Does anyone grow these things?

I know they're pomegranates, but that's all I know. I need help.

i would help you eat them when they are ripe-yummmy
dont grow them here in MIch. wish we could did i say YUUMMMMY

not~

If you're NOT martha-- then who are you?

Anyhow -- I know they're delicious -- and are very good for you -- but that's all. I just want to know whether I should be doing something besides waiting.

I'm growing a type developed for Florida. I grow a lot of tropical fruits but this is new to me. I had them outside in full sun (containers) and they really couldn't handle the florida heat/sun. I then place them under shade cloth, light 40% and they do much better. The get good morning sun but shade late afternon when the sun is blistering.

I also added aqua rocks, a polymar to help keep mositure at the roots. It seems to do better with lots of water.

Tams~

Mine are in the ground, on the southwest side of my house. So far, one has five fruits and the other, two, There are still buds on the plants, so maybe more will set. They get irrigated once a week, so that's it. I'll let you know how they come out. If they look underwatered, I'll take your advice and add "aqua-rocks." But, thanks for your interest.

FlyboyFL: When we bought our property twelve years ago there were about eight pomegranate bushes here. We still have them and they produce every year. Some years better than others. They are on the east side of our property but get full sun all day long. We don't irrigate and only fertilize once in a while. They seem to produce better the years we don't prune them back, but they tend to get pretty wispy after a few years and we prefer the plants to be more compact. Our fruit is usually ready to pick around August, but other varieties may be different. I have a book: Growing and Using Exotic Foods by Marian Van Atta that has a page or two about them. If you have a specific question I could look it up for you. Margaret

veggie~

Margaret:

I was concerned about whether they self-pollinate -- --- and evidently they do. We get only about one in twenty blossoms to start fruit. I just hate to see them fatten up, and then drop. But, I guess the trees are just pacing themselves. It's interesting how the stems of the fruit thicken up for strength.

Mine are still pretty wispy, but seven feet tall. I wonder whether I should top them off and let them thicken.

Do yours look like bushes, or trees? Mine are slim, multi-stem bushes.

Brad

Brad - I wouldn't prune them now if you want fruit this year. Most of mine were pruned down last year after we picked the fruit, so they are denser. They also didn't produce many flowers this year. The couple that escaped pruning are wispy and have many more flowers/fruit on them. The book I was mentioning does say they can be pruned into a tree form but left to themselves they'll be more bush like. Margaret

veggie~

Margaret:

What you say certainly makes sense. How far North is Windemere? And did the fruit taste good? And how big were they when you picked them?

Brad

Brad, We're in Southwest Orange County, which is considered Central Florida. To give you an idea of our location, we can see Disney's fireworks over the lake in our neighborhood. The fruit is almost always sweet, although some years are better than others (as with any fruit). The fruit is about four inches in diameter. Margaret

veggie~

Margaret:

I guess we're a little more South -- but on the water. So, we must be about the same. I hope mine get a little larger, or else I won't get to taste them. We are up North until mid-October, and except for an occasional mid-summer visit, we'll be not seeing these fruit for awhile. They are already bigger than golf balls. (Someone may get to enjoy them.)

Brad

Brad: If my memory is correct, we usually harvested our first fruits in August with others staying on the plant for quite a while. My book mentions "fruit harvest in November", so you may be ok if you get back mid-October. The book also states that the fruit will last for several weeks at room temperature with flavor improving with storage. My fruit are much smaller than golf balls right now so you're way ahead of me. Keep me posted! Margaret

veggie~

Margaret:

There may be gaps, but you'll know soon after I do. I'll post photos of my trees tomorrow. It may sounds suspicious to strangers reading this -- but would you show me yours?

Brad

Brad, I'd be happy to take some photos, but it might be a couple of days before I can get to it. I have company and a dog that may deliver pups any day so I'm kind of busy preparing for that. I'll get shots of both the unpruned and pruned for you to compare. Margaret

veggie~

Margaret:

Golly. You need a helper. Take your time -- after all, I'm on vacation. And good luck with your mid-wifery.

Brad

Thanks Brad. My thirteen year old daughter is a big help and my nine year old son helps as much as can be expected. We adopted this little blessing a little over a month ago. She's a Dachshund/Chihuahua mix. The day we got her we took her to the vet and it turns out she has heartworm. We started treatment for that, but then we found out she's pregnant!!! We know nothing about whelping since we neutered our other two rescues. It's turned out to be a good learning experience and a blessing for all of us. Due to the mother's health and all the unknowns about the puppies we're praying that it would end up being a heart breaking experience.

