Jack, good idea with the taro root. We did that at our last house.

Barb, the base trunk of our pomegranate is 2.5 to 3 inches diameter. I want it to be a bush so I have limited growth to three main branches. I had another I was training as a tree, but I killed it. I believe it is possible. The flower buds grow, it seems, as far away from the trunk as possible (on the newest growth, or final growth from last year). New leaf buds (potential branches) DO pop up everywhere. I am constantly rubbing them off. I find now that I have a larger trunk, buds arrive down there less often than when the plant was more juvenile. In other words, I believe the pomegranate tree will become easier to train as it gets older.
Adam

Looks tree like to me 😀

I bet it just takes some work. Again, maybe try one espalier style?

I had no luck trying a taro root from the store. IT was twice the size of a football 😯 Im going to try a few of the smaller ones. They are only 49 cents a pop at superstore. I should have grabbed a dragon fruit when I was there last...

Adam,
OK then I'll try it with the Pomegranate, because I was able to eventually--after 10+ years of rubbing out budsuntil the trunk became really wooden--train a Honeysuckle (yes a honeysuckle that's usually a vine) 😀 into a standard (with ONE trunk Jesse).

I believe the pomegranate tree will become easier to train as it gets older.

Yes, the same as it was with the honeysuckle, even though I occasionally still have to pinch out buds breaking further down.

Jack what kind of protection did you give it?
or did you bring it indoors in winter?

Found a pic of my standard honeysuckle:

<a href=" http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/5758546683/" title="DSC04716 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src=" " width="480" height="640" alt="DSC04716"></a>

Barb

Adam,
OK then I'll try it with the Pomegranate, because I was able to eventually--after 10+ years of rubbing out budsuntil the trunk became really wooden--train a Honeysuckle (yes a honeysuckle that's usually a vine) 😀 into a standard (with ONE trunk Jesse).

Found a pic of my standard honeysuckle:

<a href=" http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/5758546683/" title="DSC04716 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src=" " width="480" height="640" alt="DSC04716"></a>

Barb

The one on the left, has one trunk 😀

Thats a nice honeysuckle! Im trying to train a wisteria, should be the same amount of work..

This post reminds me of Canadianplant's older post 😆

Barb, pomegranates can indeed be trained as trees, and in warmer climates, that's likely how they would grow naturally. I am going to be working on bringing some of the hardier varieties over the border next fall.

Jack what kind of protection did you give it?

Nothing. Angel Red is a hardy variety. I stuck it in the ground in mid-March, weeks before the last frost. By June, I had two fruits. And it has not even been a year yet.

Not meaning to brag 😳 , but its one of the few exotics that is seemingly effortless in these parts.

I grabbed it at a local nursery with a stellar rep. They also have a hardy olive tree.

This post reminds me of Canadianplant's older post 😆

Barb, pomegranates can indeed be trained as trees, and in warmer climates, that's likely how they would grow naturally. I am going to be working on bringing some of the hardier varieties over the border next fall.

True. My Ortho book says they train them as trees in orchards to get bigger crops while others train them as shrubs so they are more manageable.

Great info, thanks.

Brag away...good to know how much/little work it took.

Anything is better than training that honeysuckle vine into a standard tree... 😕

DOnt worry barb, im doing the same to wisteria 😯

ALso, you can apparently propagate common figs, by collecting seeds from dried fruit! Again, a surprise what your going to get... but still! Make sure they are "Smyrna" figs, or dried figs grown in an area where the proper wasp is (florida, cali, turkey, greece, egypt etc)

http://www.ehow.com/how_5682852_cultivate-fig-trees-seeds.html

Sheesh, now figs 😕

Yup.. I picked some up. One kind from walmart "sun brand" dried figs from turkey, and " blue ribbon" calimyrna figs. Viable seed is said to be "large"(for a ficus), and instantly sink to the bottom of a glass of water. That happened in my situation. Im going to sow them today. Ill keep you all updated!