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Care-for-Apple-and-Grapefruit-Trees-THUMB.jpg

Care for Apple and Grapefruit Trees

I started two trees from seed. One, an apple tree is 20 years old and I finally transplanted it from an indoor pot to the garden. The other is a grapefruit tree that is 18 years old and is in a pot that I put out each year and take in for the winter. Neither plant blooms. Should they be grafted?

Improved growing conditions, not grafting is the key to flowering and fruit production. Now that your apple tree is planted in the ground outdoors you should see great improvement in growth and flowering.  Apples need full sun to produce flowers and another apple or crabapple nearby to produce fruit.  Next winter prune the tree to allow light to reach all the branches.  It may take several years for the tree to get established in it new location before it starts flowering.  Keep your grapefruit potbound and fertilize several times a year to encourage flowering.  Use a balanced fertilizer according to label directions.  Container plants need to be fertilized often since they are watered more frequently and can only hold a small amount of nutrients in the limited amount of soil.  

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