Grapefruit tree not producing

[CanNeverGrowAnything]

Hey, I've had this grapefruit tree for about 7 years, that yes, I did grow from a seed. Well It's been growing just great, it's about 12 ft tall and green all around. However, its never made a single grapefruit! Its just a big spiny tree in my backyard (oh, and I live in South Texas which is supposed to be great for grapefruit). Any ideas? or is it just never going to because its a hybrid :( ....

[Eric La Fountaine]

I have never grown citrus, but from reading the forums I would say give it a couple more years (I think 9 years is the maturity required for fruiting) and look into the purchase of a fertilizer specifically for citrus.

I have heard of grapefruit trees producing around 4 years old, so maturity may not be the problem. In order for a tree to fruit you must "trick" it into fruiting which CAN be done. This winter you should leave you're grapefruit tree out for about 4-6 hours during the coolest of winter days. Do not worry about cold chill because it takes a lot to kill a grapefruit tree and will suffer no damage from temperatures between 30-35 degrees. Once your tree had experienced the "winter chill" for about two weeks move the plant into warmer weather which would indicate spring to the tree causing bloom, thus, creating fruit.

hope this helps and good luck

[Millet]

your grapefruit tree will certainly bloom and fruit once the juvenility period ends and the tree then becomes mature. Seedling grapefruit and oranes require 8-15 years to flower. The protracted period of non-flowering in seedlings is called juvenility. Cold weather shocks have nothing to do with the tree fruiting. Kyle's timing of 3 or 4 years to bloom is correct for BUDDED OR GRAFTED grapefruit, not seedlings. For your information the juvenile period for mandarins is only 5 years. Lemon seedlings require only 2-3 years to fruit and Key Limes 1 to 2 years. Your 9 year old tree has from about now to 6 more years before fruiting begains. - Millet

[david laffitte]

Seedling citrus tends to revert to a poor quality, often inedible fruit All citrus nursery stock is grafted; the root stock is resistant to disease and the grafted scion determines the type and quality of the fruit. Your best bet is to go to a nursery and purchase a new grapefruit tree. It's possible you could graft cuttings from the new tree to your seedling, but that is a bit tricky.

For further info on citrus I recommend the univerity of florida citrus educaation & reseach center: http://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/

DL