Good thing I have avoided Oleander. And Castor Bean plants.

Anyway, my Angel Red has been the ground for two weeks. The buds are just turning into leaves. Probably a long time, if ever, until it fruits.

All parts of the oleander plant are toxic even the flowers. Honey from oleander nectar is also toxic! I have no pets or children so maybe I can worry less.

When I was a child many years ago I ate a toxic plant and immediately there was a severe burning sensation in my mouth. The pain was very very unpleasant but I did not swallow it. This was an experience I will never forget!

Not long after that I inhaled some powdered chlorine at a swimming pool. I could not breath for almost two minutes and nearly fainted. My lungs were burning so bad it felt like fire in my lungs! Fortunately I have no respiratory problems at least not yet.

Damn! Worst I did was pluck a mushroom off the ground and eat it. Did not get sick, hallucinate, or die. Gave my parents a scare though.

Thanks! So far so good. No wilting and the sun has been bright the last few days. Give it another week and I think it will be ok.

I read that in humid climates like Georgia,Florida, Carolina, and gulf coast pomegranates are not very productive. How does high humidity interfere with fruit set? Anyone growing pomegranates in areas with hot humid spring and summers? This pomegranate cultivation should only be a trial in humid areas. I would not plant too many of these plants outside their preferred hot dry climate. It is a very beautiful plant though with pretty foliage and blossoms so even if it is not very fruitful some people may enjoy it as an ornamental.

I am new to pomegranate cultivation so I started off with just one plant and hope for the best outcome.

TRI,

We planted our Wonderful two years ago... And had five very nice fruits last year. The plant is in full bloom now, so we hope to have more this season.

The plant is receiving full sun and is on the same watering schedule as citrus trees, I.e. Once (sometimes twice for very dry and hot months) a week about 1.5 ga.

So, good luck with your pom!

Pomegranates are native of hot dry locations. They do not like being watered a lot.. My Wonderful pomegranate, 5 or 6 years old, 11-ft. by 11 ft. is loaded with fruit. What we can't eat we freeze by removing the aerials placing them on a cookie sheet to freeze, then place them in a plastic bag. We eat them through the winter months. Pomegranates freeze well. -I also drink 6-8-oz. of pure 100 percent pomegranate juice every night before I retire, and have for the last 2-3 years (very high in antioxidants) - Millet (635-)

My pomegranate is growing and healthy at least so I guess that is a good sign. This plant has a long long way to go before fruit production but so far so good.

TRI,

Mine was one year old seedling when I planted it... It got it's first flowers next year and first fruits on the second year from planting. On the other hand, my neighbor got the same plant in the ground the same day... Still no fruits... However, the plant experienced a "dog undigging accident" few months after it successfully rooted. Judjing from my pome, they grow really fast. You should have fruits in a few years.

Good luck!

Millet,

What do you use to fertilize yours?

Thanks!

After a pomegranate is well established it generally only needs an application of fertilizer on an annual basis. I fertilize in the spring with a 25-5-15 W/trace minerals. If you have compost available I'm sure the tree would also like a couple of applications per year. In my greenhouse, even though it is a warm climate year around the tree is still deciduous, and without leaves for only about a month, then puts on a new coat of leaves and blooms. Good luck with your tree. - Millet (634-)

Today I pruned two trees. One had branches shading my pomegranate so I used a 30 foot pole saw to remove branches about 25 feet above ground! Using a 30 foot pole saw is very labor intensive and heavy work especially for such high branches and the sun shining in my eyes. My upper back muscles are real sore and tomorrow morning I may not even be able to do the bench press or dead lifts exercise ! The hardest part is lifting the pole saw to the branches above ground and sometimes small twigs get in the way which makes it even more difficult. Fortunately no branches fell on houses but one smaller branch fell on my Meyer lemon tree and broke two small twigs one with 3 small fruits. It did not suffer any significant damage though and the loss of only 3 fruits is not very large compared to about 400 to 500 fruits still on the tree. It has been very hot and humid here enough to cause a bad headache and the very intense sunlight a sunburn although it is not very severe.

Charles, here is a good link by the California Rare Fruit Growers site on the cultivation of pomegranates. http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pomegranate.html

By the way Florida and the deep South, along with California are considered to be the best areas for growing pomegranates. - Millet (633-)