Valentine Pummelo

[Millet]

My Valentine pummelo tree seems to bloom somewhat year around   However, spring has the greatest bloom.  Last season I left the off season blooms develop fruit, and they matured in late summer to early fall, normally Valentine matures January/February.  These off season fruit did not color up at all. the pulp remained white.  Further the pulp was somewhat dry and granulized.  I'm sure the absents of color was due to the absence of cold temperatures. Colder temperatures is required because the colorization is due to one of its parents being a blood orange. From now on I am going to remove all off season flowers, and only let the spring bloom develop so that the fruit matures later in the winter.

[brian]

How low do temps need to be to count for chill hours for blood oranges and valentine pummelo?  I have my greenhouse heater set at 55F but I am thinking of dropping it to 45 next winter.

[sunny]

We never have cold temperature and our pomelo's are perfect....the red ones, pink, yellow.....

[Millet]

sunny, Valentine Pummelo is not a real pummelo.  It is a hybrid of pummelo, mandarin, and blood orange.  The red colorization of the Valentine is due to the blood orange, and blood oranges require cold temperatures to obtain the red color. 

[Millet]

Brian, I looked it up on Google, and I found for good coloration in citrus  night temperatures of 48F.  I'm no expert on anthocyanin's perhaps others can chime in.

[Oolie]

I really like the Valentine Hybrid.
Here is a link to some interesting info.

Basically if the pigment is from lycopene, consistent high temperatures are necessary for good color, like the star ruby grapefruit from the Gulf Coast, as well as Cara Cara oranges.

If the pigment is from anthocyanins, then the best color is achieved in a climate with significant day/night temperature variation.
Usually this happens where it is dryest at lower altitudes. Inland desert valleys on a cold current (West) coast are perfect.

[luak]

My Valentine pummelo tree seems to bloom somewhat year around   However, spring has the greatest bloom.  Last season I left the off season blooms develop fruit, and they matured in late summer to early fall, normally Valentine matures January/February.  These off season fruit did not color up at all. the pulp remained white.  Further the pulp was somewhat dry and granulized.  I'm sure the absents of color was due to the absence of cold temperatures. Colder temperatures is required because the colorization is due to one of its parents being a blood orange. From now on I am going to remove all off season flowers, and only let the spring bloom develop so that the fruit matures later in the winter.

Millet, when do you expect yours to ripen and does color effect the taste? You keep your greenhouse at higher temps now and during the winter months?

[Oolie]

In my experience in my climate, if a blood orange which is anthocyanin pigmented has a stronger color, it also has a stronger acidity, I find that the milder years yield milder fruit.

With blood oranges, I love their often striking acidity.

[brian]

Thanks for the information.  I am going to give 45F a try next year

[Millet]

I can tell you this from experience.  I grew a Moro Blood orange tree inside my greenhouse. Moro blood oranges turn red with the onset of low night temperatures because they contain the chemical anthocyanin. My tree was planted in the ground, and the greenhouse maintained a night temperature of 55-F.   Under these conditions the tree's fruit did not turn red.  In fact there was never any redness at all in the fruit.  For the best coloration maintain good day time temperatures, and lower temperatures through the night.  A secondary advantage of lower temperatures, would be a better floral bloom in the spring.

[Samodelkin]

Night 40F
Day 70F

C. clementina "amoa 8"

C. sinensis "Sanguinelli"

[Millet]

Samodelkin,  thank you for the pictures showing the fruit color one can get, and for listing your day/night temperatures.  Your post is an excellent example of the fruit coloration that can be achieved.  Great post.

[Millet]

Luak, I have been keeping my greenhouse night temperatures at 55F.  The greenhouse's current thermometer  has 55-f as its lowest setting.  As soon as I can get a new thermometer I will be changing my night temperatures to 40F.  This should help both with the Valentine pummelo, and also enhance the spring floral bloom.

[will2358]

I wish I could find the Amoa 8. I have looked and can not find it for sale in the USA.

[Bomand]

It is not available in the U S. Hard to come by.

[luak]

I have received bud wood from Millet and those pieces are now nice looking tree’s, having now a few fruits to try. Transporting my tree’s inside for winter storage, a couple of them got knock of, one still green and the other was already yellow. Eat the green one first, already sweet and very juicy, seedless.It has a little mandarin taste to me, the yellow one has a stronger mandarin taste. Very interesting in these almost ripe ones, will try more as they get more riper. Interior, no color, skin is smooth. It really doesn’t taste like grapefruit, whatever it is it is a keeper.

[pinkturtle]

Is ccpp has Scion for this seedless variety?
I have a white pummelo, but it is not seedless.