What you need to know about growing pomegranates in your garden

In a seminal 2010 study connected the imaginable benefits of pomegranates successful the prevention of bosom cancer, the pursuing decision was reached: “Pomegranate intake whitethorn beryllium a viable strategy for the chemoprevention of bosom cancer.” Specifically, pomegranate depletion inhibits the enactment of aromatase, the enzyme that produces estrogen and its associated bosom crab cells, particularly successful post-menopausal women.

The decision of different 2009 peer-reviewed article astir nutrition and crab that addressed the cancer-prevention imaginable of pomegranates was much far-reaching: “Recent probe has shown that pomegranate extracts selectively inhibit the maturation of breast, prostate, colon and lung crab cells successful culture. In preclinical carnal studies, oral depletion of pomegranate extract inhibited maturation of lung, skin, colon and prostate tumors.”

The pomegranate is autochthonal to the Middle East. It is 1 of 5 fruits (along with grape, fig, olive, and date) indigenous to the Land of Israel that are mentioned successful the Bible. Thus its quality to past drought is embedded successful its DNA, arsenic years of drought successful the Middle East are arsenic communal arsenic they are successful California.

Yet conscionable due to the fact that a works taxon tin past a drought does not mean it volition thrive with a minimum of irrigation pursuing a adust winter. Where pomegranates are concerned, for example, the aforesaid h2o authorities for increasing citrus trees is recommended. That means a pomegranate histrion should beryllium heavy soaked each 10 to 20 days during the summer, depending connected however blistery it gets. You tin bash this by moving a dilatory trickling hose astir the drip enactment oregon canopy circumference line, wherever h2o drips disconnected foliage erstwhile it rains.

Where pomegranates are concerned, a small fertilizer goes a agelong mode and nary much than a half-pound of existent nitrogen should beryllium applied to a mature tree. Late January would beryllium the champion clip to bash this since February is our wettest period and rainfall would soak the fertilizer into the plant’s basal zone. How is simply a half-pound of existent nitrogen calculated? Let’s accidental you person a container of fertilizer that is 16% nitrogen. (The 3 numbers connected a container of fertilizer, separated by dashes are, from near to right, the percentages of nitrogen, potassium, and potassium successful the bag). For each 100 pounds of this fertilizer product, 16 pounds are existent nitrogen. Thus 1/2 lb of existent nitrogen would adjacent astir 3 pounds of the merchandise successful this bag.

However, if you were regularly applying compost and mulch to the ungraded surface, the half-pound of existent nitrogen you request would beryllium released to the works people done these layered materials and nary supplemental fertilization would beryllium required.

In an email, Margie Loya precocious asked: “Why is it that my pomegranate histrion had its mean blossoms, but past they fell disconnected and lone a fewer pomegranates were produced?”

The botany of the pomegranate (Punica granatum) helps to explicate the improvement of angiosperm drop. On the pomegranate tree, some antheral and hermaphrodite oregon cleanable flowers are produced; 60-70% of them are males connected immoderate varieties.

It should beryllium noted that astir each the flowers you spot connected plants are perfect, meaning they person some antheral and pistillate organs. Some plants person abstracted antheral and pistillate flowers, either connected the aforesaid works (corn, squash, cucumber, melon, and walnut trees, for example) oregon connected antithetic plants (pistachio and day palm, for example).

The preponderance of antheral pomegranate flowers means you are going to spot tons of angiosperm driblet since lone flowers which crook into fruits (the hermaphrodites) enactment connected the plant. However, successful bid for a angiosperm to nutrient a fruit, it indispensable beryllium pollinated; truthful wherever conditions for pollination are not optimal, unpollinated hermaphrodite flowers are going to driblet arsenic well.

The occupation present is that the stigma (female part) connected the pomegranate angiosperm is lone receptive to the antheral pollen for 2 to 3 days. If bee enactment – pollen is carried connected immoderate of the 3 cardinal hairs connected a bee’s assemblage to waiting stigmas — is curtailed owed to biology conditions, pollination and effect improvement volition beryllium reduced.

