Author Topic: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit  (Read 12638 times)

bsbullie

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #25 on: October 30, 2015, 10:51:15 PM »
No matter what you do, a young 4 year old container grapefruit tree will not produce all that quality of a fruit.  It is just too young.  However, with grapefruit, most authorities say to leave the fruit hang on the tree until March for the best tasting fruit. The commercial grapefruit industry picks their fruit as soon as possible to get the fruit on the market so they can receive payment.  If they would delay the harvest until March, many more people would like grapefruit than do now. - Millet

Not all grapefruit is handled that way.  Different types/varieties ripen at different times.  The reds are later in the season, or into mid to late spring of the following year while the whites are earlier in the season (weather plays a bigger role in quality with any citrus, you need to have the cold spells to sweeten them up and improve the quality ).  I have never seen any benefit of leaving some of the early season whites hang on the tree for months.  No matter how long you let a white stay on the tree, it will never have the characteristics of a good red.  Then there is the matter of personal preference,  some like whites better and some like reds better.
- Rob

sugar land dave

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #26 on: October 30, 2015, 11:23:34 PM »
No matter what you do, a young 4 year old container grapefruit tree will not produce all that quality of a fruit.  It is just too young.  However, with grapefruit, most authorities say to leave the fruit hang on the tree until March for the best tasting fruit. The commercial grapefruit industry picks their fruit as soon as possible to get the fruit on the market so they can receive payment.  If they would delay the harvest until March, many more people would like grapefruit than do now. - Millet

Not all grapefruit is handled that way.  Different types/varieties ripen at different times.  The reds are later in the season, or into mid to late spring of the following year while the whites are earlier in the season (weather plays a bigger role in quality with any citrus, you need to have the cold spells to sweeten them up and improve the quality ).  I have never seen any benefit of leaving some of the early season whites hang on the tree for months.  No matter how long you let a white stay on the tree, it will never have the characteristics of a good red.  Then there is the matter of personal preference,  some like whites better and some like reds better.
My Rio Red are pretty tasty in early April though they taste pretty good as early as late February.  I've taken the last fruit off the tree as late as early June and it was still good.

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #27 on: October 31, 2015, 12:02:38 PM »
I remember when Dr. Malcolm Manners wrote that the very best tasting grapefruit he ever ate was a Marsh, which is a white grapefruit variety,  that was left hanging on the tree until the month of March.  I have a young in ground Marsh grapefruit tree, and I'm waiting for the day that I can try the same experience that Dr. Manners had. - Millet

cory

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #28 on: November 01, 2015, 03:03:25 PM »
Thank you Millet and the others who replied to my post.  I will leave the fruit on longer.
Cory

BahamaDan

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #29 on: November 05, 2015, 09:46:15 AM »
Does the comment Rob made about all citrus needing cold spells to sweeten them up apply to grapefruit? I thought it was high heat units that gave them their sweetness.

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #30 on: November 05, 2015, 11:49:34 AM »
The reason that Florida and South Texas grapefruit taste so good and sweet is due to the heat.  Further, due to the high humidity of both areas, the night time temperature remains high providing the fruit with a 24 hour day of warm temperatures.  This type of climate, along with leaving the fruit on the tree until full maturuity is what makes grapefruit sweet. - Millet
« Last Edit: November 05, 2015, 11:51:05 AM by Millet »

brettay

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #31 on: November 05, 2015, 10:23:18 PM »
I am going to experiment with growing grapefruit here in northern California.  Our climate is certainly not the ideal for growing grapefruit.  Despite our long warm summers, the humidity is low and the nights are cool. I am currently producing a grafted Duncan grapefruit tree.  This is the original Florida grapefruit and by many reports is one not the most delicious.  It is also evidently high in sugar.  My plan is to leave the grapefruits hanging on the tree (once the tree is relatively mature) for as long as possible.  I have heard reports of people letting them hang on the tree for 2 or more years.  I am very interested to see what I get.  It still probably won't be as good as Texas and Florida grapefruit, but experimenting is fun.

Julien999

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #32 on: November 06, 2015, 02:21:37 PM »

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #33 on: November 08, 2015, 02:51:41 PM »
All citrus respond to heat, but grapefruit especially so.  Environmental factors affect the composition and quality of grapefruit.  The importance of temperature to grapefruit growth has been strikingly demonstrated.  Grapefruit is outstanding in the difference in time required for the fruit to mature under different climatic conditions.  Flower buds on the trees come to full bloom and set fruit at approximately the same time at Riverside California and Brawley, California, but about 15 months are required to mature the fruit at Riverside and only about 7 to 8 months at Brawley.  The shortening of the time required at Brawley is chiefly owing to the excessive heat units, which accelerate the reactions of growth and elaboration of food materials. 

