Pomegranates in pots with yellowing leaves, what am I doing wrong?

[wineguy]

So I bought these pomegranate plants, the one that isnt quite dying is a recent purchase.
I'm growing them in 50 litre pots, the soil is 10 litres of perlite root mix, and 30 litres of "Tui citrus and fruit mix" (this stuff for anyone unfamiliar with new zealand potting mix products). I've done it like this cause I saw a youtube video online saying that to fix drainage one should have 20-25% perlite 20% fertilizer and 50-55% regular potting mix for potted pomegranate.
The lass in the plant section of my hardware store said that citrus mix would be fine for pomegranates so I figured 10/30 perlite to citrus and fruit mix would be 25% perlite and roughly the right mix of fertilizer to potting mix. I'm giving them about 4-6 litres of water a day or every other day(each) yet they still seem to be doing poorly.
Am I giving them too much water? too little? do I have too much perlite creating an abundance of drainage, drying them out? do I have other soil issues?

 

[Chuck]

Perlite does three things. It helps drainage of excess water, it retains water and it helps with aeration. IMO you are watering too often, have incorporated too much perlite and you are leaching out needed nutrients. I would water until water drains out of the bottom of the container and then not water until the soil becomes dry about 3 inches deep. By using that much perlite it will be a challenge as to know when to water again because the perlite has absorbed a lot of water and it will take x amount of time before the retained moisture in the perlite has dissipated. I also think you should fertilize with a good balanced fertilizer. It appears by the yellow leaves that the plant is suffering from chlorosis and fertilizing will fix this problem.

 

[wineguy]

Perlite does three things. It helps drainage of excess water, it retains water and it helps with aeration. IMO you are watering too often, have incorporated too much perlite and you are leaching out needed nutrients. I would water until water drains out of the bottom of the container and then not water until the soil becomes dry about 3 inches deep. By using that much perlite it will be a challenge as to know when to water again because the perlite has absorbed a lot of water and it will take x amount of time before the retained moisture in the perlite has dissipated. I also think you should fertilize with a good balanced fertilizer. It appears by the yellow leaves that the plant is suffering from chlorosis and fertilizing will fix this problem.

Ok so add fertilizer, water less often(should I increase how much I water?), and what should I do about the excessive perlite?

 

[Chuck]

Ok so add fertilizer, water less often(should I increase how much I water?), and what should I do about the excessive perlite?

Water very slowly until water comes out of the bottom of the container, basically you will saturate the soil. Do not water again until the soil is DRY about 3 inches deep. Remember that the perlite in the soil is full of water too and it will stay there until it slowly is reabsorbed by the soil. This is why it will be a challenge, you can't know how long it will take for that much water in that much perlite to be reabsorbed. I know of nothing you can do about the excess perlite.

 

[wineguy]

Water very slowly until water comes out of the bottom of the container, basically you will saturate the soil. Do not water again until the soil is DRY about 3 inches deep. Remember that the perlite in the soil is full of water too and it will stay there until it slowly is reabsorbed by the soil. This is why it will be a challenge, you can't know how long it will take for that much water in that much perlite to be reabsorbed. I know of nothing you can do about the excess perlite.

ok thanks, mother nature just gave me like 2 nights worth of watering pretty heavily on those things, so I probably wont need to water them for a week. Would a fertilizer with an NPK value of 4-1-2 be good for those pots?

 

[Chuck]

ok thanks, mother nature just gave me like 2 nights worth of watering pretty heavily on those things, so I probably wont need to water them for a week. Would a fertilizer with an NPK value of 4-1-2 be good for those pots?

That will be a great fertilizer although I would prefer a higher second number when the plant starts to produce fruit. Remember to not water until the soil is DRY about 3 inches deep and then water slowly and deeply.

 

[wineguy]

That will be a great fertilizer although I would prefer a higher second number when the plant starts to produce fruit. Remember to not water until the soil is DRY about 3 inches deep and then water slowly and deeply.

great, I'll buy a load of that when stores open(it's 2:35 am here), and just top off both pots full.

 

[Marck]

Greetings, welcome to the Forums.

By all means give your Pomegranate (Punica granatum) good drainage and if container-grown do fertilize it with a complete liquid fertilizer. However ,also keep in mind that Pomegranate is a deciduous plant and it is now the beginning of Autumn in the Southern hemisphere. If not now, then soon you will see a great deal of yellowing leaves on your plant. This will be perfectly normal.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a deciduous tree or shrub, in the Loosestrife Famliy (Lythraceae). It is native to Anatolia, the Caucasus, and southwestern Asia. It has been widely grown since ancient times for the tart juice obtained from it's fleshy seed arils
There are two species in the genus Punica. The other is a small-fruited species (Punica protopunica) endemic to the islands of Socotra.

 

[wineguy]

Greetings, welcome to the Forums.

By all means give your Pomegranate (Punica granatum) good drainage and if container-grown do fertilize it with a complete liquid fertilizer. However ,also keep in mind that Pomegranate is a deciduous plant and it is now the beginning of Autumn in the Southern hemisphere. If not now, then soon you will see a great deal of yellowing leaves on your plant. This will be perfectly normal.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a deciduous tree or shrub, in the Loosestrife Famliy (Lythraceae). It is native to Anatolia, the Caucasus, and southwestern Asia. It has been widely grown since ancient times for the tart juice obtained from it's fleshy seed arils
There are two species in the genus Punica. The other is a small-fruited species (Punica protopunica) endemic to the islands of Socotra.

Thanks, I was just going to give it a layer of chicken and sheep pellet fertiliser, but would a liquid fertilizer suit better? If so what would you suggest?

 

[Marck]

Some pelleted 'time-released' fertilizers can work fine in containers. If the product is recommended for container use give it a try.
Also double check that they include some amount of each nutrient (including micronutrients) in the formula,

Maintaining drainage and soil level are main reasons bulky fertilizers are not appropriate for containers.

Personally, I've moved away from time-released formulas. both for more control with monthly application,
and also because some time-released products leave plastic capsules or other residue in the soil.

 

[wineguy]

Some pelleted 'time-released' fertilizers can work fine in containers. If the product is recommended for container use give it a try.
Also double check that they include some amount of each nutrient (including micronutrients) in the formula,

Maintaining drainage and soil level are main reasons bulky fertilizers are not appropriate for containers.

Personally, I've moved away from time-released formulas. both for more control with monthly application,
and also because some time-released products leave plastic capsules or other residue in the soil.

Thanks for all the info, got to the store the day before yesterday to buy some liquid feed fertilizer, things are already greening up a fair bit.
You've all collectively probably saved at least one of my pomegranate plants.