Dwarf Pomegranate

Mulki

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Have a question regarding Dwarf Pomegranate that I have in training. The upper branches of mine died off but the trunk is still alive all the way up to the top. The ONLY branches now coming off the tree are suckers at the base. If I cut back the suckers, will that encourage budding higher up on the trunk? I’m concerned that cutting off all the branches will kill the tree before new buds set in. The suckers are growing vigorously, so I think the tree is overall healthy, just with no branches growing above the base. Any advice is much appreciated!
 

sorce

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A "live" trunk to the human eye doesn't always mean live live.

Welcome to Crazy!

I wouldn't cut it.

I also wouldn't use an extreme sucker producer for bonsai. But that's just me.

Sorce
 

sorce

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Truth....I don't think that is an extreme sucker producer...I think it is dead up there.

Sorce
 

Mulki

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I did a scratch test up top and it came off as bright green. The top branches wilted b/c my wife (don't worry, she doesn't read this!) accidentally sprayed those branches with dish soap in an attempt to get rid of spotted lantern fly nymphs that have infested the neighborhood. The leaves up top wilted, and I cut off the branches close to the trunk about two weeks ago. IF the top isn't dead, do you think that cutting off the suckers will do any harm? My way of thinking is that if the top IS dead, cutting the suckers won't leave me worse off than before. Thoughts???
 

Mulki

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8984B39F-DF61-4BF6-86E9-B3B07F3376D6.jpeg
All the greenery is from the suckers; the arrow shows where the upper branches were before the spraying incident.
 

bonhe

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I did a scratch test up top and it came off as bright green. The top branches wilted b/c my wife (don't worry, she doesn't read this!) accidentally sprayed those branches with dish soap in an attempt to get rid of spotted lantern fly nymphs that have infested the neighborhood. The leaves up top wilted, and I cut off the branches close to the trunk about two weeks ago. IF the top isn't dead, do you think that cutting off the suckers will do any harm? My way of thinking is that if the top IS dead, cutting the suckers won't leave me worse off than before. Thoughts???
I think you learned the lesson that one should never use dishwasher soap to spray on pomegranate 😊
The good thing is that the wood is still green. It should be fine for pomegranate.

One thing I learned from pomegranate is that it has “ basal dominance “ instead of apical dominance as conifers . To build the strength for upper part of the tree, I would remove all the suckers at the base now, otherwise the new buds are hardly able to wake up in the upper trunk. After you remove the suckers, you can cover the tree with clear plastic bag (my favorite) to create the humidity around the trunk , which will help the buds waking up.
Good luck to you
Thụ Thoại
 
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I think you learned the lesson that one should never use dishwasher soap to spray on pomegranate 😊
The good thing is that the wood is still green. It should be fine for pomegranate.

One thing I learned from pomegranate is that it has “ basal dominance “ instead of apical dominance as conifers . To build the strength for upper part of the tree, I would remove all the suckers at the base now, otherwise the new buds are hardly able to wake up in the upper trunk. After you remove the suckers, you can cover the tree with clear plastic bag (my favorite) to create the humidity around the trunk , which will help the buds waking up.
Good luck to you
Thụ Thoại

No soap on pomegranates? That's great info, I wasn't aware. I haven't sprayed mine but I have sprayed other plants with a neem and dish soap solution.
 
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