Dealing with sunburn

[greenfig]

As we hit 100+ every day, I see my young pomegranates are turning black on one side damaging the fruit. Those will not ripen properly.
I looked for the protection and besides the shade cloth, I found that kaolin clay was suggested. It comes in pink to sort of match the fruit color.
I also saw other clays on Amazon, like red Rhassoul Clay.
Anyone used them to cover the Poms and protect from the sunburn?

[alanmercieca]

Nope I have not tried any clays, I was just reading that clay is made up in part of Alumina, which is just like Aluminium only more complex. I wonder if that means that it might have a cooling effect for that reason https://www.differencebetween.com/diffe ... s-alumina/

You might want to try granular limestone, that might work, putting it over the soil thick like a mulch, that in it's self is very good for fig trees, and I suspect it would help absorb a lot of heat, and that it would hold in a lot of moisture, in Italy and in Malta they have a lot of clay and a lot of limestone in their soil, so it might be worth putting in a lot of both.

Both clay and limestone increase the Alkalinity, and lower the acidity of the soil, in Malta and most likely in Italy as well, the soil it's self is acidic, and all the clay and limestone in their soil lowers the acidity of that soil. So take that change in PH in to consideration. The following is a video that was recorded at the famous 'Belleclare Nursery', a very short part of the video they talk about them using limestone for their potted fig trees, of course they did not have to worry about 3 digit temperatures

[greenfig]

Thanks for the suggestions!
Fortunately, I don’t have to cool the soil and the roots, they are covered by a thick layer of gravel.
My issue is only with the fruit sunburn.
See the photo below.

[alanmercieca]

Oh ya, when some people say poms they mean the plants, and I thought that you meant that the plant was sun burning too.

Here by the time the pomegranate fruit are forming usually the 3 digit temperatures are gone, this year the only fruit we have are dark purple skinned fruits, very hard to see sun burn on those, they have been hit by 3 digit temperatures a few times this year. Most of our in ground pomegranates got hit by shothole bores this year, none of them have flowers this year, I suppose there is still a chance of flowers this year, yet I am not getting my hopes up. The ones with fruit this year are potted plants that the borer beetles did not attack.

[glideher]

the sun has been very strong here in california, strangely abnormally strong, and im sure other parts of the world as well this could be due to the ozone layer depleting, or climate change, no one knows.
i would cover your fruit tree during noon when the sun is strongest, and take off the cover afternoon, i know its a bit of a nuisance, but its well worth saving your fruits for the season

[greenfig]

the sun has been very strong here in california, strangely abnormally strong, and im sure other parts of the world as well this could be due to the ozone layer depleting, or climate change, no one knows.
i would cover your fruit tree during noon when the sun is strongest, and take off the cover afternoon, i know its a bit of a nuisance, but its well worth saving your fruits for the season

It's a great suggestion but unfortunately I am at work at that time ...
I ordered different clays and will try to make solutions to brush cover the fruit.
The clays are used in cosmetics and should be safe to use with fruit.

[pombazaar]

First thing that came to mind was loosely fitting some aluminum foil around the stem part. I don't know how practical this actually is but it could shield the fruit until it gets more mature. Do all of your pomegranates do this, or only the younger ones?

[alanmercieca]

Please keep us up to date about how the clay works, as far as shade cloth what you might try if the clay proves to not be for you, is mounting shade cloth to a panel of wood for each bush, and angling it so that it blocks the sun during the hottest hours of the day.

[greenfig]

First thing that came to mind was loosely fitting some aluminum foil around the stem part. I don't know how practical this actually is but it could shield the fruit until it gets more mature. Do all of your pomegranates do this, or only the younger ones?

Actually, the young fruit is fine. The larger fruit is easier burned .

The foil would work but it looks ugly. It takes 2-3 months to ripen and I would have to live with several Christmas trees for that long

[greenfig]

I just received the clay and painted a few Poms .
My observations:
-I think both the rose kaolin clay red Rhassoul Clay can be used. I picked dark to match the fruit color. The light colored might be a better sun screen but the dark is still better than none .
- Rhassoul is much more soluble, like a paint. Rose kaolin is similar to powdered chalk .
- The issue I found was that either mixture was not very sticky. I had to apply a few times. The thick mixture is much stickier than more diluted.
- At the end , I mixed them both to get a better color .
- I will update at the end of the season with final results.