Pink grapefruit trees

[Kim A]

I have a pink grapefruit tree, about 3 years old, grown by my Mum from a pip. It's been on my south facing kitchen windowsill but is now threatening to take over the kitchen. My question is - would it be safe to put it outside, on a permanent basis, on a south facing semi covered verandah, on the south coast? I ask because I don't want to put it out, after lovingly looking after it all this time, and watch it die. it's one of the few plants I've ever managed to keep, and I'm quite attached to it! We have managed to successfully keep an olive tree and an oleander going on the same south facing verandah, if that's any indication of the conditions out there. Thanks in advance to any clever person who can advise me!

[andyjevs]

You might get away with it especially if you can shelter it from any cold winds.

Personally, i wouldn't risk it. Maybe you can cut it back to keep the size in check.

If you did decide to keep it outside, don't move it out until around May. Then it will have a summer outside which will toughen up the leaves a bit and it will be gradually introduced to the cold. If you put it straight out now, it might be too much of a shock.

During really cold nights, you could always cover the plant in fleece.

Hope this helps

Andy

[Kim A]

Thanks, Andyjevs! That was really helpful. Inside til May it is, then! Will just have to work round it until then.

[WendyS]

Kim, you don't say how tall this plant is but if it's still fairly low, try and get hold of one of those large plastic water bottles which you find in water coolers in offices. If you can get an empty one and saw the bottom off, it will make a very substantial one-plant cloche which will help protect your plant outside at the beginning of spring and at the beginning of autumn before you have to bring it indoor again. The only other alternative, if it gets too big to bring indoors, is possibly to invest in one of those inexpensive plastic mini greenhouses which you erect over a metal frame which you can buy in some garden centres, including Wyvale.

[Kim A]

Thank you, Wendy! I fear that without major surgery the tree will never fit inside one of those cooler-size bottles - however, my husband thinks your idea is great for some other, smaller tender plants we have around (why do we always fall for the exotics?), so thanks for the idea. We do like a bit of re-cycling!