grapefruit tree questions/never bloomed

Discussion in 'Citrus' started by debby156, Jan 1, 2009.

  1. debby156

    debby156 Member

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    hello, i am so glad to have found this site. i have a few questions, but here is a little backround on my tree.
    we started this tree from a seed inside a grapefruit that was already starting to sprout. we actually had several ( from a box of grapefruits given to us as a gift) and planted them all separately about 20 yrs ago. 3 of them we gave away after they started to grow and this one we kept. initially i was told that it would never bear fruit as it had to be pollinated with "another grapefruit tree" so we have never tried to grow fruit. anyway, my husb has always been interested in getting it to bloom but it has never bloomed on its own. since we live in nj we have it indoors every winter and usually put it out in full sun from may till oct( frost at night) its about 6 ft tall and very spiney the past few yrs. the base of the main trunk is 2" diameter with many branches. our pot is only 16" diameter so maybe that is part of the problem( roots too dense) the height of the pot is 12". we have dirt all the way to the top and can now see the roots.

    besides not being able to bloom/ grow fruit i now have noticed a white powder substance on some leaves. its not alot but maybe is just starting on maybe about 5-10 leaves.. plus many of the leaves are found on the ground/ falling off.

    if anyone can help us i would greatly appreciate it. we have not had any other health issues with the tree except for occasional aphids when its outside ( sticky substance thats what i was told by the garden center when i had brought them a leaf to look at last summer) we sprayed w/systemic pesticide and washed the leaves before bringing it indoors and so far so good.

    thank you in advance...( i wish i would have found this site sooner!!)
     
  2. aesir22

    aesir22 Active Member

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    Hi there,

    Wish I could post something longer but am heading out and short on time! Do a search for 'grapefruit seed' or something along those lines on this forum and you will get a lot of responses. If it is in a container it probably won't fruit. Grapefruit need an enormous node-count (basically, leaves) before they reach maturity and flower, and this usually cannot be achieved unless the tree is in the ground. They start to bloom when they have grown REALLY big. Keeping it in a pot keeps it small - a twenty year old tree should be enormous by now.

    Sorry I don't have time to post more. A more experienced member will likely be able to answer your post more sufficiently.

    All the best!
     
  3. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Unfortunately, twenty years ago when you planted a Grapefruit seed, you made the worst possible choice of which variety of citrus seed to plant. Without going into the whole long story of how citrus varieties begin to bloom and fruit, Grapefruit requires the longest time. If your interested in learning the fruiting process of citrus, use the search function on this forum and search for the following words: node, nodes, grapefruit.

    As far as your friend telling you, " it would never bear fruit", your friend must not know anything about citrus. Any citrus variety, including Grapefruit, will bloom when the tree has grown the required number of nodes. Unfortunately for you, the node count is very high for Grapefruit. By the time a seedling Grapefruit tree reaches the required node count, the tree would be higher then your celling. A Grapefruit tree, the height required for fruiting, would require a container much larger than 16 inches wide. Further, citrus bloom ONLY ON NEW GROWTH, so if you have ever pruned your tree, you have removed the new growth. Any pruning of a citrus tree, therefore keeps the tree from ever blooming and fruiting. Also, a Grapefruit tree requires between 600 - 800 "cold" hours during the winter months befor it will fruit. The "cold" hours must be below 68F (20C), 60F (16C) is much better. If your tree does not receive the required cold hours, it will not fruit. Had you spent $20.00 dollars, twenty years ago, and purchased a grafted Grapefruit tree, you would have been eating fruit for 18 years now.

    Lastly, plant a Key lime seed, and receive fruit in 2-3 years, or a Mandarin seed and eat fruit in 5 years. Sorry for the bad news. Tell the tree I wish it well. - Millet
     
  4. debby156

    debby156 Member

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    wow i wishi had known all of this. as far as getting fruit we were told we needed a male( or female) tree - for pollination.. who the heck knows which we had? lol

    oh and as far as pruning we did it RELIGIOUSLY as the tree soon became too large for our house..thats one of the reasons we gave the other 3 away we d idnt have the space to keep them all. we have a small house with limited amt of space for light for the tree...in the winter it was kept in the family room which houses our woodburning fireplace( no way near in the 60 degree range) so im sure that didnt help either..

    but all the same we have had it almost as long as we have been married and my husband is very sentimental about it. we have even used it as a christmas tree some years when we couldnt fit both in the house hanging lights and a few ornaments( ouch!)

    so am i correct that you are supposed to let it go dormant in winter ( we have a brugmansia plant that does the same thing thats why i ask)??? if it was to bloom?

    thank you for all the helpful info i really appreciate it.

    now what about the white powdery stuff? co;uld it be mildew? its only on a few leaves. i have never seen this before occasionally they have a black dirty look to them which wipes off easily but i have never seen this white stuff. its not thick or cottony looking ( someone else asked me this)

    what about a lemon tree do they get big?
     
  5. Millet

    Millet Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    The information you were told, "we needed a male( or female) tree", is also wrong. There is no such thing as a male and female citrus tree. A citrus tree produces complete flowers, that contain both the male and female sexual organs. The Grapefruit tree that you have is fully capable of fruiting, as it is, it does not need another tree. Citrus trees really never actually go "dormant". They do stop growing at temperatures below 55F (13C), but are not dormant in the true sense of the word. You do not have to let the tree go dormant, but you do need to keep the tree below 68F (around 60 would be better), for the required number of hours during the winter, if you want fruit. You also absolutely must stop pruning the tree in order to obtain fruit. A far as the white stuff, I have no idea with out seeing it. As it is just on a couple branches just wash it off with a dilute soapy water. - Millet
     
  6. debby156

    debby156 Member

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    thanks for the info..you have been a great help to solve the "mystery"...
     
  7. Xochipilli

    Xochipilli Member

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    I keep reading about, so many nodes and not to prune your tree.
    I guess many people go and build a green house. But some of us do not feel so committed. I do care about fruit, but is cheaper to get it from the store. What is not possible to get is the fragrance of the flowers. I did prune my trees for at least three years.
    After seven years one started to bloom. That is correct, blooms come on new branches. This citrus variety is a sweet lemon, which grows the size of an orange. The foliage is very aromatic. I use the leaves for tea. I started to fertilize them last year. I used heavy phosphorus fertilizer to induce flowering early spring and summer and nothing happened. At fall before I brought them in I used fertilizer heavy in Nitrogen, which is appropriate for plants that love acidic soil. So do not give up. I have a tangerine with lots of foliage five feet tall, same age, and still does not have bloom yet.
     

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  8. aesir22

    aesir22 Active Member

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    Trees must reach a certain node count before they will flower and fruit. Pruning inhibits fruiting in two way - firstly, it reduces the node count. Secondly, flowers do not grow on old wood, so you need new growth for flowers. Some light pruning here and there may not do too much damage, but it will set the tree back.

    As for the grapefruit, Xochilpilli is right. Do not be disheartened and neglect the tree and give up. But do not expect fruit if it stays in the container. I think it really would need to be in the ground. If you like it as it is but want fruit, keep caring for it, and plant some key lime seeds (will flower in around 2 years) or lemons, which flower in 3 - 5 years. Or bypass that and buy a grafted one from a garden nursery. I personally do both :)
     

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