Able to grow grapefruit on coast in Encinitas
Question from Karen:
Hello. I was wondering if you could tell me if it is possible to grow a grapefruit tree that will produce sweet, palatable fruit near the coast in Encinitas? I live within 1/2 mile from the coast so I definitely have the fog to contend with.
Answer from Pat:
Grapefruit trees will grow along the coast. If you fertilize correctly and if bees visit the tree they will bear fruit. The problem you are likely to encounter is that the fruit will be too sour to eat. The best grapefruit grow in the desert. There is another fruit, however, that is similar to grapefruit but much larger and that is the Pummelo from which grapefruits were originally hybridized. The best variety is ‘Chandler’. Some gardeners have grown ‘Chandler’ pummelos close to the coast and have enjoyed the fruit from them but they usually have to add a lot of sugar or honey to be able to eat them. The same fruit grown inland will need no sugar. Varieties of grapefruit said to require less heat than others include ‘Oroblanco’ and ‘Cocktail’, which is not actually a grapefruit but a cross between mandarin orange, tangelo, and grapefruit. It has greenish orange skin and a distinctive flavor, not as sweet along the coast but still worth a try. Sometimes it’s fun giving a plant a try. Choose the hottest and most protected spot you have, south-facing and surrounded by or next to reflective walls would be best. Give it a try and if you succeed you’ll be happy. If you can’t eat the fruit, you can always yank it out and plant something else.
Thank you so much for replying to message so quickly! I appreciate your help.
I had an oroblanco grapefruit in a pot growing in my driveway, which is full of sun and has lots of reflected heat but the fruit has never seemed to taste good. It didn’t eat it until it dropped from the tree (which I assume meant it was ripe) but it was still very sour….so I’m thinking maybe the microclimate where I live just isn’t the greatest for grapefruit maybe. All other citrus do well – ie., lime, tangerine, orange, in my yard.
So do you think that maybe because the grapefruit was in a pot it didn’t really have the chance to ripen properly? Maybe it would do better in the ground?
If I were you I would look for a low-heat grapefruit variety and try to get one grafted onto a “Flying Dragon” rootstock or do the grafting yourself if you can get the rootstock. ‘Flying Dragon’ citrus plants are available from TreeSource Citrus Nursery in Texas, a wholesale nursery. (You would have to purchase 100 plants). ‘Flying Dragon’ dwarfs citrus by 20% but it also makes fruit much sweeter. I have long thought all home-grown citrus should be on this root stock because then all home gardeners would have really sweet oranges and other citrus fruits. A lot of the trick is in the rootstock.
Plant your citrus in your hottest, most protected spot, and feed it with seaweed, compost, manure and bloodmeal. (This diet is what a citrus gardener I know feeds her trees and the fruit is delicious but she is also in the perfect climate and began with the finest varieties on the best rootstocks and that’s most likely the reason.)
I bet if you built a greenhouse around your tree by constructing a strong wooden frame covered with plastic, it would get hot enough inside even in Encinitas to turn the fruit sweet. Leave a hole in the top so the leaves don’t fry inside. It would be fun to try that and see if it works. It would be warm in there even on foggy days.
Another idea: why not attend a few meetings of the Rare Fruits Society. These folks know all about things like ‘Flying Dragon’ rootstocks and where to get one and what fruit trees grow where and how to make them sweet. Let me know if you learn more.