How to Trim a Mature Pomegranate Tree or Bush

Cut out any dead or diseased branches, as well as any broken ones. Cut all the way back to live, healthy wood or to the main trunk, or to ground level, depending on the extent of the damage. Do not leave short stubs; prune back to the closest healthy originating branch.

Remove all suckers at the base of a mature pomegranate plant that is trained to grow in a tree form. You can remove suckers at any time of the growing season that they appear. Cut them off promptly, as they sap energy from the rest of the tree and may reduce the number of fruits it produces.

Prune off all side branches growing below the canopy of the pomegranate tree. This will help maintain its treelike shape.

Thin out a few of the oldest upright-growing branches on a pomegranate that is growing in its natural bush form. This will make room for new branches, at the ends of which fruits will form. Make the cut all the way back to ground level, using a pruning saw. Do not remove more than one-fourth of the upright-growing branches when pruning, or the plant may not produce flowers or fruits until the following year.

Prune back the tips of branches on both tree- and bush-shaped pomegranates. This will encourage them to branch out and produce new growth. Since fruits are produced at the ends of new-growth branches, this will encourage the production of more fruits.