Flame-Red Meets Ruby-Red

I waited, waited almost a year from its conception to pick that second Ruby Red grapefruit. Its sister fruit fell off about a month ago and Phoebe wasn't here to share, but Bill and Liam got some, and it was amazing (as documented here in video)

But this second fruit hung on, through the fall and early winter with the giant heater with the bad thermostat that almost cooked all my plants to death. When I finally admitted that everything in the Groanhouse was dying as a result of my bad heater choice, I took my precious tree into the living room as a last resort.  I distributed all the other plants around the house and tower room. Here I stopped to fill a watering can and take it up to the gardenia and Rex begonia still enjoying its cool, well-lit confines.

When the tiny tree finally got to the relative safety of the house, it immediately dropped more than half its leaves. In relief or protest, I do not know. I figured I was looking at a done tree. But I kept watering it, and that great big fruit hung in there on its naked stick.

A couple of weeks before Christmas, I took the monster heater back to Menard's (my new favorite mega home/tool/outdoor store) and exchanged it for a 20K BTU blue flame heater that is juuuust right for the space. I re-installed my plants (all of which I'd brought indoors when I realized I'd lose them if I kept subjecting them to 30-degree temperature swings each time the heater kicked on). And watched and waited anxiously for signs of recovery.

It seemed only fitting that Phoebe's first act upon waking up in her own bed would be to proceed to the Groanhouse to pick the fruit she'd known since it was a fragrant white blossom. The theme of the year being sending her off to grow and thrive, after all.

So on this rarest of sunny mornings she did just that, with great ceremony, four attendants, and a gentle twist.

Nobody loves citrus like Phoebe and her mama. 

Homegrown in Ohio...you can imagine the excitement. Even though she's still half-asleep.

She likes to peel it, too.

Took the skin off all in one go. What she'll do with that particular skill I know not.

The feeding frenzy was too intense to get photos. We ate it section by section. Didn't want to waste a bit, even of the striffen. Unbelievably tender, quite sweet for a grapefruit. We didn't give the boys very much of it. They are not quite as enamored of sour things as we are. They don't go into the transports of ecstasy that are required when one eats Ohio-grown citrus. They do the Sour Dance, screwing up their faces and twirling around. Bah.

When we got into the sections, we found two seeds that had already sprouted roots inside the fruit! Well, you know what we had to do with those.

Back to the warm peaty soil they went.

The little tree was so thrilled to be installed in a safe, warm, sunny place, so thrilled to be freed of its burden (and of a good case of scale I found upon close examination) that it put out two ginormous leaves (second tier up from the fruit-in-training)

and a bunch of new green shoots from the naked half!!

IT LIVES TO BEAR ANOTHER PAIR!!

Rock on wit yo green self, Ruby Red. I promise to treat you better this round, little mama.

Growing Grapefruit Under Glass

You will remember the Greenhouse Apocalypse of November 23, 2013. For those who don't, it was when the gasline between our well and the house froze up, and everything in my greenhouse froze solid. About 3/4 of my plants died outright. 

Ach, that post. I just glanced at it and quickly closed the window. Something best forgotten, that awful night.

I mourned for a long time. And then in the dark of December, on a gray woolen day, I drove to Scott's Greenhouse in Boaz, WV, and bought everything tropical that they had that might have a fragrant blossom. Everything half-price, everything must go. I bought some kind of sad-looking jasmines, passed on the giant pink hibiscus tree, and picked up and put down a teeny tiny Ruby Red grapefruit tree, not even a foot tall, about four times before I thought, "What the hell. It'll be covered in scale and I probably won't ever get fruit off it, but it'll smell nice when it blooms."

And the buds opened in the darkest winter days, and I was transported to sunny Florida, standing on the edge of an orange grove when I was about 12, seeing my first swallow-tailed kite circling overhead as I inhaled the fragrance of citrus. Worth the $8.00. Oh yes. 

It has never gotten scale, probably because of some systemic poison in the soil applied by the grower.  I repotted it, but the protection remained. Not going to wonder too much about that. Just glad it doesn't have scale. I can hear my poor orchids groaning. Once scale sets in, it's impossible to eradicate. Yes, darling orchids, I hear you, and a repot is coming. Just ordered a king's ransom of Aussie Gold potting medium. I'll wash you yet again, spray you down with Dr. Bronners peppermint soap and rubbing alcohol, give it another try.

The plant came with a big tag with care instructions, and what I thought was an overly ambitious reverse bearing two recipes for Ruby Red grapefruit. Right. Don't think I'll need your salsa recipes, but I like your optimism.

Flower after flower opened and then fell off without setting fruit. So one day I took my pinky to the stamens and twiddled them and lo and behold! the fruit stopped falling off. I had pollinated the flowers. It set a bunch of tiny green pea-sized fruit!

Here were the fruits on January 13, 2014.

In the wisdom of a small tree burdened with too many fruits,  the plant aborted all but two, one on each side. I thought that was wise of it, to distribute the weight symmetrically. For those would get heavy.


It bloomed a couple more times, but I didn't pollinate the flowers, not wanting to overburden the plant.

Such a delight in the darkest days of winter, to walk in and smell that.

Against the snow...

I delighted in watching the little fruits grow. (note Jasminum sambac, going nuts between my fingers!)

By March 7, 2014, we had two very nice fruits the size of jawbreakers, and the plant kept trying to make more! No, little tree, you have your arms full. Just concentrate on what you have. I'm not playing bee for you until you show me you can bring these to maturity.

Stay tuned...You know I don't start a story without having a nice ending in the wings.