Your Grapefruit Tree Guide: Varieties and What They Love
Here at Winter Sweetz, we know all about grapefruit trees, and boy are we big fans! Grapefruit trees are awesome plants that can produce some seriously delicious fruit – but caring for one is no walk in the park!
Keep reading to learn more about grapefruit trees and how to plant and care for your own grapefruit tree from the team of professional grapefruit growers at Winter Sweetz!
Varieties of Grapefruit Trees in Texas
Texas is primarily home to a range of red grapefruit varieties. Red grapefruit are known for their smaller size and sweeter taste. Some of the red grapefruit tree varieties found in Texas include:
- Rio Red Grapefruit – We might be a bit biased, but we say this is the best grapefruit of the bunch. The Rio red grapefruit tree boasts the sweetest, juiciest, reddest fruit in the state.
- Ruby Red Grapefruit – Like Rio reds, ruby red grapefruit are also sweet with red flesh, but they tend to be less red and less sweet than their Rio red cousins.
- Henderson/Ray – This is another sweet red fruit, but it falls somewhere between the Rio red and Ruby red on the sweetness scale.
- Rio Star Grapefruit – A cross between a Rio red and star ruby grapefruit, this fruit is slightly larger and less sweet than a Rio red grapefruit.
How to Plant Grapefruit Trees
Caring for citrus trees can be challenging, but it’s well worth the effort for the fruit they grow. If you want to plant and grow your own grapefruit tree, you’ll need to keep the tree’s needs in mind.
Follow the tips below to keep your tree happy:
- Before planting your tree outside, you will most likely plant your seeds in a container and allow them to germinate and form a small plant.
- When transferring your young tree from its pot to the ground, be sure you give the plant plenty of room to grow: grapefruit trees tend to grow about 15 feet wide and 20 feet tall.
- You will also need to plant your tree in well-drained soil to protect the roots.
- Choose a location with full sun access to give your tree everything it needs to grow and produce fruit.
- Plant your tree on the south side of a building to protect it from freezing temperatures.
- When planting your tree, you will need to dig a planting hole that’s at least as large as the young tree’s root ball.
- When planted, the root ball should extend slightly above the soil line.
- The best time to plant is in the early spring.
- After you’ve planted your tree, water the surrounding soil to settle the roots.
Can You Plant a Grapefruit Tree Inside?
There are some varieties of grapefruit trees that can be grown inside, but the majority will grow too large to fit in pots. You can grow your newly planted tree inside, but it will need to be transferred to the ground eventually.
How to Care for Grapefruit Trees
Caring for your tree and fostering fruit production will be an ongoing job for you as owner of a grapefruit tree. The two key parts of ongoing tree care are watering and pruning.
Grapefruit trees typically like to be watered one to three times per week while they’re still a baby tree, but growing trees may need less water. Check the soil about one inch deep to determine whether or not the plant needs more water: if it’s dry, give it some moisture!
Next, wind and bad weather can cause damage to grapefruit trees, and it will be your job to prune those branches and protect the health of the tree.
Get the Highest Quality Grapefruits from Winter Sweetz!
We’ve all got that one thing we’re really good at, and at Winter Sweetz, our big skill is growing the happiest, healthiest grapefruit trees in Texas! The best fruits come from the best trees, and you can find the best grapefruit trees here at Winter Sweetz!
The Texas grapefruit season is over, but our delicious Rio red grapefruits will be back in stock before you know it! Make sure you’ll be in the know when our grapefruits are back by signing up for our newsletter today!
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