Author Topic: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties  (Read 21407 times)

simon_grow

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Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« on: October 12, 2016, 11:18:24 PM »
Here are some pics of Parfianka, Angel Red and Desertenyi Pomegranates.
Parfianka



Angel Red



Desertenyi



I'll report later with Brix and tasting results
Simon

Don

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2016, 06:43:06 AM »
Did you grow these yourself? Parfianka looks awesome but angel red looks the best inside i reckon. Cant wait for the taste report.

simon_grow

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2016, 10:44:16 AM »
Yes, I grew these myself on a multigraft tree. I picked these a bit early because there are a ton of aphids on my tree which is starting to encourage sooty mold. Some of the fruit is starting to get some cracks and fungus on them but the fruit is not at optimal ripeness yet. Here's the taste report.

Parfianka- Brix was only 15%. This is lower than in previous years and this fruit did not taste sweet. It has a noticeable tart component but the sugar acid balance on this particular fruit was horrible as it was much too tart for the amount of acid it had. This variety had the darkest red arils and very soft seeds. The overall seed and aril size is medium-small compared to the other varieties.

Angel Red- Brix was 16%. This is also lower than in previous years and this Pom had the perfect sugar acid balance. It had a slight tart component which was perfectly balanced by its sugar content. The fruit quality is not as great as in previous years when it had higher Brix but it has the best sugar acid balance out of these three varieties sampled so far.  The color of the arils is intermediate. It is slightly less red than Parfianka but definitely darker than Desertenyi. The size of the arils is medium and the seeds are very soft. This is an excellent Pom!

Desertenyi- Brix was 16.5%. This was grafted about 1-2 years ago and this is the first time I've had this fruit. I was expecting a great citrus flavor from the reports I've read online but I did not find any citrus notes whatsoever. This Pom is sweet with almost no acidity which makes it kind of dull. I'm a fan of sweet and generally I dislike anything that is overly tart but a little more acidity would have made this fruit taste a lot better. This fruit had the lightest colored arils and its arils are extremely large, giving it the highest yields of juice per aril. The seeds are very soft for this variety.

These fruit were not harvested at their prime and as you can see, several of the fruit were left on the counter for several days giving them the dried mummified look. In previous years, I have reported on the exceptional storage capabilities of pomegranates. I have stored uninjured fruit in the refrigerator for over 6 months and the fruit actually tasted significantly better after the long storage because it mellowed the acidic component which in turn amplifies the sweetness.

In this tasting, the Angel Red was my favorite because it has the best sugar acid balance but these results are from a single fruit of each variety. I have more fruit on the tree and results may change in the future. The Desertenyi may taste better if harvested a bit earlier in order to give it more acidity and let's not forget that this is the trees first year with these fruit so future fruit may perform better. The Parfianka was harvested a bit early so I'm hoping later fruit will sweeten up better. Angel Red has consistently performed well year after year with perfect sugar acid balance.

What I will end up doing is combining the Desertenyi(too sweet, no tart) with the Parfianka(too tart, no sweet). This will make the eating experience much more enjoyable. On second thought, I'll probably end up combining all three varieties. Here are some pics of the arils seperated out.









Simon

LivingParadise

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #3 on: October 13, 2016, 08:34:55 PM »
Thank you so much for this!

I will be adding a bunch of varieties to my collection soon, so I'm excited to see how they all compare to each other. But I expect to have to wait a while for fruit so this is a good start. I was under the impression Desertenyi and Parfianka are not really suitable for tropical climates, but are more for temperate locations - is this correct?

simon_grow

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2016, 08:58:14 PM »
I'm not sure about Pom growing in Florida but if I get fungus here in dry California then I expect you will get fungal issues in Florida. It may be wise to select a variety developed in Florida.  If you can experiment with one variety, I highly recommend you try Angel Red. By the way, Angel Red is precocious.  I believe it fruit for me in about 1.5 years from a very small potted plant.

Simon

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #5 on: October 14, 2016, 12:32:06 AM »
The only pomegranate I know of that is suitable for tropical locations is the Vietnamese, which is of mediocre quality. But even it requires fungicide to do well.

Pomegranates here in FL require a lot of maintenance. Regular fungicide application is necessary, and they are also quite susceptible to nutrient deficiency in our soil, requiring regular fertilization.

