Growing Grapefruits
During the 17th century, the cultivation of pineapples fascinated
European gardeners. Vast heated pineapple stoves were specially
constructed to grow these exotic fruits, and it was considered the
ultimate symbol of luxury, fit for a king with the first fruit grown in
England presented to King Charles II in 1677 by his royal gardener John
Rose, kneeling before him with the fruit.
However, the challenge
of growing exotic fruit at Morton Hall in 2021 is slightly different as
it is not pineapples, we are growing but grapefruits.
Botanically
speaking, grapefruits are an interspecific hybrid between a Jamaican
sweet orange (Citrus x sinensis) and an Indonesian pomelo (Citrus
maxima). Citrus species hybridise frequently, and this natural hybrid
originated in Barbados after both species were introduced from Asia in
the 17th century. It was given the scientific name Citrus paradisi in
1830 but it wasn’t until the 1940’s that its true hybrid origins were
determined, and the name was updated to Citrus x paradisii to
acknowledge the cross between the two species. Today, around 9.3 million
tonnes of grapefruits are harvested annually with 53% of the fruits
grown in China.
The grapefruit tree at Morton Hall was grown from
a seed sown from a supermarket grapefruit over 15 years ago. The
consensus at the time was that this would not work. Now, to our utter
surprise, a large mature plant it has begun to flower and produce fruit!
Grapefruits
are evergreen subtropical trees and require a minimum temperature of
15°C throughout the year. In the UK, this means that grapefruits can
only be grown in a heated greenhouse. Over the past
year, we have
installed a Hotbox fan heater into our larger greenhouse to maintain a
minimum temperature during the colder winter months. Grown in a large
pot, we have also been regularly feeding with specialist citrus liquid
feeds in both the winter and the summer. During the summer months we
have been feeding on a weekly basis with a high nitrogen feed to
encourage vigour and avoid premature ripening, fruit drop and leaf
discolouration. We then applied a more balanced winter feed monthly from
October until March to prevent leaf fall and maintain the health and
vigour of the plant during the colder winter months. Aphids have been
the main pest affecting the grapefruit tree over the past year but a
regular spray with SB Plant Invigorator in the spring and jetting off
with water has stopped them from establishing and becoming a problem.
The grapefruit tree has produced 6 fruits over the past year, and we have supported the heavy developing fruits with soft nets to prevent the tearing and breaking of branches supporting the fruit and the fruit being broken off prematurely. There are three particularly large fruits that are ripening well on the tree, and we are hopeful with the help of the heated greenhouse and consistent feeding that they will ripen fully before the end of the year.