Author Topic: Found a grapefruit tree  (Read 1543 times)

SonnyCrockett

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Found a grapefruit tree
« on: December 03, 2017, 07:59:50 PM »
My neighbor's big "ligustrums" have grapefruit!   :o. It's extremely rare to see anyone else around here with citrus trees planted outside, especially this size and unprotected in a zone 8a/b border area.  In fact, no one I know of has in-ground citrus around here.  The trees are pretty large with trunks probably 7" across.  I'm just amazed I've never noticed them before and that they survive unprotected. 



mrtexas

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Re: Found a grapefruit tree
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2017, 09:02:56 PM »
Really, I thought Charleston was pretty close to the coast?

SonnyCrockett

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Re: Found a grapefruit tree
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2017, 09:37:52 PM »
Really, I thought Charleston was pretty close to the coast?

About 2 years ago, I moved to a little town called Summerville, SC.  It's about a 35 minute drive NW of Charleston.  More inland.

I've seen a few decent sized trees in downtown Charleston on the peninsula.  But that's got it's own climate being nearly surrounded by water near the ocean.  There's even an "Orange Street" on the peninsula where there used to be an Orange grove long ago, but the story was the grove was killed one winter and never replanted.  It's all developed now though.

I've also seen one decent sized grapefruit tree on James Island, but nothing inland.

Citradia

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Re: Found a grapefruit tree
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2017, 06:31:03 PM »
That's neat. I wonder what type of grapefruit it is. Is the tree on the southern side of the house? I bet the branches overhanging the house like the heat that radiates from the roof in winter.

SoCal2warm

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Re: Found a grapefruit tree
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2017, 12:17:25 PM »
It is also thought that trees grown on their own roots may be better able to survive than nursery trees growing on typical grafted rootstock, probably because trees growing on their own roots have more vigor. (of course that can also mean a long wait time until the tree reaches fruiting maturity)

Millet

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Re: Found a grapefruit tree
« Reply #5 on: December 05, 2017, 03:35:41 PM »
I've seen  quite a few citrus trees in Charleston.  Lazz has four or five citrus trees growing outside at his home in North Charleston.  There is a lady with a large grapefruit tree in her back yard in Charleston that I know of, and Citrus Joe and I picked mandarins off of another tree in Charleston.    SouthCal2warm, I don't think growing a tree on it own roots, instead of various other rootstocks, necessarily makes a citrus more cold hardy..