why my pomegranate shrub bears such small fruit?

i have had this pomegranate plant - inherited from my sister who shifted house - for nearly a year. when it came to me, it had slightly more branches and leaves but over time these seem to have dwindled. however, lately, it has been blooming, with lots of red flowers but only a fraction of them get fertilised to become fruit.

the other day i was at mustafa samsuddin and the pomegranate fruit - which came from india - was at least four times the size of the largest fruit on my plant. wonder if it is because my plant is not big or that it is not getting enough nutrients from the soil.

the chinese refer to the pomegranate as the fertility plant as it bears many red flowers and fruit with lots of seeds. a friend explains that it is a holy or sacred plant when i asked why some chinese placed the shells of the crabs on the plant.

the pomegranate plant takes about three years to bear fruit. the fruit is ready for picking when it makes a metallic sound when tapped. when it is over ripe, the fruit will split open.

i have blogged here about how to go about eating the pomegranate fruit.

if you believe what they say about the benefits of drinking pomegranate juice here, then all of us should be drinking it regularly.

if you planning to grow one, remember the pomegranate plant likes a lot of sunlight and warmth. it is also a thirsty plant, so you have to water it every day.

i think mine is a shrub, that is why the fruit is so much smaller than those sold at supermarkets or fruit stalls. the commercial ones come from the bigger and taller pomegranate trees.