My boyfriend has a grapefruit tree that has 4 large grapefruit on it, and we don't know when to pick them! Neither of us likes grapefruit, but we have friends that are very excited to receive them. Can anyone tell us if there is a magic time to pick them? Also, at Christmas time we noticed a new grapefruit, dark green and about the size of a golf ball. It is still growing, and we are quite confused as to why this tree would start bearing fruit again now. We live in very Northern WI/Upper Michigan, and the tree is outside during the summer and brought in during the winter (obviously!).
Grapefruits and other citrus do not actually become "ripe," as do other fruits. Instead they slowly mature, as the acid (mostly citruc acid) converts to sugars. Red grapefruit (other than 'Star Ruby' and 'Burgundy') will be edible by November 15, decent by Christmas, wonderful by late January, and then better and better after that until they drop from the tree. 'Star Ruby' becomes edible around Christmas; fairly good by the end of January, and then never does get to be extraordinary. Burgundy becomes edible around March 1; decent by April 1, and never really good. Of the whites: 'Duncan' is ok by Christmas, Good by February 1, and excellent after March 15. By late May, 'Duncan' is perhaps the finest flavored grapefruit in existence. Then around June 15, the seeds begin to germinate inside the fruit, and it develops a strange, flowery off-taste. 'Marsh' is edible by February 15, fairly good by March 15, and excellent after April 15. It, too, continues to improve all the way into June. The grapefruit hybrids traditionally considered grapefruit (Royal, Isle of Pines, Triumph), all become edible in early November, pretty good by mid-December, and very good after January 1. Note: What makes grapefruit sweet and excelent in the quality of taste is long hot summers and fall with high humidity (which continues to keep night temperatures warm), These date are for areas where greapfruit are normally grown. In your area (especially as your tree is an indoor grown tree) can be different. Due to the temperature and LOW HUMIDITY that indoor grapefruit trees are subject to, your fruit may never atain the excellent taste mentioned above. - Millet
Thank you for your input. I guess we'll just wait and see, and I'll have to ask him if he knows what kind of tree it is. I highly doubt it, but I'll ask! We sure have fun with it, and we also have an orange tree that just bloomed and had about 30 oranges on it. They have almost all fallen off, but at least we know it can produce. My son planted a clementine seed 3 years ago and that little tree is humming along nicely, too.
Hopeful gardner, don't worry about the small fruitlets falling from your orange tree. It is very normal for a citrus trees to drop 95 to 98 percent of there blooms/fruitlets. Normally, only about 2 - 4 percent of the blooms/fruitlets will ever remain and become mature fruit. Clementines do not come true from seed, so you will not get a tree identical to the the mother tree. However, you will get a clementine type of fruit. Clementine trees grown from seedl usually produce fruit of infearior quality than the mother tree, but sometimes can produce fruit of a higher quality than the mother tree. I think it is great that your son is growin his own tree. - Millet
The clementine tree was fate, pure and simple. PJ planted it in the spring of 2003. He joined the MI National Guard in November of 2004. By the beginning of February 2005 the poor tree was a dead stick, with no leaves and a very dry trunk. I had gotten busy and no one else bothered to water the plants while he was away. On February 13 he called to say he was being deployed to Afghanistan in March right after he graduated from basic training. The week of February 21, my daughter was yelling at me from the living room. Seems our little clementine tree heard the scary news and had little leaflets all up and down the dead stem. Believe me, I baby this thing now! Call me strange, but I took it as a sign, and so far my son is safe and due to come home from Afghanistan in April or May. I do love that tree! It is kind of spindly, tho. It is about 2' high or so and has a few branches on it, but I can't get it to bulk up at all. Any thoughts? The orange tree is doing great, and we love it when it is in bloom. As small as it is, those flowers smell great!
Some of the top critical needs of a containerized citrus tree are. (1) Excellent draining soil. (2) Keep a temperature balance between the foliage portion of the tree and the root system/growing medium of the tree. If the foilage is placed directly in the path of the suns rays (such as in front of a south facing window), then be sure to keep the soil temperature above 55F (64F would be much better). 55.4-F is absolute zero for citrus. Roots do not function at temperatures at or below 55F. The leaf's surface themperature when a tree is placed in a southern window with full direct sunshine, can reach temperatures near or above 100F. These temperatures call for water from the roos for evaporation through the stomata of the leaves in order to cool the leaf surface. If the tree's roots are at or below 55.4F they cannot, and do not, fuction, and no water is sent to the foliage. The leaves over heat and this many times results in the tree dropping most, or all of it leaves, trying to get back into balance. (3) DO NOT OVER WATER (Probably the number one killer of small containerized citrus trees). Let the top two inches of the soil become dry before watering again. (4) Fertilize once a month with a fertilizer that also contains trace minerals. Fertilize at 1/2 rate from November through February. (5) Enjoy the tree. Take care, and THANK your son for his service to our country, and thanks to his mother also. - Millet
Hopeful gardener It's nice to see another Northern Michigan Citrus Grower. Crystal Falls is just East of me. I live in Wakefield. You've been giving some pretty sound advice. I'll have to visted UBC a bit more to see how you are making out. And Welcome to UBC Garden Forums. Good luck and keep us posted....