Hi there, it seems from reading here that getting fruit to ripen on pomegranates 7 miles from the ocean is a challenge. I live less than one mile from the beach in the hills of the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego.
I have a two year old Angel Red that had one flower that fell off and is making two little blooms right now. I also have a Parfianka that came at about a foot high that will live in a 50 gallon pot until it is bigger.
A poster here mentioned a cutting (DPUN109?) that could thrive here.
Will UC-Davis send me one if I ask?
Also, does anyone have experience with the Anar Saveh pomegranate from Iran and could that “work” here?
I am a complete novice to fruit trees so all advice appreciated.
I have never heard of pomegranates having trouble ripening fruit near the ocean. There are a lot of poms near the coast on the east coast and they seem to do just fine. (maybe it is a west coast thing?)
In my limited experience with pomegranates it can take them a few years to get going.
DPUN 109 is Medovyi Vahsha. I don’t see any reason why it would be more successful on the coast than other varieties from Turkmenistan.
Varieties bred by S. John Chater in Camarillo, CA are usually considered a good choice for the coast. Golden Globe (DPUN 51) is an example of these.
@Ozymandias
Many locations on Pacific coast have a special microclimate — cool and foggy during summer. Most pomegranate varieties need heat to ripen good quality fruit.
Yes! That is what I realized once it was too late: pomegranates in general need 120 days of 85 degrees or more to make quality fruit per a pdf on the UC-Davis website. I had seen a few videos of successful harvests in Irvine CA and had no idea that Irvine is about 20 degrees hotter in the summer than San Diego. Thanks @stan! I will look for Chater pomegranates.