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Where to plant grapefruit tree?

14 years ago

So I decided to get a grapefruit tree about a month ago but I still have yet to put it in the ground. I haven't decided on the best location and being 9 months pregnant, haven't had the energy to dig ;)

Our house is on a corner, space all around, double lot with the extra lot being on the west side.

House faces south, one side of it getting sun pretty much all day year round, the other side of the front has a big cedar elm shading it.

West facing yard - biggest space - is rather shaded with the elm, 2 pecans, 2 chinaberries (which will one day come out but not now) and something else I can't figure out, as well as house next door. Very little morning sun and minimal afternoon sun, even in summer. Gets a bit more in winter once the leaves fall.

North facing side, the back, gets good early morning sun in winter, but not much by late morning. In summer gets sun much of the day, except nearest the house. Two orange trees already here, doing well, but my summer garden couldn't handle the sun/heat there.

East facing side, near street, has 4 30+ft crepe myrtles which shade a bit. Early morning sun in winter until about noon, shaded by afternoon. Summer a little longer.

I'm in San Antonio, TX and full sun in summer = hot hot hot. This summer was a heat wave, but summer long temps above 90F are very normal and days of 100F+ are not unusual.

So, given the needs of a grapefruit tree, which location would be best for sun/shade/heat?

And, given we're now in December, should I leave it in the pot? We don't get very cold weather here for long stretches, but we do occasionally have a cold snap + 1-2 night freeze in Dec or January. I was thinking if I planted it, I'd build a little greenhouse over it to help protect it on those days. I don't really have a good indoor location for it (house is well shaded so not a lot of sunlight inside) and would have to bring it in and out a lot.

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Comments (4)

fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
14 years ago
Most grapefruit need lots of heat and sun to make good fruit. Since they like the heat much more than almost anything else, that's where I'd put them. It won't be too hot for them if the soil is decent and they are deeply watered every week or two in summer. In any landscape grapefruit would be my first choice for the hottest spot. That usually means lots of sun as well.

The Fruitnut
cjra
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the input. I hadn't yet put it in and we got a hard freeze last week, so it's still in the pot and may be for awhile now....
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tantanman
14 years ago
cjra;

What g.f.? A Rio red needs a lot of heat but Ruby
Red and most others can do fine with less.

Looks like you have little choice.

We like our trees to be on the south or east
side for freezes.

Tangerine x Tangelo hybrids work for me.

Larry
jerrytx
14 years ago
South facing is best for pretty much all citrus. I would definitely wait for spring to plant it! I have a rio red (that's what it was sold as, but I think it is a marsh)that froze back in the freeze of '89, but came back with a vengeance, and puts about ~250-300 lbs. of fruit a year. Grapefruit needs a lot of heat, more so than direct sun, to produce good fruit. I have another tree that is in the shadow of four yellow pines, that gets plenty of heat, but little direct sun and does great!

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