Millet

Millet

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #34 on: November 08, 2015, 02:54:45 PM »
All citrus respond to heat, but grapefruit especially so.  Environmental factors greatly affect the composition and quality of grapefruit.  The importance of temperature to grapefruit growth has been strikingly demonstrated.  Grapefruit is outstanding in the difference in time required for the fruit to mature under different climatic conditions.  Flower buds on the grapefruit trees come to full bloom and then set fruit at approximately the same time at Riverside California as trees growing in the Imperial Valley of southern at Brawley, California, but about 15 months are required to mature the fruit at Riverside and only about 7 to 8 months at Brawley.  The shortening of the time required at Brawley is chiefly owing to the excessive heat units, which accelerate the reactions of growth and elaboration of food materials. 

Millet
« Last Edit: November 08, 2015, 03:19:01 PM by Millet »

mrtexas

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #35 on: November 11, 2015, 03:34:08 PM »
No matter what you do, a young 4 year old container grapefruit tree will not produce all that quality of a fruit.  It is just too young.  However, with grapefruit, most authorities say to leave the fruit hang on the tree until March for the best tasting fruit. The commercial grapefruit industry picks their fruit as soon as possible to get the fruit on the market so they can receive payment.  If they would delay the harvest until March, many more people would like grapefruit than do now. - Millet

Not all grapefruit is handled that way.  Different types/varieties ripen at different times.  The reds are later in the season, or into mid to late spring of the following year while the whites are earlier in the season (weather plays a bigger role in quality with any citrus, you need to have the cold spells to sweeten them up and improve the quality ).  I have never seen any benefit of leaving some of the early season whites hang on the tree for months.  No matter how long you let a white stay on the tree, it will never have the characteristics of a good red.  Then there is the matter of personal preference,  some like whites better and some like reds better.

Best grapefruit I ever ate was a Brandenton, Florida duncan white picked in April at Mixon fruit stand. Yumm, way better than a red IMHO. I like the pinks as well.
« Last Edit: November 11, 2015, 03:40:04 PM by mrtexas »

mrtexas

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #36 on: November 11, 2015, 03:39:00 PM »
I am going to experiment with growing grapefruit here in northern California.  Our climate is certainly not the ideal for growing grapefruit.  Despite our long warm summers, the humidity is low and the nights are cool. I am currently producing a grafted Duncan grapefruit tree.  This is the original Florida grapefruit and by many reports is one not the most delicious.  It is also evidently high in sugar.  My plan is to leave the grapefruits hanging on the tree (once the tree is relatively mature) for as long as possible.  I have heard reports of people letting them hang on the tree for 2 or more years.  I am very interested to see what I get.  It still probably won't be as good as Texas and Florida grapefruit, but experimenting is fun.
I believe that experiment has been done already. You will get sour grapefruit. Better to grow oroblanco or melogold in northern CA.

brettay

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Re: Picked 1st Dekopon Fruit
« Reply #37 on: November 11, 2015, 07:33:29 PM »
I am going to experiment with growing grapefruit here in northern California.  Our climate is certainly not the ideal for growing grapefruit.  Despite our long warm summers, the humidity is low and the nights are cool. I am currently producing a grafted Duncan grapefruit tree.  This is the original Florida grapefruit and by many reports is one not the most delicious.  It is also evidently high in sugar.  My plan is to leave the grapefruits hanging on the tree (once the tree is relatively mature) for as long as possible.  I have heard reports of people letting them hang on the tree for 2 or more years.  I am very interested to see what I get.  It still probably won't be as good as Texas and Florida grapefruit, but experimenting is fun.
I believe that experiment has been done already. You will get sour grapefruit. Better to grow oroblanco or melogold in northern CA.

I knew there would be someone who dismissed the experiment.  I truly doubt that anyone has taken a relatively mature Duncan grapefruit in Northern California and left the fruit to hang on the tree for 2+ years.  I already grow Oroblanco and Melogold.  They are OK.  Nothing to write home about.  Without experimenting and pushing the envelope we never expand our knowledge of what is possible.

-Brett