I am headed out to the yard in a little while, I'll try to remember to take the camera with me. Margaret

veggie~

Margaret:

Hope your "little blessing" was friends with someone her own size. And I think you omitted the word "not" before "being" in the last sentence in the first paragraph. If so, I'm with you!

I'm stringing out photos of my two pomegranate trees.

First tree:

Its solitary fruit (at top of tree)

Second tree

One of its three fruits (at the bottom, left)

Brad, The fruit looks beautiful. I don't know if it's your variety or location, but your plants are way ahead of mine. I got a couple of pictures but I'll be out all day today. I'll try to post them tonight or tomorrow. Margaret

Brad, Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you, but things have been crazy around here. This is a picture of one of our pruned plants. Even in a good year, our fruit wouldn't be as large as yours, but this year we're not expecting much due to the damage from the hurricanes and our pruning. Margaret

Brad, here's our unpruned plant. You can see it's pretty wispy. Mine get like that if they haven't been pruned for a few years, but they seem to produce more fruit. This year I believe will be an exception since we didn't have many flowers and the plant lost many of its leaves. I'm not sure if the loss of leaves is a result of the damage from the hurricanes or something else. I haven't tried to figure out what's going on with it because most of my energy is going into my veggie garden right now. I'm kind of letting everything else exist with benign neglect. Margaret

Margaret:

Now I feel better. Mine looks like yours, but even wispier. But it is younger. It's amazing how the few fruits that have taken, have already had their stems enlarged and strengthened.. A couple of fruits at the ends of branches have already bowed their branches so they look like rainbows.

I never did get into veggies -- I have so little open land that's not already filled. I tried tomatoes, once, but the varmints got them. I had been enjoying my figs, but now I'm back up North, waiting for the two fig trees I transported to fill out. They do already have fruit, but tiny ones. Hope they like it here.

Be well

Brad

Brad, It is amazing how the thin branches can support the large fruit, but our best years have been the years the plants were the "whispiest". We've got about four old fig trees that are doing quite well this year - lots of fruit.

I'm new to veggie gardening. For years I belonged to a CSA (community supported agriculture) and didn't have to worry about fresh vegetables other than making a trip to the farm once a week for my basket, but after the hurricanes that changed. The farm decided to stick to their commercial business and give up the CSA and we lost enough trees to give us light for some beds. I started with traditional row gardening in November, but am now transitioning to raised beds. Things have gone very well, but of course we haven't hit the dog days yet. I don't plan on starting much during June or July, preferring to put my energy into planning my fall garden which I'll start some seeds in August. Margaret

Margaret:

My vegetable problem lies in the fact that we are in Florida only from mid-October through mid-May. We may visit during July, but that is, at best, iffy So, the only veggie I grow is arugula (and herbs - of course) -- because of the short time it takes to ripen. Anyhow, while we're in FL, the farmer's markets are available.

Here, in New Jersey, we mark time until the sweet corn and tomatoes hit the farm stands. Can't beat them.

Brad

Brad, I agree, Farmer's Markets are the way to go if you can't grow your own. Keep me posted on the pomegranates when you get back to Florida. Margaret

Margaret:

Keep cool. Be well.

Brad

Margaret,
How is mother & puppies doing?
I just read your post & it touched my heart-I pray everthing is alright.
Sorry Brad-didn't mean to jump into your threat but when I read about Margaret's doggies-my heart flipped.

Christmascactus - Thanks for asking about the pups. Five were born late May 19th with the last one early May 20th. Start to finish it was about two hours, but the mom and pups are doing fine. We had a few challenges that we've overcome: The mom wouldn't eat and was vomiting, but we finally figured out that she didn't like the calcium supplement that the vet recommended and also she wanted to go back to her adult dry food. When we found out she was pregnant we had switched her to a dry puppy food (Eukanuba) and she liked that all during her pregnancy. When she refused that after the pups were born we were advised to try a canned food. She loved that for a day or two but then she refused that and the dry puppy so we went back to dry adult and she's eating up a storm. During this whole food changing time we also had to deal with isolating the calcium supplement as being the cause of her vomiting. She's filling out, the pups are growing, etc.

