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Pomegranate

Punica granatum

Pomegranates are tough, drought-tolerant shrubs or small trees with bright orange-red flowers and leathery fruit packed with juicy seeds (arils). They need little winter chill and love heat, but humid Florida summers bring fruit-spot fungus and splitting, so soft-seeded and disease-tolerant cultivars tend to do best there.

Tree facts

Scientific name
Punica granatum
Origin
Iran to northern India
Tree size
10–20 ft; often grown as a multi-trunk shrub
Growth rate
Medium
Sun
Full sun
Soil
Tolerates most soils, including alkaline and somewhat salty ones, as long as they drain
Soil pH
5.5–7.5
Pollination
Self-fertile, but crops improve with a second cultivar and active pollinators
Cold hardiness
Most take about 12–15°F; hardy Central Asian cultivars take somewhat lower
USDA zones
8–10 (hardy cultivars into 7)
Years to first fruit
2–3
Season
Sep–Nov
Water
About every 10 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
Feeding
About every 90 days, Mar–Jun
Pruning
Jan–Feb
Taste
Sweet-tart and juicy, from wine-like and tangy to mild and sweet
Nutrition
Vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber in the seeds, and polyphenols such as punicalagins

Is pomegranate safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

  • Arils (the juicy seeds), raw
  • Juice, and pomegranate molasses made from it

Toxic parts and cautions

  • Take care: The root, bark and stems contain alkaloids (pelletierines) that were once used to expel tapeworms and are poisonous in larger doses. Don't make home remedies from the bark or root.
  • Good to know: Pomegranate juice may interact with a few medicines, such as warfarin. Ask a pharmacist if you drink it often.
  • Good to know: The juice stains clothes and counters. Break the fruit apart in a bowl of water to free the arils without splatter.

Pets: Not considered seriously toxic, but the tannin-rich peel and large amounts of arils can cause vomiting and diarrhea in dogs. Keep pets away from the bark and roots.

How to eat and enjoy pomegranate

  • Arils on salads, yogurt and oatmeal
  • Fresh juice
  • Pomegranate molasses in Middle Eastern dishes like muhammara and fesenjan
  • Chiles en nogada (Mexico)
  • Grenadine, which was first made from pomegranate

When it's ripe

Pomegranates don't ripen after picking. Pick when the skin reaches full color for the cultivar, the sides flatten slightly, and the fruit sounds metallic when tapped. Clip; don't pull. Pick before heavy rain, which splits ripe fruit.

Storing it

Whole fruit keeps about 2 months in the fridge. Arils keep about 5 days refrigerated and freeze well.

Pomegranate varieties (8)

  • Angel Red

    A soft-seeded pomegranate with very juicy red arils that ripens early.

    Origin: California · Taste: Sweet-tart, very juicy · Season: Sep–Oct · Size: Large

    Soft seeds; heavy bearer.

  • Eversweet

    A sweet, low-tart pomegranate with soft seeds and pale juice that barely stains.

    Origin: California · Taste: Sweet, mild · Size: Medium

    Flowers and sets fruit over a long season.

  • Kazake

    A very cold-hardy pomegranate with tart, juicy fruit.

    Origin: Turkmenistan · Taste: Tart · Size: Medium

    Suited to the cold edge of pomegranate country.

  • Parfianka

    A soft-seeded pomegranate with bright red, wine-flavored arils, often ranked among the best-tasting.

    Origin: Turkmenistan · Taste: Sweet-tart, wine-like · Size: Medium to large

    Soft seeds.

  • Red Silk

    A medium-sized, sweet, soft-seeded pomegranate on a compact plant.

    Origin: California · Taste: Sweet, mild · Size: Medium

  • Salavatski

    A cold-hardy pomegranate with large, sweet-tart red fruit.

    Origin: Central Asia · Taste: Sweet-tart · Size: Large

    One of the hardiest pomegranates; a good choice for zone 7.

  • Utah Sweet

    A pink-fleshed, soft-seeded pomegranate with very sweet, low-acid juice.

    Origin: Utah · Taste: Very sweet, low acid · Size: Medium

    Fairly cold-hardy.

  • Wonderful

    The standard commercial pomegranate: big, deep red fruit with dark, tart-sweet juice and firm seeds.

    Origin: California, 1890s · Taste: Tart-sweet, rich · Season: Oct–Nov · Size: Large

    Prone to fruit spot and splitting in humid Florida.

Pests and diseases to watch for

  • Scale insects

    Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

    What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

  • Mealybugs

    White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

    What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

  • Aphids

    Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

    What to do: Spray off with water.

  • Sooty mold

    Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

    What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

  • Spider mites

    Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

    What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.

Growing pomegranates? Let Gardyn keep track.

Gardyn tells you when your pomegranate needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.

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General guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.