Wow, that is one extremely healthy 6" grapefruit, Mike!! Well done, and in a clay pot, too!! You must water this ittle guy twice a day. Such a happy camper. I have a grapefruit story: I was in Lowe's. Shopping for something else. Promising NOT NOT NOT to go home with any other citrus trees as I have 4 or 5 special ones coming my way from Bonita Creek Nursery. But, there was this little tree, very, very nice tree, with no label. I of course knew it was a grapefruit by the leaves. But figured no one else working there might know. Big, healthy in a 5 gal. pot. I asked on of the clerks how there were going to sell it if they couldn't identify it. The guy said, "Well, you can have it for 5 bucks." Well now. How could I resist that!?! Asked him where they were currently getting their citrus from (the trunk was tagged with red paint.) They told me Durlings. Called up Durlings and asked what grapefruit was coded with red. Well, Rio Red, of course. So, I have me a second, and very nice Rio Red, which will go on the front slope. For 5 bucks. Pretty sweet :-)

Patty S.

very nice!

Hey Mike, you are one heck of a master citrus grower. The grapefruit (like all of your other citrus) is just beautiful. I'm starting to use a a gritty mix based on Al's formula, but don't have enough fir bark so I use more turface. So far I've planted 3 small citrus trees in it and they are responding favorably to it. I'd like to plant my large lisbon lemon and large lime trees.

BTW, I tried your (and Toni's) fish emulsion (FE) solution on my scale ridden gardenia and 2 citrus trees and it really worked. The FE solution that I used was weak, but the round domed scale is now crispy with no sign of life. I'm truly amazed. Thank you both!

Theresa

Hi Mike!
That's both cute and beautiful!

Are you going to build it a shelf for the fruit to sit on? lol.. I'm picturing that tiny tree and a big ole grapefruit. lol..

What size pot is it in?

Are you sure that's hornet damage? It kinda looks like the same as what my cutter bee's do. ;-) Regardless, i'm sorry to see it happening. Maybe try a hot pepper spray.

Thanks for sharing this little cutie!

JoJo

Hello, all!

Mike, nice pics, buddy. I know you've been telling me about this little tree for a while.
A very happy looking grapefruit!

Now that the Ponderosa is blooming, I'm worried that a fruit will set on the tiny tree.

Josh

Hey Josh!
Good to hear your Ponderosa is doing well. Maybe you guys can come up with a shelf plan together. ;-)

JoJo

Mike,
This is my 10 inch Page Mandarin with a single fruit on it. I usually don't let the fruit stay on these little ones but I figured with it being a smaller fruit and the tree looking pretty sturdy I would see what happens.
Rob

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Oh Rob: That is one of the cutest trees I have seen! It is so nice to be able to have trees this small without having to wait for years for the reward of sweet fragrance and fruit. Is that a cutting or a graft? I love it!

Jojo: You are too funny! Right, it would take a special device to hold fruit on this one.lol
I guess that will never happen. I think the neighborhood squirrels have gotten to it before I could even let one grow.
You know, it is quite possible it could be bee damage to the leaves since lately I have also seen some weird looking bees hanging around it. You know, you may have solved Josh's and my mystery here since I think Josh had a problem last year with eaten leaves and never figured out what it was. Thanks and thanks for your kind comments. It always means a lot!
A shelf plan sounds about right if my squirrels would just leave the fruit alone.lol Pay back for removing their peach tree!
It is planted in the 5.1.1 mix and in a 6inch pot.

Josh: Oh, I can't wait to see your tree,I think shorter than mine.lol

Jojo has an idea that we should take very seriously.lol
Hum, will you let the fruit grow? They are so big that it would definitely look out of proportion if you let it grow which can be the size of a softball.

Citusnut: How are you? How did your figs do? Mine are loaded! Ok.
You are using the grittier mix. Superb!

If you need bark, just let me know and we can work something out where I can send you a box for a cheap price.

By the way, YW! I told you that FE works wonders! Too bad many more do not know of this. My trees have been bug free all year, except for earwigs lately. But they don't seem to harm my trees.
Use the FE right up to the last day before you bring them in.
I am so happy your trees are doing great!
It is doing wonders for my fig trees too.

Patty: You are always such a pleasure to see here. I wish I could stroll through your yard since I get the feeling they are the nicest in-ground trees in your area! It must be beautiful back there. How are they doing anyway?
What a steal!!!!! Now where can you get a tree that cheap? A Ruby Red? Guess what that one I posted is? You guessed it, the same!
Oh, I can picture a tree like this on that slope. Please post a picture when you plant it. I think that is going to be a special one for you. They also LOVE to bloom. Congrats on that find! Oh, if only?

Yes, I water that little gut everyday, but not twice. I think it's root have yet to fill that pot.lol But, I do make sure it gets a good watering first thing in the am for sure. I do have to feed it more frequently, but that is ok. I just wish I was back on my feet to keep up with it:-(

Mgk65: Thank very much!

Have a great day everyone. Please post your little guys if you can.

Mike

Mike,
Yes it is grafted. It was billed as a one year old. I got it this spring with the intention of planting in the ground but decided to give it another winter in the container and plant next spring.
Rob

Thanks, Mike :-) I'll snap some pics of my front slope. All citrus are doing extremely well except the Oro Blanco. I've had some conversations with a few extremely knowledgeable folks. Not sure what's up, but I'm going to continue to water, fertilize and watch it through the winter. I does have a few fruit on it, just not sure they'll remain. Many of the leaves still look poor, but the newer flush looks a bit better. Still, nothing like the surrounding citrus trees. Everything else on the slope looks very good. And finally have the snails and slugs under control, which I think really seems to affect young citrus. Besides getting eaten, it almost looks as though they are affected systemically as well. I'd like to try to put this Rio Red a little closer to the driveway, or near a walkway, as grapefruit have a very nice growth habit, and their blossoms are really fragrant. We'll see where I can put it this week. And it was at Lowe's of all places, and since it lost its hang tag, the clerk figured no one would buy it. Their loss, my little gain!

