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Advice on struggling Ruby Red grapefruit

figbear (8b coastal carolina)

9 years ago

My grapefruit tree does not look the best at the moment. The tree has been pruned incorrectly, and i'm trying to determine if I should just wait for new growth or possibly help the tree by pruning.

A growth flush occurred in january, which was quickly killed by the cold. I have recently fertilized, and the tree is pushing out much much less growth than previously in Jan.

The tree was planted with its graft line about half a foot to a foot below the surface. I raised the tree in about december, and i'm thinking that is why a good bit of the tree is dying back -- roots unable to support up top...

The picture below shows a branch being cut a good ways away from the branch collar. Which I am curious if I should remove it to the base of the trunk. The branch feels/sounds hollow on the inside...

Up close

A branch that has brown parts that appear to be dying at the end.

Another scar not sure what from

I'll post a couple more images.

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Comments (6)

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
9 years ago
Oh boy. You are in a rather marginal zone for grapefruits. As you can see. I would prune off all those weird, stubby branches that are dead. Prune back to just before the branch collar (don't prune into the collar, but just past it). Also, prune back any die back until you get to healthy wood. Then, fertilize and let's see if your tree will come back for you. The photos are very hard to see because they're sideways. If you fix the orientation, and re-load so their orientation is correct, sure makes it a lot easier for forum members to get a correct view of your issues. Some of the splitting on the trunk and branches I suspect is frost damage. So, be sure you cover your tree when you have frosts. The big scar that looks like a bite mark may be just that - hard to tell - but it appears to have healed. You should not be having growth flushes in January. When did you fertilize prior to that? In your area, I would not put down any fertilizer after, say, beginning of September. You don't want to encourage any flush during possible frost/freeze times. Don't fertilize in the spring until chances of frost are over.

Patty S.
figbear (8b coastal carolina)
Original Author
9 years ago

I fixed the orientation of the images. I will follow your pruning advice, and let you know.

I fertilized when I planted the tree in the beginning of Nov. Shortly afterwards I learned when to fertilize, and my mistake.
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figbear (8b coastal carolina)
Original Author
8 years ago

I think i've killed my ruby red grapefruit :( It pushed out a handful of new growth, after the winter cleaned it of its leaves. I pruned off dead wood and it did fine. A few days ago I pruned off the remaining dead wood, except it was larger in diameter than the others. Immediately after the leaves looked terrible and were wilting. Here are the pictures....
figbear (8b coastal carolina)
Original Author
8 years ago
The pictures are from a few days ago, and the green growth is even more destroyed currently .. :/
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
8 years ago
I'd probably start over. And make sure you protect it for a few winters this time.
BarbJP 15-16/9B CA Bay Area
8 years ago
The damage on the leaves aren't from you pruning it. It looks like you had another frost, it looks just like freeze damage. I'd go with Dave's advice.

But get a dwarf grapefruit tree, it won't get much taller than 8'-10' so it will be easier to cover it in winter to protect it from frost. The fruit is still full size.

I recommend the frost cloth material, but instead of just draping it over the tree, it's better to make a temporary structure like a tent and drape the material over that. It's best to keep a buffer of air between the cover and the foliage.

Also stringing mini Christmas lights (the regular ones, not the new LEDs) through the tree and keep them on during frosty nights. They will give a nice gentle heat that won't hurt the tree, but will warm it enough to keep most frosts at bay. Using a cover and lights will work the best.

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