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This is my now 4 year old Belbek tree. Last year it fruited for the first time, see here: viewtopic.php?p=1374#p1374

This is an older photo from about 1 month ago but I've planted it in ground and will be testing it's cold hardiness here. To the best of my knowledge, this may be the first pomegranate planted in ground in Michigan with the actual potential to survive the winter without any protection. In the event of another polar vortex like in 2019, I'm not sure that Belbek would survive. Wind is also another destructive factor that must be accounted for. We'll see how it fares this winter. Fingers crossed

Update 5/27/2023:

Belbek in ground: Backup Belbek in container. Hopefully will flower for the first time this year.

Update 6/3/2023:

Kind of a sad update. My Belbek was chewed by a rabbit. I wrapped the trunk with parafilm hoping that it will callus over in a few weeks. Also temporarily protecting the base with a cup to deter prevent future damage until I can put mesh wire around it.

That wascawwy wabbit!

Update 7/2/2023:

The parafilm began to crack so I figured it was time to remove it. The Belbek is making a fantastic recovery and the base of the trunk. The damaged bark filled in with callus and the tree is now in bloom with several flowers. This is a little later than I expected, in fact it's a month later than last year when it was in a container. 3 air layers have been started on the lower branches.

Update 8/31/2023:

All air layers were a success! The tree trunk is growing substantially and all former damage has healed.

Update 10/9/23:

Heavy pruning yielded significant trunk growth this season. I've opted to test hardiness with limited protection this winter. Will post an update in April when the buds start to break.

Update 1/19/2024:

Low wind chills earlier this week were recorded at -18F. Actual temps hit about 0F. Fingers crossed but embracing for loss this spring.

This will be a great test to see how well this variety deals with a strong wind chill, because Belbek has remained undamaged at '-4 degrees Fahrenheit' before, yet as you know wind chill in it's self can cause damage to plants in general.

How come you are so unsure of the temperature with wind chill, that's a whole 10 degree range.

Indeed! To the best of my knowledge, this will be the first winter hardy stress tests conducted against Belbek in ground in the midwest. I don't know of any others who have attempted this yet. For me it's a big risk of loss because my tree is 5 years old and fruit bearing.

I looked through weather reports for my area and have updated my post. The wind chill in my city was reported at -18F on 1/15/2024.

A few years ago I threw a plastic trash can over my in ground Wonderful seedling. Was completely unharmed the following spring. Died the next winter uncovered...so we'll see soon