Q.
This is my first year growing pomegranates. I harvested three. The first two I
picked too early because the skin broke and I didn’t want something to go after
them. I expected them to be red inside. They weren’t. They were an off-white
color but they do taste good and sweet. Did I pick them to green?
A. The best time to pick pomegranates are when they are sweet. We use visual indicators or a calendar to tell us when they are ripe. These visual indicators include fruit splitting. However, they can split early if they get irregular irrigations or after a rain.
There are varieties of pomegranates which ripen in September and others we are more familiar with, like Wonderful, don’t ripen until about Halloween.
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| Ambrosia pomegranate |
Some varieties like Utah Sweet don’t get red inside. They are the color you are describing but they are sweet. Others, like Wonderful, will be bright red inside.
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| Pomegranates come in a wide variety of colors |
You were right in picking when the fruit
splits. Even if it’s too early they will get destroyed by vermin or disease once
they split. By picking it you prevented vermin from getting the arils or seeds.
Great job! Mark your calendar for next year’s harvest.
I'm down in Tucson and also have a pom that produces white seeded fruit. The outside had a mature color so I picked one and cut it open, It had pale white seeds & my first thought was I picked too soon. I then noticed the seeds being plump and were easily seperated from their membrane. I took a chance expecting extreme pucker but was surprised by a sweet taste.
ReplyDeleteThe same. Tree is first year with me but home depot listed as 18 mo "wonderful" strain. Picked when fruit split 10/26/2020. Looks exactly like picture above. Is sweet but not as juicy as store bought. Am in california low desert (palm springs area). The new tree had 2 Poms, both split, both this color. They absolutely release rails with the ease of store poms. Glad I am not the only one puzzled. Thanks.
DeleteIf the rind split and the arils (seed) is white and it tastes sweet then it was mislabeled. Wonderful variety will not ripen for another few weeks (around Halloween)and not split unless there is a rain or watered wildly. even then it wont be sweet. Even when Wonderful is ripe its not sweet. It is puckery.
DeleteMine too. I was shocked. Just bought this house. The pom was huge and red. Starting to split. Cut it open and the inside looked like hundreds of pearls. But they are sweet. There are 4 trees. I wonder what the others will be!
ReplyDeleteSounds like Utah Sweet probably. It actually ripens a bit earlier than Wonderful but is sweeter, has whitish/red or pink arils on the inside and the seed is soft and can be chewed and swallowed.
DeleteMy pomegranate seeds were dark red last year this year they are almost white same tree
ReplyDelete