Author Topic: Grapefruit from seed  (Read 8603 times)

Galka

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Grapefruit from seed
« on: March 03, 2017, 12:04:56 PM »
I planted the grapefruit seed a couple of yours ago. The fruit was very sweet and juicy, big round white inside. I have no idea what the variety it was. The co-worker gave it to me as her friend's tree was loaded with a lot of huge fruits and most of them dropped on the ground so she picked them up and brought to work to give to everybody. She couldn't see such a good fruit going to waste. It was really good, so I couldn't resist and planted a seed. My question is when the grapefruit tree grown from seed will start flowering and produce fruit? I've heard it may take 6 to 10 years. Is it true?

Citradia

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2017, 07:56:53 PM »
Yes. Seedling citrus will be very thorny and have to grow up tall enough to reach the required node count to bloom. That's why those wild Florida oranges in the woods are so thorny all up and down their trunks and all the fruit is up high in the tree. The trees you buy from nursery are fruiting branches grafted onto a rootstock. In 6 to 10 years you will have a tall thorny tree that makes that grapefruit you love. At least you won't have to worry about protecting it from cold in Ocala.

Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2017, 12:25:44 PM »
I have 2 ruby reds I grew from seed. Both started to flower at 5 years old. Both are about 25 ft now & loaded with fruit every year.

Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2017, 12:34:08 PM »
Here's one of them I just got done pruning the hell out of...


BajaJohn

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2017, 12:58:47 PM »
I have just planted seeds from a remarkably sweet yellow grapefruit in the hope of producing more trees. My first question is if the seeds germinate, will the trees produce fruit true to the parent tree?
Laaz - is that picture of a ruby red, even though the fruit looks yellow? Is the flesh red and is the fruit unusually sweet? I ask because my grapefruit are yellow with yellow flesh but taste as sweet, if not sweeter than ruby reds.
Finally - and remember I'm very much a novice at this - I'm also trying to propagate vegetatively. Any advice would be appreciated. I've taken some cuttings and have them in water with some rooting hormone. I'll also give air layering a shot. I'm trying to produce some rootstock for grafting from prunings of a very vigorous native lemon rootstock used for one of my valencia oranges.

Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2017, 02:03:16 PM »
Yes grapefruit come true from seed & yes it's a ruby red. This time of year they are super sweet. The longer they hang on the tree, the sweeter they get.

I wouldn't use lemon as a rootstock for oranges, you will get inferior fruit. Use sour orange or trifoliata.

Millet

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2017, 03:00:16 PM »
I completely one hundred percent agree with Laaz, don't use lemon as the root stock.  As Laaz pointed out, the resulting fruit will not be of high quality.

cory

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2017, 06:44:51 PM »
Beautiful tree and fruit Laaz!
Cory

Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #8 on: March 04, 2017, 07:24:21 PM »
I'll cut some tomorrow to show you the flesh.

Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2017, 07:26:34 PM »
Also I have never tried rooting grapefruit. I'll cut a stick or two tomorrow & show you how I do it.

BajaJohn

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #10 on: March 04, 2017, 07:58:07 PM »
Millet and Laaz, thank-you very much for your feedback. As I noted, this is a new venture for me.

Maybe the rootstock isn't lemon. The source is new growth from the base of an existing tree that is producing a good and tasty crop of normal (valencia-like) oranges. When I 'inherited' this tree, it was full of lemon-like fruit. Their surface was somewhat rough - almost like big warts. The fruits were about 8-10 cm long and slightly smaller diameter. I was told by several locals that it was a wild lemon native to this region of Baja California. They looked somewhat like citrus macrophylla. I noted a single branch with an orange on it and concluded the tree was probably originally an orange grafted onto the 'lemon' rootstock. The tree had probably not had any attention for a decade or more and I assumed most of the growth was from the original rootstock. Over time I removed all of the 'lemon' bearing branches and now seem to have a magnificent orange bush. Now, unfortunately, I have no fruit to identify the rootstock.

Given that this bush already produces good oranges, do you think that the new growth from the rootstock of this bush may be a good source of new rootstock?


