The process of growing grapefruit

Homeland grapefruit - subtropics, it grows in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, in China and the Middle East. A tree grows up to six meters, and some specimens can reach fifteen meters. Grapefruit has thick leaves and a spherical shape of the crown. It is formed by leathery shiny foliage rich dark green color. The grapefruit tree will be an excellent addition to the design of a room or office. In order for a plant planted with its own hands to stick, you need to properly care for it and be well versed in the technology of growing this crop.

There are three effective ways to grow grapefruit. It:

• planting seeds, seeds (suitable for indoor plants);
• grafting;
• graft.

Cutting involves the fence of a live branch ten centimeters long from the fruit tree. It must be cut into cuttings. A slice of each cutting can be missed by a growth accelerator. After that it needs to be landed in wet and disinfected sand. Dee twig need two centimeters. Do not forget about the drainage and cover. The first must be put on the bottom of the pot. Cover you need to cover the plant on top.

This breeding option is harder than cutting and planting seeds. It will need at least two plants. One must have a live root system. The second tree must have a living sprout. If they are properly planted, you get a full-fledged tree.

Buying a grapefruit can be a reason for the appearance of a healthy tree. To do this, you need to take a few simple steps. Plant seed is different endurance and resistance. This makes it a great option for growing at home.

Growing a tree begins with choosing the right variety. Among all the fruits of grapefruit there are twenty varieties of varieties. All of them are divided into two groups:

• white or yellow (differ in a type of pulp with a yellow shade);
• red (the intensity of the coloring of the pulp speaks of taste).

The best for self-cultivation is the Duncan variety. This fruit has white flesh. The skin is of medium thickness and has a smooth texture. The fruit tolerates the cold well. The variety has many large fruits that taste good, many seeds. By all indications, the variety is ideal for growing in a pot.

The process of growing a tree consists of several stages. The first thing you need to buy in the store is ripe fruit. You should also prepare in advance soil, suitable pot. Useful sprayer with warm water. You need a film of polyethylene or glass to a home miniature greenhouse.

The issue of soil preparation must be approached seriously. Its structure is important:

• sod land (two parts);
• leaf earth (one piece);
• peat (one part);
• sand (one piece);
• humus (one part).

It all mixes up. The bottom of the pot is drained five centimeters (expanded clay, crushed stone). You can put a few nails on it. On top of laid laid loose soil. As an alternative, you can use the summer ground or a mixture of soil "Rose".

There are two options for planting seeds in the ground. One of them involves planting "fresh" bones in the ground. To do this, among all the seeds are selected instances with the correct form. They are immediately immersed in the ground for two centimeters. The soil at this stage should be moistened. Pots with stones should be placed in a warm and sunny place.It should be covered with polyethylene or glass. Need to monitor the soil moisture. Now it remains to wait for the first shoots.

The second landing method is slightly different. You need to pick a ripe fruit in the store. At home it should be put in the zero chamber of the refrigerator for three weeks. After this, the fruit must be opened. The flesh of the fruit should dry out. Bones by then should germinate. They, along with the roots, must be carefully pulled out of the fruit and planted in harvested soil.

After planting, only proper care of the pot with a stone will lead to the appearance of sprouts and fruits. Care for future grapefruit is easy. First of all, for the pot you need to choose a suitable place. The ideal place for a pot should be properly lit. A future plant should have plenty of sunshine. At the end of the day, the shoots need to provide light from a special fluorescent lamp. Lighting time is twelve hours a day. It is also important that the plant is not under the scorching rays of the sun.

At the place of residence of the plant must be a suitable temperature. In the summer, this figure is within twenty-seven degrees Celsius. In winter, it should not fall below four degrees. Grapefruit can be placed on the windowsill. But only if it is well lit and not blown. An adult tree will suit a spacious place in the office and in the country. Humidity in the room should be in the region of fifty percent. Otherwise, it is necessary to humidify the air in addition. One option is to place a container with water next to the pot.

It is important to remember that before the first sprouts appear, the plant should be in a miniature greenhouse. For this you need to constantly keep the pot under a plastic or glass lid. Every day it needs to be ventilated and sprayed.

