If you dream of growing a pomegranate but live in a cold climate, you can still grow these juicy fruits at home. All you have to do is plant them in a container! Join farmer Briana Yablonski to learn how to successfully grow pomegranates in pots. Have you ever thought of growing a pomegranate at home? While these unique, aril-filled fruits may seem impossible to produce at home, they’re actually quite easy to grow. However, gardeners in cold climates often remove pomegranates from their plant wish list when they realize they can’t survive cold temperatures. However, before you assume below-zero temperatures mean you can’t grow these plants at home, note that you can grow them in containers! Planting the trees in pots allows you to move them indoors during the winter to protect them from cold. Plus, containers make moving your pomegranate from one home to the next easy. Much of the care for potted plants is similar to in-ground pomegranates. However, you also need to be aware of factors like the ideal container size and potting soil, as well as differences in water requirements. Following these steps will help you grow a healthy pomegranate tree in a container. Select a Large Container Although pomegranate trees can happily grow in pots, they won’t grow well in small containers. The plants may survive for a year or two, but they’ll experience stunted growth and a lack of flowers. Therefore, it’s important to select a pot that gives the roots room to expand and flourish. While you may be tempted to choose a smaller container and repot your plant as it grows, it’s better to start with a big container. Repotting is an inherently stressful process, so it’s best to avoid it if you can. Plus, why purchase three different sizes of pots when you can get away with buying just one? Look for a container that’s at least 10 gallons. The container material isn’t too important, and plastic, terra cotta, and glazed ceramic can all work well. However, before you select a container, make sure the bottom contains drainage holes. If you live in hardiness zone 7 and below, you should plan on moving your pomegranate to a protected area during the winter. However, this is often easier than it sounds! When you start with a 50-pound ceramic container and fill it with potting mix, your potted pomegranate can easily weigh over a hundred pounds! Choosing a lighter container or placing the pot on wheels can make moving your plant more manageable. Fill With a Well-Draining Potting Mix After you’ve found a suitable container, it’s time to fill it with soil. You shouldn’t use native soil since this can lead to issues with drainage. However, you should also stay away from seed-starting mixes and those designed for vegetative houseplants. Instead, look for a specially formulated potting mix designed for trees and shrubs. These mixes are similar to those that work well for raised beds. Good mixes often contain nutrient-rich compost, peat moss or coco coir, and drainage materials like perlite, sand, or pine bark fines. Once you have a suitable mix, I recommend pouring it out into a large container and thoroughly mixing it with a shovel or your hands. Store-bought mixes often contain large clumps of peat moss or compost, and a good stir ensures a homogeneous mixture. Slowly add water as you mix until it is slightly moist but not damp. Add Your Plant to the Container Fill your container about two-thirds of the way with the potting mix. Remove your pomegranate tree from its current container and gently shake off any loose soil from the plant’s roots. You should also inspect the roots and remove any rotten or discolored portions. Place the plant in the new container so the top of the plant’s root ball is even with the soil line. Avoid burying it too deep since this can lead to problems with rot and growth. Once the plant is in the right place, add more fresh potting soil to fill in the remaining empty spaces. Gently compact the soil with your hands to remove any air pockets. Finally, slowly add water until it is moist. If the soil lowers after you add water, add more to ensure there’s an even layer in the container. Place in a Suitable Location After your pomegranate tree is tucked into its container, it’s time to place it in a location where it receives the proper amount of light. These plants require at least six hours of daily light, but they prefer much more. If they don’t receive enough light, they may become weak and stunted and/or fail to produce flowers and fruit. If your plant is outdoors, choose an open area with full sun. Alternatively, you can place the container on the south-facing side of a building, hedge, or fence. Indoor plants should also receive at least six hours of light, so choose a bright area. Typically, the area next to a south-facing window works well. However, you can also place the potted plant in a sunroom or other room with lots of windows. If you don’t have a bright enough area, use a grow light to provide supplemental lighting. Water Regularly You may have heard that pomegranates trees are drought-tolerant, and while this is true, they can’t survive long periods in a container without water. The best way to keep these plants happy is to allow the soil to dry out slightly, but not all the way, between waterings. When irrigating, it’s important to remember the difference in water needs between potted and in-ground plants. Since the sides of the container are exposed to the air, the soil heats up quicker, and water evaporates faster. Therefore, you’ll need to water your potted plants more often than those growing in the ground. The frequency you need to water your plants depends on factors including sun exposure, temperature, soil type, and container material. However, a good starting point is to water your potted pomegranate one to two times per week. Checking the soil with your fingers is a good way to determine whether or not you should