The tree is from a seed I took from a ruby red grapefruit I was eating. The flowering stage is over with fruit appearing. The fruit is still small but I was wondering from these pictures if someone could confirm it is a grapefruit?
By looking at the small fruitlets, it is not possible to determine that they are grapefruit. However, looking at the your tree's leaf structure, especially the petiole, which shows the broad, oblanceolate or obovate wings, it is very possible that the tree could be a grapefruit. If indeed it is a grapefruit, and I believe it is, you are an EXTREMELY rare indoor containerized grapefruit grower to ever get such a tree to fruit. I have been around citrus a long time, and personally I have never heard of another person to achieve fruit production with a containerized indoor grapefruit tree. Therefore, I have a couple questions. (1). How old is the tree? (2) How large of a container is the tree presently growing in? ( 3) How tall is the tree. (4) What percentage of time does it spend indoors. (5) What is the tree's indoor environment's location. Because of the rarity of the situation, I must withhold 100 percent belief, that indeed it is a grapefruit, but from the leaf structure it certainly looks like it could be. - Millet (1,394-)
I believe the tree to be around 3 years old give or take a few months but know for sure it is less the five years old. The container now is approx. 2 ft around and 2.5 feet high. It was in a 1 foot around and 1 foot high container until February sometime. The roots broke the old pot. The tree is around 7 ft tall. The trunk at the dirt level is about 2 inch aroud and I had to tie some branches as necessary to make a circle around the trunk because of the width. Some of the top branches have reach the glass roof and are being redirected. I live in MA near the MA, RI, and Conn border so I have kept the tree indoors at all times although it is next to the out door enterence. The sunroom is all glass except for the support beams and gets the sunlight from sunrise to sunset. It is part of the house so temperture is mid 60 at night and 70 day time during the winter but from mid March until aircondition is turn on in June I use the room for passive solar heat for the house during the day. It can get to 90 or higher if I am not careful. I give the tree about a third of a gallon of water every day and tree food about one a month.
Something is not right here. A 3 year old seedling grapefruit tree, that is container grown, kept indoors year around, and has grown to 7 feet tall, and producing fruit in such a short time. Not possible. - Millet (1,394-)
Here is a picture of the whole tree. Maybe the fruit will fall off before maturity. Could this be some type a dwarf variety?
Well, I must say your tree defies all the natural laws that a grapefruit is subject to, A grapefruit planted from seed in an optimal environment such as Southern Florida, or Southern California takes between 12 to 15 years to become a mature tree capable of blooming and fruiting. You must be mistaken about the age of the tree, or your pulling our leg. Because your tree was planted from seed it cannot be a dwarf variety. Dwarf trees result from a standard citrus variety being grafted upon a special dwarfing rootstock such a Flying Dragon Trifoliate Orange. I would guess that the chance of at least one of the small fruitlets remaining attached and growing into a mature fruit, is greater than 50:50. - Millet (1,393-)
I planted two seeds just to see what would happen and terminated one because of a space issues. I am not pulling your leg. The sunroom itself is only 10 to 12 years old that we put on as an addition. I can not explain it either, As the fruit get bigger I will post another thread with photo. The plant food I use for the tree is mirco grow all purpose plant food. Can there be something special in it to cause this?