While the Vietnamese variety will set fruit with ease in FL (when properly fertilized), the temperate varieties may require some chill hours or mechanical stripping of leaves to keep them productive.
Jeff  :-)

fyliu

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #6 on: October 14, 2016, 01:52:31 AM »
I also have the sooty black stuff inside my pomegranates this year. Maybe it's the drought weakening the plant to allow these problems. They're also a lot earlier than normal. November was the normal, but now they all ripen by September.

For Florida cultivars, look up the Ganesh cultivar. It's evergreen and that might be more suitable for a warmer climate.
Parfianka is also supposedly everbearing. It may not need dormancy. It shouldn't be that acidic though, from what I've heard.

My friend in SD had their first crop of Desertnyi this year also. The seeds are soft, but harder than the variety I'm growing. It could stabilize to something different later on. I grow one from Leo but he lost the tag for it. It's pink inside and you could put a handful of arils in your mouth and have only a little bit of stuff left after chewing and swallowing the soft parts.

LivingParadise

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #7 on: October 14, 2016, 09:15:49 AM »
Thanks for all the helpful replies!

I have 2 Vietnams here, and they are doing quite well. I'm hoping they will fruit this year. I have a dwarf pomegranate also and it fruits profusely and is very happy here. I use neem oil frequently in my yard, so that takes care of any issues these seem to have with the climate. My county is the driest county in Florida, with monsoon rains half the year, and desert conditions the other half. It means that most plants I grow have some amount of stress part of the year from too much heat, too much dry, too much rain, or something else - but not enough to really cause serious damage for the most part.

I already have 2 Angel Reds on their way, after waiting to find some available for a year, and they are good size so I am hoping for fruit within the first year in the ground for them.  Additionally I have the following coming, none of which I know much about (except for Wonderful), and we'll see how they do: Big Red, Grenada, Hawaiian Beauty, Sweet, Utah Sweet, White, and Wonderful. I really love pomegranates, and I got a good price, so I thought it worth a test to see which variety does best in my area and produces the best fruit. I know I don't have ideal conditions, since even in our drought humidity is usually quite high here, but if any of them turn out to be as happy as the dwarf pomegranate, I will have no complaints. I plan to learn to graft using my dwarf pomegranate, which produces generally inedible fruit, to make a cocktail tree of as many varieties as I can fit on it. I figure with 10 varieties of pomegranate, hopefully more than just the dwarf, which has the worst fruit, should take in these conditions, right? :) Let's hope, anyway...

Fyliu, thank you for the recommendation! I had never heard of Ganesh pomegranate, but if I could get my hands on Indian cultivars I definitely would! Most plants that do well in tropical and subtropical India do very well here. I don't see where Ganesh plants are available in the US though. But for those who want to grow pomegranate in tropical conditions, this site lists a number of different Indian cultivars, all which look really good - some perhaps maybe even be better than Ganesh!: http://aciagropomegranatecultivation.blogspot.com/2013/10/pomgranate-variety-production_1845.html


If anybody knows where one can get Indian cultivars of pomegranate in the US, let me know. I don't send outside of the country for any seeds or plants anymore, because customs (especially in Florida!) has proved way too much of a hassle, so I prefer to buy from someone already able to ship from within the US. I don't have a ton of confidence in all of the new cultivars I ordered, and my Vietnams have not produced flowers yet, so any variety that gives me the best chance of success (and good juice and edible seeds) is worth some effort.

Vernmented

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #8 on: October 14, 2016, 11:18:42 AM »
"Azadi" cultivar won two taste tests at a couple of fruit club meetings. The arils are almost white, sweet, and very soft seed. I don't like the Vietnamese enough to grow it. These are kind of a pain to grow here. My friend has a test plot with about 10 different types. I'll report back when he actually gets fruit.
-Josh

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #9 on: October 14, 2016, 12:22:42 PM »
The vietnamese poms will normally do well for the first 2 years or so, but then they start to decline once nutrients in the soil have been depleted. That's what happens on the trees here in Broward anyway. Keep an eye out for chlorotic foliage in the next couple of years.
Jeff  :-)

Don

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #10 on: October 16, 2016, 08:08:11 AM »
Nice one, bonus having all 3 on the same plant. Any chance you would sell any angel red seeds? I have only heard great things about this variety.

simon_grow

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #11 on: October 16, 2016, 08:20:52 AM »
If you plant the seeds, the seedlings won't be true to type. I don't ship plant material anymore but you may find someone who does if you place a request on the buy sell forum. Angel Red is an Excellent variety.