water your plant more often. When the top three to four inches of soil is dry, you should water again. When you irrigate, water slowly to thoroughly soak all of the soil. You can water by hand with a hose or watering can, or you can set up drippers on a timer. Try to keep the foliage dry to prevent fungal diseases. Fertilize Regularly But Sparingly Pomegranate trees aren’t heavy feeders, so you don’t have to supply them with a large dose of fertilizer to keep them happy in a container. However, if you skip fertilizing entirely, the plants will begin to show signs of nutrient deficiencies. This is especially true with potted plants. If you use a nutrient-rich potting mix, you shouldn’t have to fertilize your plant in the first year. However, plan to start adding a balanced fertilizer in year two. An appropriate fertilizer will have an equal amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, so look for a product with an NPK ratio like 8-8-8 or 10-10-10. Add the fertilizer to your plant once per year in the late spring or early summer. Most organic fertilizers slowly release their nutrients over time, so a single annual application is enough to keep your plant happy. Avoid applying too much fertilizer since excess nutrients can be just as big of an issue as too few nutrients. Keep An Eye on the Temperature Pomegranate plants are more cold-hardy than many people think, but they still can’t tolerate extreme cold. Most pomegranate varieties grow best in zones 8-11 and will become damaged if exposed to temperatures below 10°F (-12°C). Therefore, you should aim to move your plant to a protected area once the temperature begins to drop below freezing. Fortunately, most pomegranates don’t require many chilling hours to produce fruit. That means you can bring the plants indoors during the fall without worrying about a lack of cold interfering with their fruit production. If you bring your plants indoors, you can place them in either a cool area like a covered porch or garage or a warm area like your living room. However, unless you’re dealing with a snap freeze, you should avoid moving them from a cold area immediately to a warm area. Instead, let them slowly acclimate to their new home by gradually increasing the time they spend in a warm place. When the danger of frost has disappeared in the spring, you can move the plants back outdoors. Aim to move them outdoors for a few hours one day, then a few more hours the next day. This slow introduction will help the plants adapt to the cooler air and brighter light.

‘Black Tartarian’ is a popular large cherry tree that produces luscious dark red, almost black, sweet cherries in summer. This old variety has been around and is tried and tested for a good performance in the garden. It’s a popular choice for commercial growers, so you know it would be a good choice for a home garden. Here, gardening expert Wendy Moulton establishes the best conditions to get the best out of this tree. This variety is one of the first cherries to flower and then fruit, and it is one of the easiest to grow in a home garden. ‘Black Tartarian’ grows big and strong and produces abundant fruit with a lovely sweet taste during cherry season. It’s also a beautiful ornamental tree that features a neat pyramid shape with dark green leaves that turn vibrant red and orange in the fall. This tree requires another to pollinate, so prepare for an abundant cherry season. Here, I’ll share what you need to know to grow a healthy and high-yielding ‘Black Tartarian’ cherry tree. What Is It? Prunus avium ‘Black Tartarian’ is an heirloom cultivar from Russia that came to England in the 1700s. It was originally called ‘Ronald’s Large Black Heart’ after Hugh Ronalds, who was instrumental in bringing the tree to England. In the 1800s, it came to America, where it became a popular commercial choice for its vigorous growth and abundant yields of dark red to black cherries. Native Area This heirloom cherry originates from Circassia, a region named Caucasus after the mountain range of the same name. This region is now part of Russia. Prunus avium, also known as wild cherry, sweet cherry, or bird cherry, originated in Europe, Asia, and North Africa and became naturalized in North America. These are the varieties we know as sweet cherries, as opposed to the sour cherry varieties, Prunus cerasus. Characteristics ‘Black Tartarian’ is an excellent pollinator variety for other cherries, but it also needs pollinating itself to produce fruit. The best trees to plant with this variety include ‘Bing’, ‘Lapins’, ‘Van’ or ’Stella’, ‘Coral’, ‘Napolean’, and ‘Rainer’. This popular variety has dark green leaves that turn red and orange in the fall, fragrant white flowers in the spring, and beautiful dark fruits in clusters in the summer. Planting Get the planting right, and you will be halfway to a bumper harvest of juicy cherries in the summer. Plant in autumn to settle the trees in the ground over winter and spring into bloom, or plant in spring for harvesting the next season. Make sure you have enough space for a ‘Black Tartarian’ and another variety of cherry tree for pollination. This is a large tree that needs at least 30 feet to grow to maturity. Before you begin, make sure there are no other plants or structures that will impede its growth. Also, ensure it’s in the full sun most of the day. The sun needs to get into the tree for it to set fruit. Dig a hole at least twice the width and at the same depth as the root ball. Add the tree and make sure it’s straight before backfilling. Plant the tree so the graft union is two to three inches above the soil. As you add the soil, tamp down to remove any air pockets. This prevents any infections from getting to the roots. Make a basin around the tree to help direct water to the roots and give the tree a good watering. Add a layer of mulch to the whole area, at least three inches away from the trunk.

