Pomegranate care calendar — zone 9

The year at a glance

1. January

   • Dormant pruningPrune · Jan 17 – Feb 7

     Prune pomegranates while dormant in late winter, before growth resumes. They are naturally multi-stemmed shrubs; select a few strong trunks or an open framework and remove dead and crossing wood. Fruit forms on short spurs on two- to three-year-old wood, so avoid removing all older growth.

2. February

   • Bloom & fruit-set awarenessNote · Feb 28 – Feb 28

     Pomegranates bloom over a long period from late spring into summer; most named varieties are self-fruitful, though bee activity improves set. Bees are active during bloom. Awareness/timing only.

3. April

   • Sucker removalPrune · Apr 1 – Aug 31

     Pomegranates sucker freely from the base through the growing season. Remove unwanted suckers as they appear to keep the chosen trunks or shrub form open, unless you are deliberately renewing stems.

4. August

   • Fruit-split awarenessCare · Aug 1 – Sep 30

     As fruit matures, uneven watering and rain after dry spells can cause the rind to split. Extension guidance is to keep soil moisture even through fruit development to reduce splitting. Awareness/timing only.

5. September

   • Harvest windowHarvest · Sep 1 – Nov 30

     Pomegranates ripen in fall and do NOT continue to ripen off the tree, so pick at full maturity: deep rind color for the variety, a slightly flattened (non-round) shape, and a metallic sound when tapped. Cut, don't pull, to avoid tearing.

Other zones and species

• Pomegranate — zone 4
• Pomegranate — zone 5
• Pomegranate — zone 6
• Pomegranate — zone 7
• Pomegranate — zone 8
• All calendars
• Pomegranates variety catalog