What are the care of potted grapefruit?

The grapefruit , whose scientific name is Citrus x paradisi , is an evergreen fruit tree that can be grown in a pot throughout its life . It has a rather slow growth rate, so it will be easy for you to control its development through pruning. And with a little care, I can assure you that it will give you an interesting amount of fruit.

Now, what are your basic requirements? As it is very important to know them, I am going to explain to you what the care of potted grapefruit is so that you do not miss anything.

Index

  • 1 What climate do you need?
  • 2 What substrate to use?
  • 3 How often to water and fertilize it?
  • 4 When and how to prune it?
  • 5 What pests and diseases can affect you?
  • 6 When is grapefruit harvested?

What weather do you need?

lovely grapefruit flowers

To be able to grow grapefruit successfully it is necessary that the climate is warm. Being a subtropical species, it does not tolerate strong frosts. It resists up to -5ºC, but it will be better if it does not go below -3ºC . But this has its positive side, and that is that it does not require hours of cold to flower or, therefore, to bear fruit.

It is convenient to place it in full sun , since if it is located in semi-shade, the production of flowers will be rather poor.

What substrate to use?

It grows in cool, deep, sandy or sandy loam soils with a pH between 6 and 7. When grown in pots, the following mixture can be used: 60% universal plant growing medium + 30% perlite, sand washed river or similar + 10% organic fertilizer such as earthworm humus .

Every 2-3 years we will have to transplant it to a larger pot, during the spring.

How often to water it and pay it?

plastic watering can

Watering has to be frequent during the warmer months of the year. The substrate must be prevented from drying out completely, so, in general, it will be watered 3-4 times a week in summer and every 4-5 days the rest of the year . In the event that we have put a plate under it, we will remove the excess water ten minutes after watering.

As for the subscriber, we must pay it from the beginning of spring to the beginning of autumn with liquid organic fertilizers , such as guano , following the instructions specified in the product packaging.

When and how to prune it?

The grapefruit has a tendency to have a ball-shaped crown, so what has to be done is to cut off those branches that have had excessive development, maintaining their shape. Now, this must be done after fruiting, since otherwise we will have a smaller harvest.

Likewise, dry, diseased or weak branches, and those that intersect must be removed.

What pests and diseases can affect you?

Red spider, a pest that can affect your grapefruit

Although it is quite resistant, it can be affected by:

  • Pests :
    • Red spider: it is a red mite that measures about 0.5cm. It feeds on leaf cells, causing discolored spots to appear.
      It can be removed with neem oil .
    • Ribbed cochineal: it is a parasite that we will find in the green stems and in the leaves. It has a cottony appearance and measures about 0.5cm.
      If there are few, they can be removed by hand with a brush, but if there are many, I recommend using paraffin oil insecticide (it is natural).
    • Citrus miner: it is a micro-lepidoptera that feeds on the tender shoots of these fruit trees.
      It is removed with neem oil or potassium soap .
  • Diseases :
    • Phytophthora fungus. It causes rotting of the roots and the consequent death of the plant. Fortunately, it can be prevented by controlling the risks and keeping the grapefruit well cared for.
    • Viruses and viroids (sadness virus, exocortis and psoriasis): they are microorganisms that cause the appearance of mosaics on the leaves. They have no cure. The best thing that can be done to prevent them is to acquire healthy specimens.

When is grapefruit harvested?

Grapefruit fruits are harvested between mid-autumn and early spring . Depending on the variety, it can be between October 1 and March 30, or between October 15 and March 30 (Northern Hemisphere).

Take care of your grapefruit so that it bears fruit

I hope that with all this information you can enjoy your potted grapefruit

What are the care of potted grapefruit?

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