The interspecific pluot tree is a hybrid of plums and apricots that produces juicy, delicious fruit. Floyd Zaiger developed this fruit tree in the US. Sarah Jay will share our tips on growing pluots at home. If you love the taste of plums and apricots, you may be thrilled to know there is such a thing as a pluot tree. Pluots are a hybrid of plums and apricot fruit trees that were developed by Floyd Zaiger, a renowned botanist. By crossing other hybrids and hand pollinating various fruit trees, Floyd brought the pluot into existence. Thanks to Floyd, you can practice gardening pluots in their gardens. Many people eagerly await pluot season to enjoy ‘Flavor King’, ‘Flavor Supreme’, ‘Flavor Queen’, or semi-dwarf ‘Dapple Dandy’ pluot. Most commonly, pluots are grown in areas that have distinct winters, but you will probably find the fruit of pluots in stores while they’re in season. If you want to have the incredible sweetness of pluots in the early summer, keep reading! Pluots are exceptional, but require the same care as a plum tree. If you have experience with different types of plum trees, you know you can tackle caring for pluot trees. Even with no experience, it’s possible to grow one to fruition. What is The Pluot Tree? Pluots grow much like plums, on small trees that reach 16 to 36 feet tall and spread up to 10 feet wide without pruning. They are perennials with shallow roots. Characteristics Pluots have oblong green leaves with a pointed tip, while some varieties have purple leaves. In the spring season, clusters of flower buds sprout from tree branches. Then, attractive pink to white four-petaled flowers bloom. In three to four months, trees set fruit in the fall season. Most pluots don’t produce until the third or fourth year of growth, so those who choose to grow them in their garden should know they are in for the long haul. Pluots do not self-pollinate, and most varieties need a second tree to produce fruit in late summer. Choose trees that have a pollination match for what you want to produce. For instance, a ‘Flavor Grenade’ pollinates with another ‘Flavor Grenade’. Alternately, grow a ‘Flavor Grenade’ with its direct ancestor, ‘Inca Plum’, because it is successful in cross-pollination with the “child” variety. ‘Santa Rosa’ plum plants cross-pollinate with certain pluots as well. With these, you’ll need to grow two trees at once or grow a multi-grafted tree of four varieties that will automatically self-pollinate. Today, pluots in season are popular at farmer’s markets and grocery stores. The fruit is about the size of a large apricot fruit, plum-like, and has smooth skin. Depending on the variety, the flesh of the fruit is red to yellow. The skin is dark purple, red, or yellow. There are many variations. The taste and flavor of the fruits are intensely sweet and somewhat tangy. People enjoy them fresh, in jams and jellies, and in cobblers and pies during their season. Interspecific Fruit The pluot tree is a member of the Prunus genus, hybridized from two other Prunus species. Other fun hybrids include plumcots, apriums, and apriplums. Floyd Zaiger, a famous botanist who specialized in hand-pollinating and hybridizing stone fruit, crossed a plumcot with a Japanese plum. And voila! We have the delectable pluot with its apricot-tinged, plumlike flesh, and sweet taste. Varieties include ‘Flavor King’, ‘Flavor Queen’, and ‘Flavor Supreme’ which are all remarkable. We also owe our appreciation to him for the semi-dwarf ‘Dapple Dandy’ pluots, which are immensely popular. Other varieties, such as ‘Splash’ pluots, feature yellow skin and a delightful flavor. Many people specifically seek out ‘Splash’ pluots for their use in desserts. Pluots are just one of many interspecific fruits or hybrids of different fruit tree species. In this case, we’re talking about the stone fruit type, or cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots. Plumcots are a direct mix of an apricot tree and a Japanese plum tree. Japanese plum is often used as the rootstock for grafts of pluot branches as a result, as it’s a well-established species and is resilient to a lot of problems plums and pluots often suffer. Pluots are more plum-dominant than plumcots. Some pluerries are a hybrid of ‘Burgundy’ plum or ‘Santa Rosa’ plums and cherry trees, as ‘Santa Rosa’ plum trees are known for their sweet and slightly tart flavor. There are many other blends, such as nectaplums, peachcots, and so on. In fact, there are trees that have branches grafted from many different hybridized species to create self-fruitful “fruit cocktail” style trees! The key to hybridizing is to include both grafting and hand-pollination, techniques that enabled Floyd Zaiger to create the pluot varieties we know and love today. And, going forward, new varieties will continue to appear! Planting Once you’ve located and acquired bare root fruit trees from a nursery, select a site that is in full sun with well-draining soil. Set your trees in the late winter season or early spring season during dormancy. Ensure the space is out of high winds. Space trees at least 18 feet apart. Soak the root zone of the trees in water for one to two hours before planting. Dig a hole 18 inches deep and wide, breaking up any compacted soil in the process. Prune the trees back to 30 inches tall at planting, focusing on cutting side branches back to three to four buds. Place the tree in the hole so the root zone sits naturally with the bud union two inches above the soil. Fill the soil back into the hole, tamping it down as you go to remove any air pockets. Water in the newly planted trees, and ensure the bud union is still two inches above the ground. Mound the soil around the base and add a few inches of mulch, with space between it and the trunk.