Transplanting pomegranate saplings (5 year update)

[DrMike27]

Posted this 5 years ago when I first started gardening and tried to grow pomegranates from seed via a grocery store fruit (it was actually my very first post here):

5 years later and I have 1 survivor who just started her first flower! I don’t care if it’s not true to type or even edible. I f’ing did it and I am unabashedly proud of myself.

 

[Mystic Moon Tree]

Seriously congratulations. I have 3 from seed. One is a 15 year old bonsai in a pot and has never flowered. Can you share what you amend the soil with that might have encouraged flowering? My tree is really happy, but has never bloomed & I would really love for it to.

 

[Anniekay]

Very Cool !!
I bought mine from a grower and it is about the age of yours and just flowered this year. Im in 9a as well but in Georgia. I got mine in early spring so, I think spring or late fall would be fine for transplanting.

 

[DrMike27]

Seriously congratulations. I have 3 from seed. One is a 15 year old bonsai in a pot and has never flowered. Can you share what you amend the soil with that might have encouraged flowering? My tree is really happy, but has never bloomed & I would really love for it to.

Thank you! I transplanted her from a 10-gallon grow bag (she lived there from about ages 1-4) that I never amended or even refilled the soil on (the bag was probably half empty at transplant time) into her current pot (pictured) over the winter. So, space was one of the first things that helped. I also gave her a tomato cage to help support the somewhat delicate limbs. I know I will eventually need to remove that, but I’m going to wait on that for now.

For soil itself, I kept none of her original soil and made a whole new mix just for this new pot. I took kellog’s garden soil from the Lowe’s and sifted it through a 1/4” grater and got most of the mulch out. Mixed that with perlite, vermiculite, and fertilizer (“Arizona’s Best Citrus Food” 13-10-4). Ratio was about 4 parts soil to 1 part perlite, 1/2 part vermiculite, and about 1/4 part fertilizer. I put some of the mulch bits I sifted out at the very bottom of the pot and also as a light mulch for the top of the soil.

 

[DrMike27]

Very Cool !!
I bought mine from a grower and it is about the age of yours and just flowered this year. Im in 9a as well but in Georgia. I got mine in early spring so, I think spring or late fall would be fine for transplanting.

Thanks for the kind words! I waited until she went dormant to transplant. It’s nice that they are deciduous like that.

For reference, my adult is the 4th from left in the original picture (the biggest one). I never separated the sapling pairs because the roots were starting to intertwine and I didn’t feel comfortable/confident enough to separate them when they were babies without killing one or both of them (first time parent problems). Her partner did eventually die 2 years ago :-/. The partner just never really thrived after transplant and I reckon it was too little space for the both of them.

 

[Mystic Moon Tree]

Thank you! I transplanted her from a 10-gallon grow bag (she lived there from about ages 1-4) that I never amended or even refilled the soil on (the bag was probably half empty at transplant time) into her current pot (pictured) over the winter. So, space was one of the first things that helped. I also gave her a tomato cage to help support the somewhat delicate limbs. I know I will eventually need to remove that, but I’m going to wait on that for now.

For soil itself, I kept none of her original soil and made a whole new mix just for this new pot. I took kellog’s garden soil from the Lowe’s and sifted it through a 1/4” grater and got most of the mulch out. Mixed that with perlite, vermiculite, and fertilizer (“Arizona’s Best Citrus Food” 13-10-4). Ratio was about 4 parts soil to 1 part perlite, 1/2 part vermiculite, and about 1/4 part fertilizer. I put some of the mulch bits I sifted out at the very bottom of the pot and also as a light mulch for the top of the soil.

Thank you! I didn't know pomegranite might like an acidic soil. I will research that more. I deffinitely think my pomegranite would appreciate an up potting with food & some mulch, vermeculite & perlite. That I can do.