The Story of “Gilbert Grapefruit”
By: Florence Carey, Master Gardener
Winter is a long season for gardeners. There is a time after the holidays when, still too early to start seeds for fear of having spindly tomatoes and leggy petunias, an eager gardener must have an outlet for their green thumb. It was one such day, more than 25 years ago, that my husband and I were enjoying breakfast grapefruit, and he said that he didn’t think the seeds would ever grow. Taking up the challenge, I planted a few in a coffee mug and set it on the kitchen windowsill.
Several seeds sprouted and, after they were a few inches high, he had to admit that I had proved my point. But what would happen next? I trimmed all off all but one, and repotted “Gilbert Grapefruit”, as our tree has affectionately become known, into a larger pot. For the first 15 years or so, it was just a house plant, a curiosity with shiny and fragrant leaves. We treated it like any other houseplant, with water, an occasional feeding with fertilizer or rinse in the shower to dust its leaves, and a very occasional repotting when it was outgrowing its pot. It thrived on neglect. We wondered how big it would grow, and it just kept growing.
We started to put it outside for the summer months – we’d put it out with our spring plants in mid- to late May and bring it in before (or shortly after) the first frost. We have always been careful when transitioning it outside in the spring, to ensure that it spends the first week or two in dappled shade so as not to be burnt by the bright sun on its tender house-grown leaves. It really thrived being outside. We found that it would tolerate nearly full sun but also did quite well in part-sun. Over the last few years, it has been in a part-sun spot where it is protected from the wind, because it’s crown-heavy top makes it liable to tipping its pot in a less sheltered spot.
Gilbert Grapefruit grew quite bushy and, when it was 6 feet high and probably about 4 feet wide, we decided it was getting too large for the space we had for it in the house. I talked to my mom about it, and she suggested a radical pruning. I was intimidated and, after snipping a little here and there, handed her the shears. She fearlessly transformed it into something that started to look like a tree. I was afraid of killing it, and never would have dared pruning that much myself, but it looked fantastic. Since that time, we have pruned more boldly to keep it in good shape, both aesthetically and so that we can manoeuvre it through doors and have room to keep it inside over the winter.
It doesn’t seem to mind coming in for the winter, where it is in a room with south and east-facing windows, but not getting much direct sun. We typically give it a light pruning before bringing it in – mainly to remove any unruly sprouts, and then a heavier prune in the spring before we put it back outside. We typically get a good flush of new growth in June when it shows its appreciation for the direct sun and warmth.
Generally, it has been very pest-resistant, and we typically just spray it with water from the hose before bringing it in to remove dust and any pests. One a couple of occasions, I have noticed that it had a few spider mites or whiteflies after bringing it in, but those have been easily controlled by wiping affected areas down with a cloth dampened with water and just a little dish soap. I have also battled a few scale from time to time, which I’ve gone after with a q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol, repeating until they were gone.
Compton tortoiseshell caterpillar getting ready to form it’s chrysalis on “Gilbert Grapefruit”.
Gilbert Grapefruit has never bloomed or showed any signs that it would, and so at this stage in its life, we’ve unfortunately given up any hope that we’ll have citrus flowers or small grapefruits to eat! That also means that it’s not offering anything to our local pollinators; nor has anything been known to eat its leaves. The only contribution to the local ecosystem of which I’m aware was when it provided a great location for a Compton Tortoiseshell butterfly chrysalis. We saw the caterpillar walking around the top edge of the pot one morning when we were having coffee and, before we knew it, it had climbed the trunk, selected a branch, and made the telltale “j” shape, before it started to make its chrysalis. We were able to check on it every day until it emerged!
A grapefruit tree of this size is always a conversation-starter. This past summer, on the Manitoba Master Gardener Association garden tour, it was the subject of great interest and many questions. Every winter, it extends over the dining room table at dinner parties and, through the holiday season, is decked out with ornaments. At other times it may be sporting fruits, fairy lights, or streamers. One just as to be careful of its thorns when decorating it or taking a closer look. We have just acquired what we believe will be its final pot – just slightly larger and self-watering, from a good friend. We can’t really provide a larger pot, or we won’t be able to move it indoors for the winter. We do plan to keep Gilbert Grapefruit, as it really has become part of the family.
“Banana Plant”.
In the meantime, we’ve been inspired to try planting other fruits. Several years ago we started some Meyer lemon seeds (after making a lemon pie) from the organic lemons, and “Jack Lemon” has been growing ever since. While we haven’t yet had any buds or flowers, we’re still hopeful and, either way, the leaves are very fragrant. We also purchased a couple of banana seedlings 5 or 6 years ago from a local greenhouse and, inspired by one of the Gardening In The Heart videos, cut them down – overwinter the bases in the dark in our basement. In spring, we trim off most of the white growth and let them regrow, which they do vigorously, over the summer. They were selected as the “Master Gardener’s Pick” at the garden tour.
What’s next? I’ve got a few wild plum seeds collected from Little Mountain Park in some potting soil in the refrigerator, as an experiment to see if they will sprout. I’ve also dried and then planted some papaya seeds from an organic papaya purchased over the winter, so stay tuned.
Published: March 2025