Garden Care Guide

Pomegranate Care

Punica granatum

A long-lived, deciduous shrub or small tree grown for its delicious, healthy, edible fruit. It is extremely tolerant of heat and drought. For abundant fruit it likes full sun and well-drained soil; its bright red-orange flowers that open in late spring/summer are also very decorative.

Half-hardy · -12 °C / 10 °F

Monthly care calendar

Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.

January
  • Pruning: Main pruning time. Remove suckers and water sprouts arising from the roots and trunk, along with dry, diseased and crossing branches. Light tip pruning is carried out to encourage productivity.
  • Plant protection: For overwintering pests (scale insects, aphid eggs), Bordeaux mixture at the labeled concentration or dormant oil (mineral oil) can be applied.
  • General care: Pruning debris and mummified fruit should be removed from the garden.
  • Frost risk: In hard and prolonged frosts, cover the root zone with mulch or dry leaves; also protect young plants. It is damaged below about -12 °C.
February
  • Pruning: While dormant, remove dry, broken, crossing and inward-growing branches so that air and light reach the inside of the crown. Encourage an open, framework-like form during dormancy. Remove weak and inward-growing branches. Flowers form on the current year's growth; heavy winter pruning increases fruit yield.
  • Plant protection: Before the buds swell, Bordeaux mixture or a copper-based fungicide can be applied.
  • General care: Continue removing basal shoots.
  • Frost risk: In hard and prolonged frosts, cover the root zone with mulch or dry leaves; also protect young plants. It is damaged below about -12 °C.
March
  • Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
  • Fertilizing: Apply a balanced fertilizer or well-rotted organic fertilizer once when it wakes from dormancy. Because yield and fruit quality depend on nutrient balance, having a soil analysis done is especially useful for this plant.
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
  • Pests & diseases: Colonies of aphids (Aphidoidea) may appear on fresh shoots.
  • Frost risk: Young shoots may be affected by severe late frosts.
April
  • Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
May
  • Watering: 40-50 L per tree per week; regular watering is important for fruit set.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Flowering begins.
  • Pests & diseases: If you see black spots with yellow halos on the leaves (black spot), collect the diseased leaves and remove them from the garden; the disease overwinters in fallen leaves. Check the fresh shoot tips for aphids (small clusters of green or black insects). If there are few, you can knock them off with a strong spray of water.
June
  • Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Flowering continues.
  • Pests & diseases: If you see black spots with yellow halos on the leaves (black spot), collect the diseased leaves and remove them from the garden; the disease overwinters in fallen leaves. Check the undersides of the leaves for whitefly clusters. A yellow sticky trap is the easiest way to monitor density. Check the fresh shoot tips for aphids (small clusters of green or black insects). If there are few, you can knock them off with a strong spray of water.
July
  • Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Established plants (over 2 years old) do not need watering in most years. Water the area around the roots to a depth of 15-20 cm.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Flowering continues.
  • Pests & diseases: Check the undersides of the leaves for whitefly clusters. A yellow sticky trap is the easiest way to monitor density.
August
  • Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Established plants (over 2 years old) do not need watering in most years. Water the area around the roots to a depth of 15-20 cm.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: The fruits enlarge and begin to color.
  • Pests & diseases: Check the undersides of the leaves for whitefly clusters. A yellow sticky trap is the easiest way to monitor density.
September
  • Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: The fruits color and ripen. Preparations are made for harvest.
  • Pests & diseases: If you see black spots with yellow halos on the leaves (black spot), collect the diseased leaves and remove them from the garden; the disease overwinters in fallen leaves.
October
  • Watering: Light watering can be given while the harvest continues; stop it after the harvest.
  • Fertilizing: As post-harvest fertilizing, a phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) heavy fertilizer can be given.
  • General care: Main harvest period. Cut the fruit carefully together with its stalk.
  • Pests & diseases: Clear rotten fruit that was not harvested and remains on the tree.
November
  • Plant protection: After leaf fall, Bordeaux mixture or copper-based fungicides are applied to reduce next year's disease risk.
  • General care: Collect fallen leaves; many disease agents and pests overwinter under leaves.
December
  • Pruning: Once the tree is fully dormant, major pruning can begin toward the end of the month.
  • General care: Full dormancy period.
  • Frost risk: In hard and prolonged frosts, cover the root zone with mulch or dry leaves; also protect young plants. It is damaged below about -12 °C.

The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.

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