Q.Grapefruit tree took until January to ripen.
Grapefruit tree took until January to ripen. Now I’m worried that it won’t flower as much this season, as there are still fruit on the tree. Should I remove all of the fruit? This is its second yield. It skipped last year but this year was twice the size of the first yield which ripened in October. Live in Houston, TX.
It is a Rio Grande Ruby Red I believe. The fruit is now all ripe. I would say we have a couple dozen still on the tree. The tree blossomed but it was not close to last year and we used fruit spikes. Our Satsuma next to it had a great blossom for the first time this year. Is it possible that the grapefruit will do a secondary blossom once the fruit falls? Or will this be a recovery year?
What kind of grapefruit tree is it? Many grapefruit varieties can ripen anywhere from late fall through winter or spring, so what you are seeing may be completely normal - October one year, January the next. And the rate of ripening can vary from year to year depending on environmental conditions. I don't think you necessarily need to rush to harvest your grapefruit. The tree will basically set its own timetable when it is ready to blossom and fruit.
