The Tropical Fruit Forum
Citrus => Citrus General Discussion => Topic started by: Millet on March 05, 2017, 04:20:15 PM
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My in ground Marsh grapefruit set its very first crop this year (4 fruit). All 4 are of good size. I'll pick my first ever Marsh this evening, and have it for tomorrow's breakfast. I let them hang on the tree until March to get fully mature. I know it will not taste like a grapefruit taken from a 10 year old tree, but it should be good. I'll know in the morning. Next year the tree should put on 15 to 20 fruit, followed a year after that by pretty much a full crop..
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One thing grapefruit need to be "excellent" is a lot of heat.
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Laaz your correct about the heat.. My in ground grapefruit tree is inside my greenhouse. The day time temperatures are most always high enough for grapefruit, and for the night I have always had the greenhouse thermometer set so the lowest temperature at night is 55-F.
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While we obviously get plenty of heat here in Florida, it takes at least one and usually best with multiple cold snaps (for Florida standards) to bring out the best in our grapefruit.
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The first grapefruit was good, considering it was the tree's first crop the young tree ever produced, but it was a little too tart.
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My in ground Marsh grapefruit set its very first crop this year (4 fruit). All 4 are of good size. I'll pick my first ever Marsh this evening, and have it for tomorrow's breakfast. I let them hang on the tree until March to get fully mature. I know it will not taste like a grapefruit taken from a 10 year old tree, but it should be good. I'll know in the morning. Next year the tree should put on 15 to 20 fruit, followed a year after that by pretty much a full crop..
Millet,
did you cull some of the fruitlets when they were still small; considering this is your tree's first crop? Need to know before my citrus trees are likely to have their first crops this year...Thanks!
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Samu, no I did not cull any fruit from the grapefruit tree. A citrus tree will retain only the amount of fruit it is capable to bringing to maturity. Besides at the time of the first fruiting the tree was approximately 3.5' high and 4 ' wide.
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Ok, thanks Millet!
When I planted my pummelo some 28 years ago (at our old house) I can't remember
if I cull/thin the fruitlets or not on it's first season fruiting, so this makes one thing
less to worry about! ;D
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Thanks for sharing your experience! Highlights how patient gardeners are! Glad to hear your grapefruit is doing well. :D