Large Percentage of Pomegranate Fruit Comes from Older, Larger Wood

Q. I need some help.  I planted a pomegranate tree about three years ago. The tree looks great and there are always lots of fruit. The problem is that by the time the fruit gets up to about 2" in size they are splitting open.  Can't figure out the reason and I am yet to harvest a good pomegranate.  It gets full sunshine in summer and water 3-4 times a week. Any suggestions?

A. Are the arils (pulp) sweet? Maybe it is ready to harvest.

            First of all, the fruit should be larger than that. The fruit should get larger as it gets older and the tree is pruned correctly. A high percentage of small fruit is produced on smaller branches.  The number of large fruit is more as the tree gets larger. A higher percentage of larger fruit will come from the larger branches. That's the reason for getting rid of the much smaller suckers. Get rid of the suckers at the bottom of the tree and force production on to about 5 or 6 main limbs that you keep. The best and larger fruit are produced on older wood. Small fruit are produced on young and smaller wood. I think the reason why some California growers prune toward only one large central trunk is that the fruit collected from it gets larger earlier. 

Pomegranate pruned into a tree shape instead of a bush.

            If the fruit is green when it splits, the same is true. The tree was not getting enough water as the fruit was getting larger. The fruit starts to become red, or red or white, or red and white when it starts into its last ripening phase.

Yellow pomegranate brought to me in Tajikistan.

            Fruit splitting is oftentimes a harvesting problem. Taste the seeds inside (called the arils) and see if they are sweet or ‘as expected”. There is a wide variation in flavor so don’t be surprised if the fruit taste is “puckery”. If the arils are sweet or “as expected”, it might be ready to harvest. Pomegranates are ready to harvest, depending on the variety, from September (‘Utah Sweet’) until early December (‘Wonderful’). The fruit should not crack unless they are past their harvest time.

Young fruit still green and developing. It is several weeks away from harvest and sweet.

            If the fruit are splitting before they are ready to harvest (not sweet yet but getting there) then it is a watering issue. Just like melons, as the rind sets up for harvest (sugars are accumulating) watering becomes critical. Watering when the rind gets hard (and it doesn’t need it) will split the fruit.

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Pomegranate rind split and ready for harvest. Probably 'Wonderful'.