Pomegranate - Chilling Hours, Potential Problems?

Kellogg-Briand · Joined: 08 Mar 2013 Posts: 24 Location: Phoenix - Zone 10a

Quick Update: This is my Wonderful Pomegranate's sixth season in the ground. The foliage grows rapidly and is already very dense; however, once again, I only have three blooms. Other gardeners report over a hundred with younger plants. I fertilize the plant on a citrus schedule with basic Miracle Grow and the plant is irrigated. Also, the soil is a fifty-fifty mixture of native soil and palm cactus mix. I have no idea what is happening outside my theory of insufficient chilling hours. Any suggestions?

Thank you Sardonic 007 for submitting the website information for chilling hours in Phoenix.

First, I guess I should ask if sporadic flowering and fruiting year round can be caused by a lack of appropriate chilling hours? Or is something else more likely?

400 chilling hours for the Phoenix area seems odd. December, January, and February are the only months that have potential lows below 45 degrees outside of a freak day or two. During this time, at least for me, the lows are about 47-48 degrees. This January was an exception.

I'm beginning to think the Phoenix area just varies radically in temperature. It shocked me to learn that some areas go into the twenties. In this general area, the bougainvilleas, gardenias, and ficus nitidas were not damaged by the cold weather while they were obliterated in other areas.

Anyway, if 400 hours is common, I may not fully understand how to calculate the data. I thought it was sustained weather between (32-45 degrees). Maybe one day I will own an advanced weather station where I can properly map the data at the house.

Sardonic_007 · Joined: 17 Nov 2012 Posts: 8

Check out this helpful post on another website to kind of get an idea of chill hours. I get something like an average of 400 chill hours. The calculator for Utah chill seems busted but I think Utah is crap anyway.

http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/forum/topics/chill-calculator?xg_source=activity

myamberdog · Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 8:47 pm Post subject:

...and I wonder if there is a website that might calculate chill hours for you? Either on a daily, weekly or monthly basis or perhaps at the end of the winter season.....

myambroDog