An adult grapefruit tree is suitable for a veranda and a winter garden. However, before that he needs to grow. The first shoots with proper care will not appear immediately. Depending on the variety, it will take from 30 days to several months. After the appearance of the first pair of leaves from the pot, the lid must be removed. The plant must still be left in a well-lit room. Avoid exposure to direct sunlight.

When the plant reaches a height of ten centimeters, it must be transplanted into a larger pot. This should be done carefully: protect fragile roots. To do this, the soil on the roots is transferred to a new pot along with the plant. Throughout life, the plant must be ventilated in the fresh air. However, it must be protected from drafts.

Grapefruit loves moist soil. It is important to know when to stop. Too frequent watering will lead to decay. Too rare watering will cause drying and death of the plant. The optimal watering schedule looks like this:

• in the summer - three times during the week;
• in winter - once a week.

Grapefruit tree should be replanted every year. The pot must "grow" with the plant. Upon reaching the age of six, the tree begins to replant once every several years. If the tree is immediately planted in a large pot, then twice a year you need to remove the top of the ground. Instead, it is necessary to fill a new layer of soil. This will help restore mineral reserves.

Feed the plant should always. This will help prevent soil depletion. The schedule can be made individually.It is worth adhering to the fact that regularly you need to make complex fertilizer for citrus crops in the soil. Regularity of procedure: a couple of times during the month.

You can prune a tree when it has reached the desired size. It is necessary to preserve three bearing branches above the chosen height and form a crown. Repeat the procedure for circumcision is needed every year. Pruned branches can then be rooted.

The first fruits with proper care may appear in the fourth year of the tree. First, flowers appear on the plant. They are painted white and grow to five centimeters in diameter. They have five petals. Flowering begins in the last summer month. The end of October and November: the fruits of grapefruit ripen completely. They have a spherical shape. The diameter reaches ten or fifteen centimeters. The average fruit weight is three hundred and fifty grams. The skin of the fruit has a thickness of up to one and a half centimeters. The flesh inside has a sweet and sour taste with bitterness.

Growing citrus crops in Russian-speaking countries is not an easy process. On the way to the first fruit of the gardeners, a number of barriers lurk: pests, diseases and other troubles. A red spider mite, scalefish and powdery worm may appear on the grapefruit tree. Leaves will help determine their presence. They will turn yellow, fall off and deform. There may be holes and spots on the leaves. Special compounds will help from parasites: alcohol, oily or soap solution.

This type of tree is characterized by two types of diseases. One of them is gum treatment. The plant dies off the bark and flows a light yellow liquid. Fungal diseases can affect the tree. From the disease can be eliminated with the help of special tools. And from the wrong care will help only the correction of the behavior of the owner. For this, the owner of the plant must be aware of the problem. Most often the tree suffers for three reasons:

• non-observance of climatic conditions;
• non-compliance with watering norms;
• lack of fertilizer and fertilizing.

If the tree simply does not grow, then it lacks fertilizer. If he crumbled foliage, then you need to reduce its watering. If the foliage dries and twists, then the surrounding air has insufficient moisture. If the tree twisted the trunk, weakened branches or leaves grow poorly, the reason may lie in the lack of light. A sharp drop of leaves, buds, flowers indicates the wrong movement of the plant.

Grapefruit has gained popularity due to its beneficial properties. It contains vitamins B2 and C. It also contains the necessary trace elements. There is an antioxidant complex in this citrus fruit that lowers cholesterol. To maintain the norm, you can eat one fruit per day. He will help people with heart disease. Eaten fruit increases acidity, so it is prescribed to people with low acidity.

Vitamin B8 helps in detoxifying the body. Other substances help speed up metabolism. Therefore, grapefruit improves digestion and bowel function. Together with an energy value of thirty-nine kcal, the fruit of a grapefruit is an excellent dietary remedy.

The small glycemic index makes the fruit an excellent food for people with diabetes. A squeeze seed is used in the fight against germs and viruses. Also popular is the use of grapefruit in perfumes and cosmetology.

For information on how to grow grapefruit from the stone, see the next video.