How to Grow a Pink Grapefruit Tree
- 1). Purchase a young grapefruit tree from a nursery. In order to grow a pink grapefruit tree, you must buy a pink grapefruit cultivar such as ruby red or star ruby. Trees grown from seed often succumb to disease and take a long while to fruit.
- 2). Choose an area in the sun with deep, well-drained and loamy soil. Pink grapefruit trees will not survive well in poorly drained clay soils. For the best cold protection, plant on the south or southeast side of a building, at least 12 feet away.
- 3). Dig a hole twice the width of the root ball and at a depth the same height as the root ball. Place the tree in the hole and backfill the soil around the roots. Tamp down the soil and water deeply immediately after planting.
- 4). Water the pink grapefruit every few days in the first month after planting. In the next two months, water every seven to 10 days as the plant establishes itself. Once it starts growing vigorously on its own you can stop watering, allowing rainfall to fulfill the tree's needs. During a drought, however, give the tree some water to avoid damage.
- 5). Begin fertilizing after growth commences. Use a fertilizer fit for shrubs and trees, following the directions on the package for application and safety instructions.
- 6). Protect your young pink grapefruit tree from winter harm. Build a mound of dirt around the base of the plant in late November. Carefully drape a blanket or tarp over the tree, stretching the corners outwards. Stake the corners into the ground. Remove the protection in March, after the danger of frost has passed.