Grapefruit
9Will it grow where I live?
Grapefruit is not winter-hardy in Central Europe (zone 10): outdoors from spring to autumn only, otherwise a container plant overwintered frost-free. It also needs warm summers – in Central Europe that means wine-growing regions, cities or a sheltered south-facing wall.
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Profile
- Family
- Rutaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Height
- 8 m
- Spread
- 6 m
- Growth
- medium
- Lifespan
- 50 years
- First yield
- after 3 years
- Hardiness
- zone 10–12
- Shade tolerance
- full sun
- Soil
- Sand, Silt, Loam
- Soil moisture
- semi-dry – very moist
- pH
- 5.5 – 7
- Synonyms
- Citrus x paradisi, Paradiesapfel
Varieties (11)
11 varieties of Grapefruit are listed in the Permaplans variety finder — each with its own page: taste, ripening time, disease resistance, parentage and use.
- Duncan The most aromatic white grapefruit – full-flavoured and ideal for juice, but very seedy.
- Flame Florida standard red grapefruit with deep red colour, seedless and sweet-mild.
- Henderson More deeply coloured Ruby Red mutation from Texas – a parent of Flame.
- Marsh The classic white, seedless standard grapefruit with juicy, fresh and slightly tart flavour.
- Oroblanco Sweet, bitterness-free white grapefruit-pomelo cross – mild and seedless, marketed as 'Sweetie' in Israel.
- Ray Ruby Deeply coloured, seedless Ruby Red mutation with stable red pigment, widespread in Florida.
- Rio Red Sweet, deep red Texas grapefruit with stable colour – the core of the 'Rio Star' brand.
- Ruby Red The first patented red-fleshed grapefruit – foundation of the Texas Ruby Red reputation, seedless and mild.
- Ruby Sweet Particularly sweet, mild red Florida grapefruit for acid-sensitive palates.
- Star Ruby Intensely red-fleshed, seedless grapefruit with the deepest flesh colour – a Mediterranean standard.
- Thompson The first pink-fleshed grapefruit – a seedless Marsh mutation with pale pink flesh.
Uses
Growing
Grapefruits benötigen viel Wärme, volle Sonne und einen durchlässigen, leicht sauren Boden. Sie sind frostempfindlich und werden in kühleren Klimaten im großen Kübel kultiviert und hell bei 5 bis 12 Grad überwintert. Gleichmäßig feucht halten und in der Wachstumszeit regelmäßig mit Zitrusdünger düngen. Die Reife dauert lange, oft bis in den Winter.
Frequently asked questions
Grapefruit: how big does it get?
Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) grows as a Tree and reaches roughly 8 m in height when mature, with a spread of about 6 m. Growth is medium.
Grapefruit: what site does it need?
Grapefruit tolerates full sun. Suitable soils are Sand, Silt, Loam. Soil moisture should be in the range semi-dry – very moist. The pH may lie between 5.5 and 7.
Grapefruit: is it hardy?
Grapefruit is listed as hardy in zone 10–12 and survives normal winters outdoors there.
Grapefruit: will it grow in Central Europe?
Grapefruit is not winter-hardy in Central Europe (zone 10): outdoors from spring to autumn only, otherwise a container plant overwintered frost-free. It also needs warm summers – in Central Europe that means wine-growing regions, cities or a sheltered south-facing wall.
Grapefruit: is it poisonous?
Individual parts of Grapefruit are noted as mildly problematic — the plant does not count as poisonous. With wild plants, never rely on a database alone, only on a confident identification.
Grapefruit: what is it used for?
Rated on a scale up to 10: Edible 9/10.
Which Grapefruit varieties are there?
The Permaplans variety finder lists 11 varieties of Grapefruit, including Duncan, Flame, Henderson, Marsh, Oroblanco, Ray Ruby, Rio Red, Ruby Red, Ruby Sweet, Star Ruby, Thompson. Each variety has its own page with taste, ripening time, disease resistance and parentage.
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Community experience
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