Pests
Symptoms Usually you see nothing wrong on the outside of the fruit, because the damage is inside. If you cut a fruit open, you find brown spots on the inner skin and seeds (arils) that have gone dark, shriveled, or corky. It is worst late in the season as the fruit ripens, and it can let rot start inside.Often no external mark on the fruit at all; the damage is inside. Cut a fed-on fruit and you find brown spots on the inner rind where the insect's needlelike mouthpart pierced, and arils that have darkened, withered, or turned corky. Late-season feeding as fruit ripens is the worst, and it opens the door to internal fungal rots. Cause A big brown bug called the leaf-footed bug, named for the little leaf-shaped flares on its back legs. It and its young pierce the fruit to feed, and that can carry in yeasts and fungi that discolor and rot the seeds inside. The adults spend winter hidden in sheltered groups, then move onto the fruit as it forms.The leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus species), a large brown true bug with flattened, leaf-like flares on its hind legs. Adults and nymphs pierce fruit to feed; on pomegranate their feeding can introduce yeasts and fungal spores that discolor and rot the arils. They overwinter as adults in sheltered aggregations and move onto fruit as it develops. Organic treatment For a backyard plant, the best fixes are hands-on: in the cool early morning, knock the bugs into a bucket of soapy water, and clean up the weedy, sheltered places where they spend the winter and gather. Where you can, cover fruit clusters with fine mesh bags. Flowers nearby that bring in helpful insects also keep numbers down.There is no easy rescue spray for a backyard plant. The practical controls are physical: hand-pick or knock adults and nymphs into soapy water in the cool early morning when they are sluggish, clear the weedy and sheltered spots where they overwinter and aggregate, and bag developing fruit clusters in mesh where feasible. Encourage the natural egg parasites and general predators by keeping insectary flowers nearby. Prevention Keep an eye out from the time fruit forms, because you cannot see the damage from outside until you cut a fruit open. Keep weeds cleared to take away the places the bugs hide and breed, and look for the adults gathering in spring. Catching and removing them early, before there are many, works best.Monitor from fruit set onward, since the internal damage is invisible until you cut the fruit. Keep the area weed-free to remove overwintering and breeding habitat, and watch for the adults congregating in spring. Early detection and hand-removal before populations build is the most effective home strategy.
Symptoms Groups of tiny soft insects on new shoots and the undersides of leaves, leaving a sticky coating (honeydew) that turns into black sooty mold, plus curled new leaves and ants running up and down the plant.Clusters of small soft-bodied insects on new shoots, leaf undersides, and flower stems, with sticky honeydew, sooty black mold on leaves and fruit, curled or distorted new growth, and attending ants. Cause Aphids, tiny sap-sucking insects that build up on soft new growth in spring. They multiply quickly, and the sticky honeydew they leave grows black mold and attracts ants that guard them.Several aphid species colonize tender pomegranate growth in spring, multiplying fast in warm weather. Their honeydew supports sooty mold and draws ants, which protect the aphids from predators. Organic treatment Spraying the plant with a strong stream of water knocks most aphids off and is often all an established plant needs. Let the good bugs (ladybugs, lacewings) do their job by avoiding harsh sprays; insecticidal soap helps if there are a lot. Keeping ants off the plant lets the helpful insects control them.A strong jet of water knocks aphids off and is often enough on an established plant. Preserve natural enemies (ladybugs, lacewings, syrphid larvae) by avoiding broad-spectrum sprays; insecticidal soap or horticultural oil handles heavier infestations. Control ants, which farm aphids, to let predators work. Prevention Do not overfeed with nitrogen, because all that soft new growth attracts aphids. Grow flowers nearby to bring in helpful insects, and keep ants away so those helpers can do their work.Keep nitrogen feeding moderate, since lush growth pushed by excess nitrogen draws aphids. Support beneficial insects with nearby flowers, and manage ants so predators are not chased off.
