Okay, thought you all would like a little update on some of my citrus! I've had this lovely little Rio Red grapefruit that's been full of fruit. It had fruit set when we planted it, and I just didn't have the heart to strip off the fruit. I know it probably will cause the tree to grow a wee bit more slowly, but that's not a bad thing as long as it gets established. Plus, it gets some afternoon shade from a Calif. Pepper tree. It is up on our north slope in the backyard, facing south and this whole area is very nicely protected by a large crib wall to the north of my neighbor's. So, pretty sweet place to put most of my citrus. I left the fruit until May to see if we could possibly get a decent Rio Red, which for my area in N. San Diego county only about 6-7 miles from the ocean is kind of pushing it. Of all the "Texas" grapefruits, this is really the only one that might stand a chance to sweeten up, but questionable still as I'm kind of "on the edge" climate-wise. Well, I decided on May 1st, to pick the softest one and we had it this morning. It wasn't big, about the size of a very large navel orange, but oh my gosh!! It tasted like we had put sugar on it!! It is as sweet as can be, thin membraned, pink with what I'm guessing may be redder as the tree matures!! YIPPEEE for ME!! This was my question mark grapefruit. I am so excited! I have other grapefruit or pommelo hybrids (Cocktail, Oro Blanco and Melogold), but to get a 100% grapefruit to produce sweet fruit, even with 2 relatively cool summers for us out here is exceptional. Yea for me!! Patty S.

A photo would help. If you have ants, you WILL have aphid problems; it is essential to control the ants. Ants also let air into the roots and inhibit growth. If it were my tree, I would spray it with Bayer Silvacur (fungicide) mixed with Bayer Leverage (Imidicloprid insecticide); both are topically active, killing the white fly and the mold; and they also enter the plant as systemic. You only need to apply those two twice per year; I apply them at the beginning of my rain season and then 6 months later.

Thanks, again, Bencelest! I am really 'stoked' on doing some citrus grafting this spring. Tom MacCubbin, our ag extension person, sent me an email this morning asking for my mailing address, so he could mail me some grafting information. I have a call into a high school Duda buddy's brother who runs the Duda Citrus Ranch in LaBelle. (went to high school in Oviedo...Duda Land...asked some "high tech" farmers) I think that with all the informational resources that I am receiving from everyone that I reached out to is preparing me, well, for this grafting process. I know it is simple to many folks, however I am in the learning phase. Success in grafting a pommelo to my lemon tree is my goal. I really love the heritage behind the pommelo and it tastes great, too. This spring, I have decided to nurture some fig & pommagrante trees. My order to UC-Davis for dormant fig and pommagranate cuttings was mailed about a month ago. After 30 years as a 'repressed farmer' working in a huge global corporation, retirement is keeping me very busy and productive. Thanks, Diana

those would certainly be worth replacing. ;you must have a large family. As much as I'm lusting after several of your cultivars, I simply couldn't consume all that fruit. I saw a NZ lemonade at the nursery and wanted to replace b/c fruit is so delicious, but then I saw the thorns, 1.5" long, it hurt just to think about it. I read somewhere that NZ lemonade s/b thornless and it only has the wicked thorns if the rootstock dominates, IOW, the graft isn't successful. I also read that it DOES have the wicked thorns, so I don't know which info is correct. OT, I found a recipe for grapefruit pound cake. Doesn't that sound like fun? I will have to try it, must be made w/ fresh gf juice, so not till late fall....