Promoting back budding on pomegranate

[Goff]

I got this pomegranate a few mths ago. It's got some issues but that's why I got it a good price. I was doing a little wiring but branches are very brittle so it's a bit hard. I really need to back bud on old wood to make some better branching. Any help on how this is done on a pomegranate.

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[thoglette]

Any help on how this is done on a pomegranate.

Food. Water. And tip pruning.

Get a healthy root system going (by feeding and watering) FIRST.

Then cut back brutally - either mid season or over winter. Remove (or shorten) any branch you don't want to keep at it's current lenght.

The excess roots will force the top of the tree to bud all over.

In my experience Pomegranate are quite brittle - classic "clip and grow" trees.

[thoglette]

The other two techniques that I use with difficult material are a) weights (fishing sinkers) and b) guy wires, which get regular tightening.

Jonas Dupuich on Bonsai Tonight (October 19, 2012) spotted a nursery using plastic twine to apply tension to branches. This has the advantage of flattening out and not marking as badly as using wire guys

[kcpoole]

if you want to wire then do so early before the branches lignify.
Cut back hard to promote back buds

Ken