Mandalo Grapefruit Plants

[nicky116]

I have several Mandalo aka Cocktail Grapefruit trees grown from seed. Are these "true" and will they eventually bear fruit? Trees are currently 2 feet high, about 3 yrs old to date.

[vanman]

Did your seed push one plant per seed or multiple (2 or more) plants per seed?  If it was just one then it is probably monoembryonic  an will no be true to type.  If it were multiple usually the first and the strongest plant is the clone.  My dad in S. Cal. planted some pummelo seeds and they have never fruited in over 25 years.  However, I think my uncle in N. Cal. also planted some seeds, and he had fruit in about 5 years. 

I've tried to graft onto my dad's tree.  The graft stays green, but it will not push.  I've tried bark grafts as well as cleft grafts. It's hard to take care of them, when I only see them every 6 months at the most ( the trees and grafts that is).  That pummelo is about 20-30 feet tall and it's been cut back.  It also has some wicked thorns. 

[Millet]

the Mandalo Pommelo is a trigenic  citrus fruit, meaning it has three different parents in its history, which are the Dancy Mandarin, King Tangor and Siamese Sweet Pommelo.  Of the three parents it is known that the King and the pommelo parents do not come true from seed.  Therefore, it is almost certain, at least in my mind, that Mandalo Pummelo seed will not produce true.  What ever grows from a Mandalo Pummelo seed it could take between 5 to 10 years or even longer before the tree matures and begins bloomng. Probably closer to 10+ years. - Millet

[nicky116]

OK, thanks for the reply(s). I will use my small Mandalo trees for rootstocks and then purchase a grafted Mandalo for fruiting.