It is thought that adverse biology conditions tin besides impact the fig of hermaphrodite flowers and frankincense the fig of fruits that make successful a fixed year. Our existent drought, for example, could person reduced the fig of hermaphrodite flowers and truthful the imaginable fig of fruits connected your tree. Even erstwhile flowers are abundant connected our effect trees, pollination volition beryllium connected the trees’ being well-hydrated and not water-stressed. That is wherefore keeping the ungraded moisture level dependable is important. Fluctuating ungraded moisture volition not lone impact pollination but the improvement of effect splitting – whether successful pomegranates, citrus, oregon tomatoes. In this context, it is particularly important to support pomegranate trees well-watered erstwhile their fruits are ripening because, dissimilar tomatoes and citrus, pomegranates person a earthy inclination to divided portion inactive attached to the stem.

Pollinate your pomegranate histrion by manus to heighten effect production. Take a tiny artist’s paintbrush and dab it connected the yellowish pollen grains that look soon aft pomegranate flowers open. Then transportation the pollen to stigmas. In a hermaphrodite angiosperm connected a pomegranate tree, dozens of pollen-bearing anthers situation a azygous stigma that protrudes supra the anthers.

Hand pollination is particularly important wherever dwarf pomegranates are concerned. As Nancy Carr who gardens successful Lake Forest emailed: “I planted a dwarf pomegranate histrion astir a twelvemonth ago. It was afloat of flowers that fell off! What causes that?” Some dwarf pomegranate trees — which turn nary much than six feet gangly arsenic opposed to the 20- to 30-foot tallness reached by accepted pomegranate trees — look to beryllium wholly babelike connected our assistance erstwhile it comes to giving effect and volition lone bash truthful wherever manus pollination is employed. The tiny fruits, portion edible, are not saccharine and their main property is ornamental since they enactment connected the histrion for galore months.

Margie Loya besides asked: “How agelong bash you permission bulbs successful the refrigerator?” Most of the bulbs we works bash not necessitate refrigeration. Tulips and elephantine hyacinths necessitate it, arsenic bash galore daffodils and crocuses, and keeping them refrigerated for 8 weeks is advised. Make definite they are not successful the aforesaid drawer arsenic fruits and vegetables since immoderate of them springiness disconnected ethylene (when ripening) which would harm the bulbs. My proposal is to works the pursuing 7 bulbs that bash not necessitate refrigeration and travel backmost twelvemonth aft twelvemonth successful the garden, spreading happily with thing much than benign neglect required connected our part: paperwhite Narcissus, Crocosmia, Nerine, Hippeastrum, Crinum, bare woman (Amaryllis belladonna), and snowbells (Leucojum). Leucojum is simply a existent charmer, whose nodding white, campanulate flowers are tipped successful greenish and mildly fragrant. Leucojum spreads similar wildfire successful the shade. Search these bulbs connected the Internet to find mail-order vendors who proviso them.

John Krakowski asked, “What circumstantial herb varieties volition beryllium champion for autumn planting?” The safest stake are cherry tomatoes These volition carnivore effect passim autumn and adjacent wintertime arsenic agelong arsenic we don’t get a superior freeze. Here is simply a database of immoderate herb varieties that bash good erstwhile planted astatine this time: cherry – Sun Gold, Red Robin, Sweet 100; heirloom – Brandywine, Nepal, Garden Peach; hybrid – Celebrity, Early Girl, Jetsetter.

Tip of the Week: If you are seeking a California autochthonal that blooms this clip of twelvemonth successful immoderate shade, see scarlet coyote mint (Monardella macrantha ‘Marian Sampson’), whose foliage is delicately fragrant erstwhile rubbed. I discovered it acknowledgment to the fantabulous assistance of Neda Rivka astatine the Theodore Payne Foundation successful Sun Valley. She directed maine to 2 different plants that I took location for shady spots. One of them is simply a maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris ‘Banksianum’) and the different a sword fern (Polystichum munitum). Both ferns would marque fantabulous indoor plants, keeping successful caput that taxon that admit shadiness successful the plot typically request a agleam airy vulnerability erstwhile taken indoors. I asked Rivka for her champion recommendations for California natives that bloom successful the autumn and she cited two: Baja fairy duster (Calliandra californica) and California fuchsia (Epilobium canum). The erstwhile shows disconnected tassel lampshade reddish blooms portion the second is covered with constrictive fiery orangish tubular flowers. Both pull hummingbirds.

Please nonstop questions, comments, and photos to Joshua@perfectplants.com.