Simon

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #12 on: October 16, 2016, 10:23:55 AM »
The only pomegranate I know of that is suitable for tropical locations is the Vietnamese, which is of mediocre quality. But even it requires fungicide to do well.

Pomegranates here in FL require a lot of maintenance. Regular fungicide application is necessary, and they are also quite susceptible to nutrient deficiency in our soil, requiring regular fertilization.

While the Vietnamese variety will set fruit with ease in FL (when properly fertilized), the temperate varieties may require some chill hours or mechanical stripping of leaves to keep them productive.

What time of year would one strip leaves to induce blooming? 

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #13 on: October 16, 2016, 10:33:47 AM »
I think March would be a suitable time. Here's what I was told by a very knowledgeable pom grower in central FL:

You will need to spray all the pomegranates with a fungicide to get good fruit.
Please check out the research from the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center on fungui in pomegranates.
From the 2016 FPA Growers Meeting
http://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/pomegranates/pdfs/Program%20FPA%20Grower%20Mtg%20March%202016.pdf
Keeping up on a fungal program is very important for pomegranates in FL.

Cold hours is another subject the FPA (Florida Pomegranate Association) is studying.
So far what we are seeing is, pomegranates need to rest or go dormant for at least 6 weeks.
No water or fertilizer.  Let them loose their leaves and rest. 
When the 6 weeks (at least) are coming to an end prune, fertilize, water, and start your fungicide/pesticide program.

There are ever green varieties such as Vietman, Sheri's, EG, ect. that do not loose their leave and will produce fruit year round.
These need to be fertilized and watered all year.

In India where there are no cold hours they use a chemical to put their trees into dormancy.
We have planted several varieties of India varieties last year and will have them hopefully available next spring.
These varieties should do very well in S FL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EImEM6VUQh4


The only pomegranate I know of that is suitable for tropical locations is the Vietnamese, which is of mediocre quality. But even it requires fungicide to do well.

Pomegranates here in FL require a lot of maintenance. Regular fungicide application is necessary, and they are also quite susceptible to nutrient deficiency in our soil, requiring regular fertilization.

While the Vietnamese variety will set fruit with ease in FL (when properly fertilized), the temperate varieties may require some chill hours or mechanical stripping of leaves to keep them productive.

What time of year would one strip leaves to induce blooming?
Jeff  :-)

knlim000

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #14 on: October 17, 2016, 08:12:13 AM »
my mom up north here in antioch do not have any fungus issue with hers. dont know the variety. she get 40 plus fruit on her tree each year.

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #15 on: October 17, 2016, 11:43:14 AM »
i had 4 "Wonderful" seedlings about 4 yrs old
2 had fruited the last 2 years, one of those gave me pretty nice fruits
and it produced twice that year with lots of fruit.

THis year it hasnt even shown a flower
none of my plants have.
I am guessing it has to do with the warm winter we had.
no real freeze at all... 1 night got 32F for an hour before sunrise
i gave 2 plants the axe, and may do the same with the other 2 soon

simon_grow

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #16 on: November 13, 2016, 04:29:36 PM »
These later fruit are significantly better in terms of taste. I have late fruit on Parfianka and Desertenyi but I don't think I have any more Angel Red, the tags on my multigraft tree are difficult to locate because of the heavy vegetative growth and thorns on the tree.

These later Parfianka fruit are much sweeter with much better sugar acid balance. These later fruit have a Brix of 17% vs 15% for the earlier fruit. As you can see in these pictures, the arils are also much darker in color compared to the early fruit.

Theese later Desertenyi fruit have the same Brix as the early fruit but the arils appear a bit darker in color and there is a very slight citrus flavor to them that is very pleasing. The early fruit did not have any citrus notes that I could detect.

This year, the best pomegranate is the later Parfianka. If I had more late season Angel Red, perhaps it would beat the Parfianka like it did last year. This is the first year my Desertenyi graft has fruited so quality may increase in the future. Pomegranates are extremely healthy for our diets and are an excellent addition to salads. I remove the arils from my fruit and juice them combined with Asian pears and Sugarcane juice and my wife and daughters can't get enough of the juice.