Symptoms Tiny white insects like little moths that flutter up when you brush the plant, sitting under the leaves along with their flat, pale young. They leave sticky honeydew and black sooty mold, and a lot of them yellow the leaves.Tiny white moth-like insects that fly up in clouds when the plant is disturbed, gathered on leaf undersides with their pale nymphs; honeydew and sooty mold follow, and heavy infestations yellow and weaken leaves. Cause Whiteflies, small sap-sucking insects that live under the leaves and multiply fast in warm weather. Like aphids, they leave honeydew that grows sooty mold.Whiteflies, small sap-feeding insects that colonize leaf undersides and reproduce rapidly in warm weather. Like aphids, they excrete honeydew that fosters sooty mold. Organic treatment Spray the leaves with water and let helpful insects do most of the work; they usually keep whiteflies under control outdoors. Insecticidal soap sprayed under the leaves helps if there are many, and yellow sticky cards catch the adults.Hose off foliage and rely on natural enemies (lacewings, ladybugs, parasitic wasps), which usually keep whiteflies in check on an outdoor plant. Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides helps in heavy cases; yellow sticky traps monitor and reduce adults. Prevention Keep the plant healthy, avoid overfeeding with nitrogen, and do not let it get dusty and stressed, which whiteflies like. Avoid harsh sprays so the helpful insects survive.Keep plants healthy and avoid excess nitrogen and dusty, stressed conditions that favor whitefly buildup. Preserve natural enemies by avoiding broad-spectrum insecticides.
Symptoms Fuzzy white cottony spots (mealybugs) tucked into branch joints and inside the crown of the fruit, or small hard brown bumps (scale) stuck to stems and leaves. Both leave sticky honeydew and black mold, and mealybugs hiding in the fruit crown can get inside the fruit.Cottony white tufts (mealybugs) in leaf axils, branch crotches, and inside the fruit calyx (crown), or small immobile brown or waxy bumps (scale) on stems and leaves; both produce honeydew and sooty mold, and mealybugs hidden in the crown can contaminate the fruit interior. Cause Mealybugs and scale insects, sap-sucking pests that hide in sheltered spots, including the crown of the fruit. Ants move them around and protect them, and their honeydew grows black mold.Mealybugs and various scale insects, slow-moving or immobile sap feeders that shelter in protected spots including the fruit's crown. Ants tend and spread them, and their honeydew fuels sooty mold. Organic treatment Wipe visible mealybugs with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, spray with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, and cut out badly infested branches. Keep ants off so the helpful insects can work, and throw away any fruit with bugs packed into the crown.Spot-treat with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap, dab visible mealybug colonies with an alcohol-dipped swab, and prune out heavily infested wood. Control ants to let natural enemies (including mealybug destroyers and parasitic wasps) suppress them. Remove fruit with infested crowns. Prevention Keep ants away, do not overfeed, and check the fruit crowns and branch joints where these pests hide. An open, airy plant with good light bothers them.Keep ants under control, avoid excess nitrogen, and inspect the fruit crown and branch crotches where these pests hide. Good airflow and light through the canopy discourage them.
Diseases
Symptoms From the outside the fruit looks almost fine, maybe a bit light or a paler red, but inside it is rotting: the seeds turn brown and mushy with black mold. There is usually no sign on the outside, so you only find it when you cut the fruit open.The fruit looks nearly normal outside, perhaps a little light in weight or slightly off-color (a paler red), while the interior rots: arils turn brown and mushy and a black mold sporulates inside. There is often no external cue, so the rot is discovered only on cutting. Cause A fungus called Alternaria gets into the fruit through the open flower in damp, rainy bloom weather and grows quietly inside. Wounds from insects (like the leaf-footed bug) or birds let it in too. Wet weather around bloom is the main cause, so it is worse in humid areas.The fungus Alternaria (and related molds) infects through the open flower during rainy or humid bloom weather and grows silently inside the developing fruit. Insect and bird punctures (notably leaf-footed bug feeding) give it a second way in. Wet weather at and after bloom is the main driver, which is why it is a bigger problem in humid climates. Organic treatment Once a fruit is rotting inside, it cannot be saved. The way to fight it is to prevent it: it is much less of a problem in hot, dry weather, so keep the leaf-footed bug and other fruit-piercing pests under control, keep the plant open and airy, and pick off and throw away any rotted or old dried fruit so the mold does not spread to next year.There is no cure once the inside is rotting; the fruit is lost. Control is preventive: it is far less of a problem in hot, dry climates, so the main levers are managing leaf-footed bug and other fruit-piercing pests, keeping the canopy open and airy, and removing and destroying infected and mummified fruit so spores do not carry over. Prevention Grow it where summers are hot and dry if you can, keep the plant open, and water at the ground rather than over the top. Keep fruit-piercing bugs in check, clean up rotted and old dried fruit, and know that in humid, rainy areas this disease may limit your crop, so pick the most open, breezy spot.Favor dry-climate siting, open canopies, and drip (not overhead) watering to keep bloom and fruit dry. Control fruit-piercing insects, sanitize by removing mummies and rotted fruit, and, in humid regions, expect this to be a limiting disease and choose the most open, breezy sites.
