieties of pomegranates. Most are only 3-4 years old. A few are over 10 years old. But I’m getting fruit from lots of them. Purple Heart is young, but very prolific. A bit tart.

My Zone7 suggestion is to stick to the more ‘hardy’ varieties. I’ve had great fruit from Granada - (and not Wonderful!) Wonderful ripens a full month later . . . and doesn’t always come through. I wouldn’t waste the time on it. Unless you have a very sunny ‘warmth-retaining’ area for it . . . like near a southern wall.

Afganski, Hotuni Zigar. Purple Heart. - All have had fruit that is quite good. The ‘sweet’ varieties do not do well for me. Sogdiana. Eversweet. Many others. Their fruit is very tasteless. And they seem to attract fungal issues. I don’t know if this is due to the youth of the trees - or that these varieties just don’t get what they need here in Virginia.

If I only could keep a few varieties - These are what I’d grow.
Afganski. Granada. Hotuni Zigar. Purple Heart. Perhaps Nikitsi Ranni. And I still haven’t given up on Salavatski. I had a couple of pomegranates from one of my Salavatski - and it was small, but delicious.
I am debating on whether to pull out most of my ‘sweet’ varieties. I’d rather use their space for a peach tree!
It’s been awhile since you posted. What has been your experience since then? - ‘Pom’

3 Likes

Hello, I’m also on a pomegranate adventure for the last 2 years. Started several from cuttings of my Angel Red and Salavatsky. Zone 7A, a little West of Philly. Angel Red produced 2 poms last yr, one with a little terminal rot, but still perfectly edible, and the other was absolutely perfect. Planting more poms this year.

Looking to swap cuttings or rooted cuttings of other early Hardy varieties (Ranni, Kazake, etc).

3 Likes

I would love to help u with cuttings - but I have fungal issues with my pomegranates that I do not want to ‘share’. :upside_down_face:

2 Likes

Thank you, it’s nice to receive a reply. What do you use to control the fungus?

2 Likes

‘Control’ is not exactly the word that I’d use in this case! LOL
I ‘allow’ more fruit to mature by zapping the blossoms - that is the place where the dreaded fungus takes hold - with different fungicides. I have Serenade. I have Indar. I have Immunox. I have . . . . and the list goes on and on. Everyone suggests copper. That doesn’t put a dent in it.

I have had some luck cutting off the calyxes as soon as any dark (sign of fungus) appears. Makes sense . . . that is the blossom site. And then I keep spraying the amputees.

One problem is - pomegranates continually blossom. So - I am thinking that removing buds after a certain point in the summer (when the buds would not have time to mature into fruit before the winter weather comes . . . ) could limit the amount of disease.

Who knows.??? I just keep trying. Some varieties seem to fare better than others. Granada is my best. Then Afganski and definitely Purple Heart. I had many fruits mature last summer on the Purple Heart. I have hope for Nikitsi Ranni and Salavatski. Also - Hotuni Zigar. Other than those . . . I may be digging up the rest. All the ‘sweet’ varieties. They are a NO GO around here, it seems. I don’t want to have to weed and prune and care for plants that don’t ‘give back’ at some point!

I have started cuttings from Hotuni, Afganski, Salavatski and have had a lot of success starting the Granadas. They are big enough, I think to put out in the field with the rest this spring. I’ve adopted a ‘Sink or Swim’ attitude after spending so much time babying plants . . . . for nothing!

Keep me posted on how yours do, OK? And if you want to ‘dare to try some cuttings from me’ in the fall . . . . just let me know. (or anytime, for that matter.) Perhaps you could take the cuttings and dip them in a light bleach solution or something - to get rid of any fungus that travels with them, from me to you. ? A thought. :slight_smile: - Karen

1 Like

Anyone succeed with pomegranates in zone 6?

1 Like

I talked to Edible Landscaping a while back about the rot. He said they need to be sprayed before flowers start. Didn’t get into what they were using or how many more times they sprayed. When I see rot on mine I’m sure I’ll be calling back to get that info.

2 Likes