The other issue we had last week was that it seemed like she was rejecting one of the pups. She would put the one in her mouth, walk around with it and then drop it out of the whelping area. We took the pup away for a while because we feared for it. To make a long story short she did take the pup back to nurse while we gave her (the mom) lots of affection. When it seems like she's getting overwhelmed we'll put the three largest pups aside (still in the whelping area or we'll hold them) and just let the mom nurse the three smallest. We're giving the mom lots and lots of cuddles, affection and praise and it seems, along with the food, to be building her up.

I'm sure we'll have other challenges as the pups grow, but we're committed seeing that they get a good/healthy start in life and good/loving homes at the appropriate time.

They've all opened their eyes and are much more active. One or two almost seem like they want to try and stand when they're scooting around.

For those of you reading this that don't know, we only adopted this little dachsund/chihuahua on April 8th. We took her to our vet for an initial exam and found out she had heartworm. After additional testing we determined that it wasn't too far along so she had a good chance of surviving the heartworm treatment. We did one treatment and were waiting the thirty days to do the two back to back treatments when her belly and nipples started to get bigger. Well...it didn't take long before we were sure and an xray confirmed that she had six pups. Two days after the xray she gave birth.

On a very sad note, within twelve hours of the first pup being born, our old time canine pal, Rex died of an inoperable tumor. He had been his usual self the day before, but the morning after the pups were born he got sick. We rushed him to the vet and after tests, xrays and emergency surgery they found the tumor, but it was inoperable and we lost him. We'd had him eleven years and he was the sweetest dog you could imagine. So we've been grieving for him in the midst of the joy and caring for the pups. I guess this has gone on long enough, but thanks for your prayers. Margaret

Maragret,
I am so very sorry to hear about Rex-my heart is broken for you,I know your pain & wish I could say something that would take away your pain.
When I read about Rex,it really blew me away-the samething happen to our Rosie(Boykin Spaniel) she was 11 years old.She had started having seizures & we took her to several different vets before,we found out she had a brain tumor.We were told-she may or may not have a chance with surgery but it didn't look good at all & that she could die during the surgery-I think they knew it was inoperable at that time but didn't want to come out & just say it-just that it wasn't good.Back home my husband & I had just about made our minds up to take Rosie,to the veterinary hospital school in Ga.,when Rosie had started having a very bad seizure,the worst that she had ever had before,so by the time we got her to a vet,she had had 13 seizures,they knew we were coming & the vet was ready when we got there (the vet was 15 miles away)-this was the longest trip in our lives.We knew what we were going to have to do.But I left the decision up to my husband because Rosie was his heart & he was Rosie's heart.She loved me & I loved her very much but she was defintiely,his dog-a daddy's girl.So we had her put down & believe me it was like taking our very own child(which she was) away from us-it tore our hearts out.
Please keep us up today on mama & babies.
Blessings,
Colie

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This message was edited Jun 8, 2005 10:44 PM

Thanks Colie. I'm so sorry to hear about Rosie and your husband. I know the heartbreak of losing a pet, but can't imagine losing my husband. I think you're right, they're together right now and some day you'll see them both again. Margaret

Thanks Margaret,I believe that with all my heart.

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This message was edited Jun 8, 2005 10:48 PM

christmas~

I wept for you as I saw your story unfold. But it's good to talk (write) about it. It pushes the horror of that dreadful separation out of your mind and allows you to occupy yourself with pleasant thoughts of how it was in your former togetherness.

No one gets off of this world alive. Separation is inevitable. But hope that there is something valid in all the talks about a hereafter. Talk does heal.

Thank you & Bless you,Brad.

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This message was edited Jun 8, 2005 10:50 PM

christmas~

My wife and I are still going through a similar tragedy to yours. It's been five years -- but still vivid in our psyche. Don't expect yopur feelings to just disappear -- that's not the way it works. But, little by little, things will become easier. Not EASY -- by a long shot, but easier.

First there comes a day when you forget the pain for a few minutes. Enjoy it.

Then for a few hours. Enjoy it.

Medication helps. There are pills like zantac and zoloft, which your doctor might prescribe. Use them. It's no sign of weakness. And look to your children for support. That'll help.

But, don't get bugged when your friends say, "I know how you feel." That's BS. No one knows how you feel, but they're trying.

Be well.

Thanks Brad for caring.

Hey, christmas~

Everyone cares. It's tough to express it.

signed: Sleepless near Secaucus

:)