Citradia

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2017, 09:32:03 PM »
Bajajohn, maybe your "lemon rootstock " is  Swingle citrumelo? I think swingle fruit look like and taste like big lemons. It would have trifoliate leaves.

Galka

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #12 on: March 05, 2017, 12:22:52 AM »
Yes. Seedling citrus will be very thorny and have to grow up tall enough to reach the required node count to bloom. That's why those wild Florida oranges in the woods are so thorny all up and down their trunks and all the fruit is up high in the tree. The trees you buy from nursery are fruiting branches grafted onto a rootstock. In 6 to 10 years you will have a tall thorny tree that makes that grapefruit you love. At least you won't have to worry about protecting it from cold in Ocala.
Yes, it is thorny. I cut them off where I can get to them. The tree is still small maybe 5' or a little smaller. How tall it has to get to be able to fruit? And what is a node count?

Galka

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #13 on: March 05, 2017, 12:31:53 AM »
I have 2 ruby reds I grew from seed. Both started to flower at 5 years old. Both are about 25 ft now & loaded with fruit every year.
Laaz, your tree is beautiful.  I love Ruby Reds, they are sweeter than my Rio Reds. Do yours taste similar to the fruit you had and planted the seeds? How old is that tree on a picture? I spotted the variegated citrus (?) on the side of the grapefruit tree, what variety it is?

Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #14 on: March 05, 2017, 06:40:14 AM »
These fruit are much sweeter than the fruit I got the seed from, probably because store bought fruit is harvested way too early.

That variegated citrus is one of my blood oranges, never found a good place to plant it & it needs shade or the foliage burns...

Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #15 on: March 05, 2017, 07:03:16 AM »
Actually to the right of the grapefruit is also a variegated kumquat...

Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #16 on: March 05, 2017, 07:07:05 AM »
John your "lemon" rootstock is probably indeed swingle. Does it look like this?


Galka

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #17 on: March 05, 2017, 11:11:54 AM »
These fruit are much sweeter than the fruit I got the seed from, probably because store bought fruit is harvested way too early.

That variegated citrus is one of my blood oranges, never found a good place to plant it & it needs shade or the foliage burns...

Nice to hear. :) So there is a hope that mine will be at least close to the fruit I ate. Didn't see the kumquat on the right. Is it Centennial? I am crazy about the variegated foliage on citrus. Unfortunately, I can find only 2 varieties in my area. I have a Centennial kumquat and Minneola.

Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #18 on: March 05, 2017, 11:42:02 AM »
Yes it is Centennial kumquat.

Ruby red right off the tree this morning.


Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #19 on: March 05, 2017, 11:43:37 AM »
Blood clementines this morning.


Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #20 on: March 05, 2017, 11:52:31 AM »
Here is how I root cuttings. I'll give this grapefruit a shot...






Citradia

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #21 on: March 05, 2017, 01:19:43 PM »
Galka: "Yes, it is thorny. I cut them off where I can get to them. The tree is still small maybe 5' or a little smaller. How tall it has to get to be able to fruit? And what is a node count?"
Galka, I learned about node count on this forum. A tree grown from seed has to produce a certain numbers of leaf nodes growing up the length of the trunk/stem before it will bloom. I have a 10 ft tall Changsha mandarin that I've had in ground for about 4 years and just today noticed there is what looks like possible flower buds starting to show on the higher branches. The higher branches also are not as thorny as the lower body of the tree. I think Millet said on one of his posts that one of his seedlings bloomed at 7 ft tall, and Laaz noted that his ruby red grapefruit from seed blooming after 5 years on this thread/topic.
« Last Edit: March 05, 2017, 01:23:39 PM by Citradia »

cory

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #22 on: March 05, 2017, 03:05:10 PM »
Nice looking fruit to look forward to Laaz.

Cory

Laaz

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #23 on: March 05, 2017, 03:10:46 PM »
I just walk out the front door & pick them as I need them...

Millet

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Re: Grapefruit from seed
« Reply #24 on: March 05, 2017, 04:12:53 PM »
Laaz has a  horticulturalist magic hand.  He just waves his had over his trees and the grow and grow and grow....,,,