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View Full Version : Has anyone grafted a pomegranate tree?


Shanejennings
06-10-2015, 11:35 AM
Let me start with a brief story regarding my question about grafting a pomegranate tree. October 24, 2014 last fall a customer of mine returned from Tajikistan his home country visiting family. He gave me a call and said he had a gift for me. He said that he brought a pomegranate for me to try. He called it "Dark Red" and said it was the best pomegranate in his country. I agree! The reason he brought it to me was because I told him I was clearing my property off to plant 350 pomegranate trees. I now have about 450 trees and I believe I am the first farm in Alabama to grow pomegranates. He gave me one condition. In order to taste the pomegranate, I had to promise to save some seeds to plant. Happily, I agreed. The next day I was talking with a customer from the country of Jordan. He give me advice on planting pomegranate seed. He said his parents planted the seed with the aril still on it. So I did an experiment. I saved half the seed with the aril & the other with it taken off. True enough, more plants germinated with the aril than without. Then the plants that came up were healthier with the aril still on them. I now have 32 pomegranate plants that are very healthy. I have read that you never know what your going to get when you raise a seedling. I am hoping for a diamond in the ruff like my dad has from a grape seedling he has. Now to the question about grafting pomegranate trees. Has anyone done it and has any advice? The Jordanian man said his parents would grow pomegranate trees from seeds, and go to 3 to 4 neighbors homes to get different tasting varieties off the same tree by grafting them, but he hasn't done it himself. I ask this question about grafting in case some of the seedlings don't turn out. Thanks for your help so I can keep growing pomegranates in Alabama!

kubali
06-10-2015, 03:08 PM
Welcome aboard,
pull up a chair and have some fun learning.

Worm_Farmer
06-16-2015, 02:12 PM
Grafting of pomegranate trees is rarely done in the United States. It is sparsely used in other parts of the world. Many different types of grafts have not been successful enough for use in commercial production. I have not found much information explaining why there is such difficulty getting successful grafts.

Worm_Farmer
06-16-2015, 02:14 PM
nstructions
Cut a 2 1/2 inch long scion with 2 to 3 buds. Make a sloping cut with the knife on both the scion (twig cut from upper tree) and the understock. Choose scion and understock twigs that are 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. A smooth cut assures that the cambium layer of both sections will adhere. Cambium is the layer of cells between the bark and wood where new cells develop. This layer needs to meet for the wood to grow together.

Cut again to form a tongue on the scion. Hold the one-sided slanting cut facing you and support it with your finger. Make a 1/2-inch-long cut downward, parallel with the grain of the wood. Fit both pieces of cut wood together tightly, inserting the pointed end of the understock into the tongue of the scion. Match surfaces together so cambial areas align.

Wrap tightly with grafting tape. Cover the grafted area and 1/2 inch on both ends. Grafting tape is adhesive-backed cloth that disintegrates as the grafted twigs grow together. Wrapping prevents the graft from drying out or becoming insect-infected. Remove tape that has not disintegrated after one month. The scion and understock adhere and new growth begins within a month



Read more : How to Graft a Pomegranate Tree | eHow (http://www.ehow.com/how_7677109_graft-pomegranate-tree.html)

Richard
06-16-2015, 04:11 PM
Pomegranates are much easier to root from cuttings than to graft.

Snarkie
06-17-2015, 12:08 PM
Welcome to the forum, Shane.

Shanejennings
06-18-2015, 05:56 AM
Thank you all for your advice! I agree too that it is easier to root pomegranate trees. Then there are no surprises. My friend who brought me this fresh pomegranate made me promise to grow some from seed. It's very important to keep my word. Now I hope that I do not have to graft any of the 32 pomegranate seedlings, but just in case some are not up to par, I want to be ready to graft. The plants are very healthy looking. Can someone tell me how to post a picture of them using my iPhone?