Symptoms Fuzzy gray-brown mold on the flowers and fruit, often starting at the crown end or a wound, with soft brown rot that spreads in cool, damp weather and in storage. It can spread from one fruit to another where they touch.Fuzzy gray-brown mold on flowers, on fruit (often starting at the crown or a wound), and on stored fruit; soft brown rot spreads in cool, wet, or humid conditions and in storage, and can move between touching fruit. Cause A fungus called Botrytis, or gray mold, that infects flowers and damaged or overripe fruit in cool, damp weather. It survives on old fruit and plant litter and is a common cause of rot in stored fruit.The fungus Botrytis cinerea (gray mold), which infects flowers and wounded or overripe fruit in cool, wet, humid conditions. It overwinters on plant debris and old fruit and is a common cause of post-harvest rot. Organic treatment Pick off and throw away moldy flowers, fruit, and litter right away. Keep the plant open and dry, pick before the rains, handle fruit gently so it does not bruise, and refrigerate good fruit soon, since cold slows the mold. Once a fruit is rotting there is no home spray that fixes it.Remove and destroy moldy flowers, fruit, and debris promptly. Keep the canopy open and dry, harvest before rains, handle fruit gently to avoid wounds, and refrigerate sound fruit quickly, since cold storage slows the mold. There is no home spray cure once fruit is rotting. Prevention Keep the plant open and the leaves dry: prune for airflow, water at the ground, clean up old fruit and litter, and handle and chill fruit carefully at harvest. Remove split or damaged fruit, which is where the mold gets in.Prioritize air circulation and dry foliage: open pruning, root-zone watering, prompt sanitation of old fruit and debris, and gentle handling with quick cooling at harvest. Cull split and wounded fruit, which are entry points.
Symptoms Small dark spots on the fruit and leaves that grow and run together; badly spotted fruit looks rough and russeted, and heavy leaf spotting yellows the leaves and drops them. It is worst in warm, humid, rainy areas.Small dark spots and blotches on fruit and leaves that enlarge and merge; heavily spotted fruit is russeted and downgraded, and severe leaf infection causes yellowing and drop. Most common and damaging in warm, humid, rainy climates. Cause A fungus (Cercospora punicae, along with related fungi in the same wet climates) that spreads when leaves and fruit stay wet for a long time. It is a big reason pomegranate does poorly in the humid Southeast and other rainy places.The fungus Cercospora punicae (with related fungi such as Colletotrichum and Botryosphaeria in the same wet climates). It thrives on prolonged leaf and fruit wetness, so it is a leading reason pomegranate fruits poorly in the humid Southeast and other rainy regions. Organic treatment There is no easy home cure, so prevention matters: plant in an open, sunny, breezy spot so the leaves dry quickly, prune to open the plant, water at the ground, and clean up fallen leaves and spotted fruit. In damp, rainy climates this disease will likely limit your fruit quality no matter what.Home control is limited and preventive: choose an open, sunny, breezy site so foliage dries fast, prune for airflow, water at the ground, and remove fallen leaves and infected fruit. In consistently humid, rainy climates, expect this disease to cap fruit quality regardless of care. Prevention The best defense is where and how you plant it: an open, breezy, sloped spot with good air movement, wide spacing, an open plant, watering at the ground, and cleaning up fallen leaves and fruit. In hot, dry climates it is barely a problem.Site selection is the main defense: open, sloped, breezy ground with strong air movement, especially at bloom. Wide spacing, open canopies, ground-level irrigation, and sanitation of fallen debris reduce pressure. In hot, dry climates it is a minor issue.
