1. Twice a week about five minutes each time is not too frequent yet not enough.

A newly-planted shrub (I assume yours is at least a five-gallon size) will need a GOOD SOAKING twice a week, maybe even every other day for the first couple of weeks. Sprinklers aren't the best way to water new plants. Build a berm (raised basin) and fill it with water TWICE each time you water.

2. It's coming into fall and the weather is warm and dry. An established plant would show some yellowing now. They're deciduous and they show some nice golden-yellow fall color before the leasves drop completely.

Joe

Joe's advice is good assuming your soil is well drained, one of the requirements for growing a Punica granitum "Nana". I have one started from a four inch pot 15 years ago. It does not always go completely dormant. Some years only about half the leaves, although yellow fall off. It is sited at the edge of a lawn and gets more water than needed from the lawn sprinklers. As long as the soil drains well this is not a problem. The tree has reached its full size at about 6 feet. Al

This is a good discussion. I also planted a new pomegranate tree about three weeks ago. Our zone here is 10 (San Diego). The pomegranate's leaves are starting to turn yellow. I wonder if this is the normal yellowing for a deciduous tree or if there are some pests involved.

Here are some photos:

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It looks like there are clearly some ants. I am new to growing fruit trees, but have read that ants are sometimes a sign of other infestations and that ants can actually encourage other infestations.

Any ideas about what are the little green/brown spheres that seem to interest the ants in the last photo?

Any ideas or suggestions for optimizing the health of this tree?

The little spheres are aphids and they are sucking juices from your plants. You can spray them off with water or use an insecticide to get rid of them.

I'd blast them off with a harsh water spray. No matter if you knock off any leaves before, right now, they're of no value to the tree -- the green is gone.

But I would also make certain that the original rootball is neither wet nor dry, but moist. To determine that, stick your finger into it.

Calibikermonkey,

Knowing how long those plants sometimes languish in pots before some sucker, I mean customer, purchases it, I have to ask: what condition was the root ball in when you planted it? I rarely see one that isn't horribly root-bound.

If you remember seeing a lot of circling roots when you planted it, I would dig it back up and severely root prune the plant before replanting. Most likely, after that treatment it will drop all of it's leaves, but it will recover in the spring and be healthier in the long run for it.

Ryan

Ryan,

Yes, the root ball of the pomegranate tree did have quite a collection of circling roots.

The idea of "root pruning" is very interesting. After reading your post, I looked this up and read more. What technique is your favorite? One recommendation seems to be to make 4 vertical slices each about 1 inch deep into the root ball of a root-bound tree. Is this similar to what you would do?

Don't mistake a "rooted plant" for one that is root-bound.

Roots should be holding the soil together and be visible, but a root-bound plant will generally have a half-inch to an inch or more of roots and no soil will be visible.

Most root bound plants will have an inch or so of solid roots at the bottom of the pot. These I cut off and throw away then make the vertical cuts up the side of the root ball. Al

Help I been finding some black flying insets that are hanging on my pomegranate fruit I do not know if they are respoonsible for putting holes in my fruit or they are just mating and using the rotton fruit for there nest if i can send pictures i will i appericate anyone that can give me advive I only have like 20 good ones left and i like to save them

I live in San Diego (clairemont). My 4 yr old tree has started turning color also. For about a month now. It is still producing flowers. The water this tree receives is from the neighbors sprinkler system.

All of the leaves are bright yellow. We planted it last year from a 5gl pot last speing. It was green and healthy all thruogh the year, until after it sprouted it's leaves this spring. They started to turn yellow. It gets a good soaking 2- days a week. The soil n our lot is a reddish sandstone, could the lack of minerals have an effect on it?