Grapefruit 'Ruby'
Citrus paradisi
(Citrus x aurantium Syn: Citrus x paradisi)
Rutaceae family
Grafted
Named for its vibrant coloured flesh, this grapefruit has a thicker rind than white grapefruit but is sweeter and less tart. Pick when the skin turns a rich golden-yellow with a slight blush - generally in late winter to early spring.
Eat the fruit fresh, juiced, in salads, or use it to make marmalade. A popular way to enjoy the fruit is to cut it in half and drizzle with honey or sugar, before scooping with a spoon. It is also great for adding flavour to savoury dishes and sauces.
Grapefruit is a citrus hybrid that originated in Barbados in the 18th century. It is an accidental cross between the sweet orange and the pomelo or shaddock, both of which were introduced from Asia in the 17th century.
The tree will typically grow to 4-6m tall unless contained by pruning.
Tree Maintenance (Citrus)
Pruning
Citrus paradisi
(Citrus x aurantium Syn: Citrus x paradisi)
Rutaceae family
Grafted
Named for its vibrant coloured flesh, this grapefruit has a thicker rind than white grapefruit but is sweeter and less tart. Pick when the skin turns a rich golden-yellow with a slight blush - generally in late winter to early spring.
Eat the fruit fresh, juiced, in salads, or use it to make marmalade. A popular way to enjoy the fruit is to cut it in half and drizzle with honey or sugar, before scooping with a spoon. It is also great for adding flavour to savoury dishes and sauces.
Grapefruit is a citrus hybrid that originated in Barbados in the 18th century. It is an accidental cross between the sweet orange and the pomelo or shaddock, both of which were introduced from Asia in the 17th century.
The tree will typically grow to 4-6m tall unless contained by pruning.
Tree Maintenance (Citrus)
Pruning
- When mature, prune half the tree after harvest to keep it healthy and shaped.
- Remove dead, inward facing or crossing branches. Remove any suckers from the rootstock below the graft.
- During establishment, water slow and deep each fortnight, more often if very dry or hot. As it matures, the tree will become more drought tolerant.
- Watering may be needed when young fruit is forming.
- Spring: liquid seaweed, compost around drip line.
- Summer: Compost around drip line, poultry manure, worm wee (10:1).
- Autumn: liquid seaweed, compost around drip line, sulphate of potash, poultry manure.
- Avoid applying fertiliser while trees are preparing to flower, flowering and up until fruit are larger than marbles.
- Keep soil well mulched, leaving a gap around the trunk to avoid collar rot.
- Spray with horticultural oil if sap-sucking insects or scale occur (avoid spraying on days where temperatures may reach above 30°C, or foliage can become burnt). Black sooty mould on the leaves is a symptom of these pests; ants are also an indicator that there is a problem, as ants will farm and protect the insects in order to consume their sweet secretions.
Grapefruit 'Ruby' at LCG January 2025 (photo credit: Jacqui Lachmann)
Grapefruit 'Ruby' at LCG October 2023 (photo credit: Graham Bond)
