Author Topic: Sweet juicy grapefruit advice please. Or other suggestions...  (Read 2870 times)

chris1

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I am looking for a sweet and juicy grapefruit variety. I am looking for this because I have been eating ruby red grapefruit lately I have bought from the grocery store and they are excellent. I am fine planting this exact variety in my yard but I feel like it is a Home Depot tree and can't help but wonder if there is a better variety out there. I plan to keep the tree relatively small as in under 12 feet tall through pruning. I like a tree that is a reliable grower and isn't high maintenance. Also a long season for the fruit and hopefully fruit that stays on the tree a long time. If you think that something other than a grapefruit is a must have citrus I am open to those ideas also. Thanks in advance for all of your help.

AndrewAZ

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Re: Sweet juicy grapefruit advice please. Or other suggestions...
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2017, 01:10:32 AM »
Duncan is an old variety, but, does well in FL and supposedly has the truest, most grapefruit taste of any variety.  Fell out of variety due to seediness.
I have heard many people state that browns select satsuma mandarin is their favorite citrus.

SoCal2warm

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Re: Sweet juicy grapefruit advice please. Or other suggestions...
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2017, 03:32:28 AM »
Well there's nothing sweeter and juicier than a tangelolo (but that's more of a tangelo flavor than grapefruit).

You are right to be concerned that your citrus is a standard blah variety and question whether there's something better out there. However, in the case of grapefruit the standard ones are pretty much the best. Have you considered an Oroblanco grapefruit though?

My personal take on Oroblanco, it seems to have just a little less flavor and aroma than regular grapefruit, frustratingly, but the flavor it does have is excellent. They tend to have a bit less bitterness than other grapefruit (although I still think environmental factors make as much difference as variety here).

I might also add that some citrus enthusiasts are huge fans of Tahitian pummelo, if you like lime flavor. It's sweeter and juicier than other pummelos (probably because it's more like a grapefruit than a true pummelo).
« Last Edit: July 17, 2017, 03:43:12 AM by SoCal2warm »

chris1

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Re: Sweet juicy grapefruit advice please. Or other suggestions...
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2017, 12:21:32 PM »
Duncan is an old variety, but, does well in FL and supposedly has the truest, most grapefruit taste of any variety.  Fell out of variety due to seediness.
I have heard many people state that browns select satsuma mandarin is their favorite citrus.


Thanks for the suggestion. I have researched it and it does seem to be far more seedy than I would like but thank you for the suggestion. As for the brown's satsuma I may need to grow one of those as well. Seems like it can easily be kept small which opens up some new potential locations for me to plant one. Thanks for the suggestion I will be researching this further. 

chris1

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Re: Sweet juicy grapefruit advice please. Or other suggestions...
« Reply #4 on: July 17, 2017, 12:28:00 PM »
Well there's nothing sweeter and juicier than a tangelolo (but that's more of a tangelo flavor than grapefruit).

You are right to be concerned that your citrus is a standard blah variety and question whether there's something better out there. However, in the case of grapefruit the standard ones are pretty much the best. Have you considered an Oroblanco grapefruit though?

My personal take on Oroblanco, it seems to have just a little less flavor and aroma than regular grapefruit, frustratingly, but the flavor it does have is excellent. They tend to have a bit less bitterness than other grapefruit (although I still think environmental factors make as much difference as variety here).

I might also add that some citrus enthusiasts are huge fans of Tahitian pummelo, if you like lime flavor. It's sweeter and juicier than other pummelos (probably because it's more like a grapefruit than a true pummelo).

I don't know much of anything about pummelo or tangelo. I will need to research that. I would love to sample an oroblanco somewhere but they don't seem to be commercially available.

SoCal2warm

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Re: Sweet juicy grapefruit advice please. Or other suggestions...
« Reply #5 on: July 17, 2017, 02:33:51 PM »
I don't know much of anything about pummelo or tangelo. I will need to research that.
You've never had a Minneola tangelo? They're usually available in January. 
Tangelolo is a cross between a tangelo and a grapefruit. It's kind of a rare variety to be able to find though.

I would love to sample an oroblanco somewhere but they don't seem to be commercially available.
The flavor of Oroblanco is much like Duncan, although like I mentioned before the flavor is a little more subtle. They are very sweet, and most people who try them like them more than other grapefruits. Probably the only reason they are not more commercially popular is because of their appearance, the outside is a pale yellow color and oftentimes may not be all the way completely yellow but they are still ripe inside. I guess not having a golden orange exterior or a pink inside makes them less visually appealing to the consumer compared to other common grapefruits.

Ilya11

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Re: Sweet juicy grapefruit advice please. Or other suggestions...
« Reply #6 on: July 17, 2017, 04:01:09 PM »
I tasted many times Sweetie (Oroblanco produced in Israel).
 It is sweet but totally blunt in taste, nothing to do with flavor of Duncan.
Best regards,
                       Ilya

Mike T

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Re: Sweet juicy grapefruit advice please. Or other suggestions...
« Reply #7 on: July 22, 2017, 06:26:22 PM »
Star Ruby and Rio Red are better then ruby red in my opinion if you like them sweet. Make sure they are fertilised with lots of K, have sufficient Ca and Zn for good taste.

Millet

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Re: Sweet juicy grapefruit advice please. Or other suggestions...
« Reply #8 on: July 22, 2017, 10:03:26 PM »
I yearn for the old days when white grapefruit where king.  I like white a great deal more then the reds.  Red have lost the bite of a white grapefruit, and they are much to sweet for what grapefruit stood for.   Thank to God I planted a seedless Marsh in the ground 3 years ago.   Last year the tree had two fruit, which were wonderful when left hanging on the tree until March.  This year the tree is producing 7 fruit.  Think next year as a 4 year old tree perhaps 15 to 20????   The trick is to leave them on the tree until March or April.  Grapefruit aren't supposed to taste like candy.

Mike T

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Re: Sweet juicy grapefruit advice please. Or other suggestions...
« Reply #9 on: July 23, 2017, 07:49:14 AM »
I try the grapefruit grown in commercial citrus areas 2500km pole-ward of me and think no. There is too much acid and a funny taste I can describe only as a taint. I find locally grown grapefruit more agreeable and my palate for grapefruit has been shaped by eating more pomelo than grapefruit as a youngster. It is my reference and grapefruit fall short because I grew up with pomelo and like pomelo better. The ideal acid to sugar balance is subjective as is the richness of other flavours and probably has a lot to do with experiences and personal preferences. I do know that grapefruit is diminishing compared to other citrus and in my neck of the woods at least its market share is nothing like it used to be.

Millet

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Re: Sweet juicy grapefruit advice please. Or other suggestions...
« Reply #10 on: July 23, 2017, 11:28:16 AM »
Mike T, your correct when you wrote "grapefruit is diminishing", as is many citrus varieties, due to Citrus Greening.  Florida production is only a shell of what it used to be, as Greening disease continually takes its toll.  Now the disease is in Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Mexico, and now showing up in  California.  BUT --- I got my tree, and it is growing in Colorado where it is impossible for the psyllid to live.