Parfianka is the darker one.
Simon

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #17 on: November 13, 2016, 09:12:01 PM »
Very nice.

fyliu

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #18 on: November 13, 2016, 09:19:08 PM »
Wow, that parfianka is really dark. My pomegranates were done so early this year and with internal rotting. Hopefully, next year will be better with cleaned up debris around the tree.

simon_grow

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #19 on: October 23, 2018, 12:07:37 AM »
Here is my first taste of Eversweet pomegranate thanks to Brad. It was a good sized fruit from his tree and the arils are large. Unfortunately, the seed is pretty big as well and the seeds are medium soft. The arils are pink in color , the same color as Desertenyi.

The flavor of this Pom is good with a nice sweetness but it lacks some acid balance. I sampled this Eversweet side by side with Desertenyi and they taste pretty much identical to my untrained pomegranate palate. The juice of both Eversweet and Desertenyi we’re both between 15-17% Brix.

As I mentioned, both these varieties lack some acid balance and I like to mix these dark pink colored Poms with a dark red type Pom with more acidity to bring out a better sugar acid balance. I like to mix 50% dark pink(Eversweet or Desertenyi) with 50% Parfianka and it comes out tasting like the best fruit punch pomegranate you can imagine.

As you can see from this thread, the Brix and time of harvest can vary from year to year. Having both a pink and red variety give you the ability to mix them in different percentages in order to create a combination that fits your personalized palate.

Here is a picture of the Eversweet



Simon

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #20 on: October 23, 2018, 01:16:05 AM »
Everyone here liked the taste of the eversweet but those seeds.   :-\

That one is annoying given the description from dave wilson:


Eversweet Pomegranate -WHERE TO BUY- DWN Top 100 VarietyEdible Ornamental
Very sweet, virtually seedless fruit. (Even immature fruits are sweet.) Red skin, clear (non-staining) juice. Harvest late summer through fall. Coast or inland.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2018, 01:22:00 AM by spaugh »
Brad Spaugh

fyliu

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #21 on: November 19, 2018, 02:32:52 PM »
Everyone here liked the taste of the eversweet but those seeds.   :-\

That one is annoying given the description from dave wilson:


Eversweet Pomegranate -WHERE TO BUY- DWN Top 100 VarietyEdible Ornamental
Very sweet, virtually seedless fruit. (Even immature fruits are sweet.) Red skin, clear (non-staining) juice. Harvest late summer through fall. Coast or inland.

Yes, I was disappointed when I ate the Eversweet from a friend. The taste is great but it's not as soft-seeded as I'd imagined. Desertnyi seeds are a little more noticeable than I like too. It's what happens when the first pomegranate tree I have turns out to beat all the named varieties I come across later. I got it from Leo Manuel and he told me it's from USDA but the tag was lost.

spaugh

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #22 on: November 19, 2018, 02:43:02 PM »
Everyone here liked the taste of the eversweet but those seeds.   :-\

That one is annoying given the description from dave wilson:


Eversweet Pomegranate -WHERE TO BUY- DWN Top 100 VarietyEdible Ornamental
Very sweet, virtually seedless fruit. (Even immature fruits are sweet.) Red skin, clear (non-staining) juice. Harvest late summer through fall. Coast or inland.

Yes, I was disappointed when I ate the Eversweet from a friend. The taste is great but it's not as soft-seeded as I'd imagined. Desertnyi seeds are a little more noticeable than I like too. It's what happens when the first pomegranate tree I have turns out to beat all the named varieties I come across later. I got it from Leo Manuel and he told me it's from USDA but the tag was lost.

I need to get some air layers of good ones.  Ive got 2 out of 3 losers that sre getting yanked (wonderful and eversweet).
Brad Spaugh

fyliu

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #23 on: November 19, 2018, 06:26:10 PM »
I need to get some air layers of good ones.  Ive got 2 out of 3 losers that sre getting yanked (wonderful and eversweet).
Wow, even you're yanking them, and you have land. Wonderful is supposed to be a really good rootstock, so maybe keep the roots.

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Re: Comparison of 3 top Pomegranate varieties
« Reply #24 on: November 19, 2018, 06:34:57 PM »
I need to get some air layers of good ones.  Ive got 2 out of 3 losers that sre getting yanked (wonderful and eversweet).
Wow, even you're yanking them, and you have land. Wonderful is supposed to be a really good rootstock, so maybe keep the roots.

They sucker at the roots too much to try and graft it.  Not worth it.  Needs to be killed.  No point in growing inferior stuff if better ones grow just as easily.  Poms are about the easiest thing there is to grow.  I have ones I killed before that refuse to die.  You have to get every root or they just come back like blackberries.
Brad Spaugh