Wonderful Pomegranate in the Third Year: Summer Pruning and Building the Productive Structure

In the area of Serradifalco, in the province of Caltanissetta, it is mid-August in a third-year pomegranate orchard of the “Wonderful” variety. At this stage the plants are beginning to produce their first fruits, but the primary agronomic objective remains one: to properly establish the structural framework of the tree.

The orchard layout follows a precise training approach. During the first years, a main trunk of about 80–90 cm is developed. On the upper 20–25 cm of this trunk, two to three cycles of topping and edging are carried out to stimulate the formation of lateral branches. From this point onward, the productive structure of the plant begins to develop.

The goal is to obtain 3–4 up to 6 main branches on the right side and the same number on the left, creating a type of double lateral framework shaped like a “Y”, supported by poles and two pairs of wires in the orchard system. This arrangement allows the canopy to be organized in an orderly and uniform way, facilitating plant management and making fruit harvesting easier.

During the third summer pruning pass, the intervention follows several clear technical principles.

The first task concerns cleaning the “palm of the hand”, meaning the area where the main branches originate. In the first 30–35 cm, all small shoots are removed with flush cuts while respecting the branch collar, keeping this zone completely clean. This is a precision task carried out almost exclusively with pruning shears.

In the first third of the plant, vigorous shoots are instead retained. These perform a dual function: on one hand, they provide shade for the fruits, reducing the risk of sunburn; on the other hand, they may later serve as reinforcement branches or new main branches through bending operations.

From the second third of the plant upward, vigorous or semi-vigorous shoots that are not required for the structural framework are either diverted or cut back to the first useful secondary shoot (femminella) a weaker branch that can become a fruiting shoot the following year. In this way, vegetative vigor is reduced and the plant’s resources are directed toward fruit growth and the formation of fruiting structures.

The secondary shoots already present, especially those bearing fruit or naturally hanging downward, are retained because they represent the fruiting branches for the following year.

This canopy management approach eliminates upright shoots which, from mid-August onward, are no longer useful for structural development and only risk competing with the fruit. As a result, the plant concentrates its energy on the enlargement of the pomegranates.

In the observed case, fruits of the “Wonderful” variety already show significant size. This variety can easily exceed half a kilogram, with fruits in some seasons reaching 700–800 grams.

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By the third year, considering an average of about 10 fruits per plant with an average weight of 700 g, production reaches approximately 7 kg per plant. With a planting density of 2.5 × 6 meters, equivalent to about 600 plants per hectare, the orchard can already achieve a production of around 4 tons per hectare in the third year an excellent result for such a young plantation.

Another important aspect concerns the management of basal suckers, which are very common in pomegranate during the early years. These can be removed manually or managed with specific authorized desuckering products. Over time, as vegetative activity stabilizes in the upper part of the plant, the emission of new suckers naturally decreases.

To protect the fruit from high summer temperatures, treatments based on kaolin and micronized gypsum are used, often mixed with sulfur and potassium soft soap. In addition to limiting the spread of harmful organisms, this combination helps reduce sunburn, lower leaf surface temperature, improve photosynthetic efficiency, and strengthen tissue structure thanks to the supply of calcium and silicon.

The most visible characteristic of the orchard is the uniformity of the plants, the result of careful and consistent technical management. All canopies develop at the same height, and the structure of the productive wall appears orderly and easy to manage.

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The training system is supported by poles approximately 1.10 meters high, on which the “Y”-shaped supporting structure is established and integrated with lateral support wires. On this framework, the main branches are progressively positioned and guided, allowing the canopy to stabilize. In the future, additional ties or transverse supports may be added to further strengthen the plant structure.

Another noteworthy element concerns soil management: no herbicides have been used in the orchard, and spontaneous vegetation has been controlled manually. This choice represents an initial step toward management compatible with organic farming practices or zero-residue agriculture.

The result is a young but well-structured orchard, where summer pruning is not merely a practice for controlling vegetation but becomes a fundamental tool for guiding the plant toward a stable and efficient productive structure in the years to come.

Editorial Note
Original content by Agronomist Vito Vitelli, developed and optimized with the support of artificial intelligence tools for educational, informational, and technical dissemination purposes.

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