Patty S.

hey Mike and everyone else.

Just wanted to drop in say hi. That is a nice cutting.

side note. Over the weekend I became a gardenia owner. woo hoo! Homedepot had 4 foot tall ones for $9. The fragrance is wonderful

I also stopped at a Lowes and they had finally marked down their citrus to $7.50. I picked up a 2 foot tall fukushu kumquat in bloom. They both are in the 5.1.1 which for me is more like 5.1 because the pine bark i get has a good amount of "dust" so I dont use much peat. seems to work great here.

mike

Mike, thank you so much for your very generous and kind offer to send me some bark. And even with your fractured heal! How is that doing, BTW? That is so sweet of you, I'm genuinely touched.

I actually can get orchid mix here, but just the large kind, not the nice clean small kind (unless I take a ride to Chicago). In your nice little ruby red grapefruit picture, I did notice some larger pieces of bark. Does that work well, too? I think I will just have to try that. It should work if I mix some larger perlite and way more turface. Right?????

Thanks again, Mike. You're so nice.

Theresa

Hello, Theresa!

I want to warn you against using large bark.
The large and small particles will end up separating in the mix, which means that the mix will take
on the drainage characteristics of the small particles - in other words, the mix will hold too much moisture,
and primarily in the bottom of the pot.

When making a mix, particle size is very important. Uniform, durable particles ranging from
1/8 to 3/8 inch and evenly distributed throughout the mix are preferred.

Josh

Rob: Thank you for that. It is such a perfect little tree, usually you can see a graft line on them that small and that fact that I don't makes it even look like a tree of it's own. Beautiful!
Patty:))). I can't wait to see the pictures of that newly planted tree. It probably looks fantastic in the spot you have picked for it. I can imagine it growing bigger and filling in that area. What a deal! Don't feel so bad about your Oro Blanco. This seems to be the year with Oro problems even with mine. I wonder if it is the rootstock itself? Makes me wonder, you know?
You should see all the fruit I have maturing on all the others trees. Looks like I will be giving much away!
You got yourself a BIG gain actually for that price. Yahoo.

Hello Theresa! How are you? Aw, anytime. Why hold back from sharing what one has a bounty of. Just e-mail if you need me to send you a package and I will as soon as I can back on m feet:-0)

Theresa, pay no mind to the size of that bark. It was a desperate attempt to pot it when I ran out of the appropriate size bark. I find it holds water towards the bottom more than I want it too in the winter and I will be replacing it once the fall comes.
It does exactly as Josh says and in fact, I hate it.
I will help you get some smaller size bark and you can make it just right.
You could also place some of that bark in a cloth of some sort, like and old pillow case, and smash it up with a hammer into smaller pieces.
That clay container has been the saving grace for that mix since it dries out rather more quickly than plastic ones.
Good luck and have a great day.

Josh: Hello buddy! Thanks for that reminder on particle size. If only I had listened back when I first starting using these mixes. It would of saved me a lot of work, and thanks for reminding me to repot it as soon as I can.
Hope you are having a great day! TTYL, YPM

Mike: WHERE IS THE PICTURE OF YOUR NEW TREASURE! I woudl of love to have seen it. You know me and my gardenias..lol I think you are going to do a fine job with it now that you are doing well with citrus. You are brave and I commend you for that. I can't believe that you can get those plants at Lowe's at all, let alone at those prices. Lucky you!

Mike:-)

Hey everyone! :)

My pleasure, Mike! I'll make sure to remind you to re-pot ;-)

Josh

Thanks, Mike. I'll post a little "walk through my front citrus & avo orchard" so you can see how things are progressing :-)

Patty S.

Thanks mike

what can I say, you inspire me to push the limits and grow wonderful plants! The lowes and Homedepots around here always get interesting plants but usually have them priced so high that they dont sell. I just take note of who has what then wait and watch. Eventually they mark everything down to almost nothing. Thats when I get my new stuff.

Ill start with my blooming plumeria

'delightful'
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'scentsational'
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new gardenia 9 dollar gardenia
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gardenia flower almost open
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Mike:

Not only did you get them cheap, but in GOOD shape too! Every time I wait for anything to go on sale there, they put them on the 50% off rack by the time they are half if not all the way dead! I can't believe you have all those flowers.
You know, if you need any help in keeping them healthy, I will be here for you.
They can be quite challenging, but once you get to know them, a breeze:-)
Beautiful pic Mike!
Thanks

Patty: I will be anxiously waiting:-))))))

Josh: Please do. I get a bit lazy with repotting at times. I have a few to do actually. My friend cleaned my garage out yesterday and found 5 bags of fine grade un-composted bark! Looks like I will have plenty to make more mixes.
I just got a text the other day that the Bonsai shop had just received RED pumice! I find that hard to believe. If so, sweet!

Josh, thanks for the input. Secretly I really do know about the smaller pieces always working themsevles down in a mix. I saw that happen quickly when I repotted some plants and used 1:1 small bark to turface mix (and I know that from looking at a can of mixed nuts). It's just that I was hoping to get better drainage than I'm getting from my soil mix concoction. Kinda desperate.

I guess I'll just have to order some small bark pieces from OFE in Florida and pay the high prices.

Mike, I'm glad to hear that you will be having a bumper crop of figs this year. I'll be lucky to have 3 good figs. Not sure what happened, maybe they need to be repotted.

Mk, beautiful gardenia and a great price, too. I just love them.