Today we're wrapping up our citrus series with the world's largest citrus. The Pummelo! Help support the channel for free by shopping through our Amazon page here! www.amazon.com/shop/edgeofnow...
We bought a house a couple years ago in Gilbert with a pomelo tree. I had no idea they existed beforehand! It’s a large, mature tree but only produced two fruits for me this last growing season. I think I got four last season. Not sure why. One year ago I raked away all the gravel mulch and replaced with wood chip mulch. I’m hoping between that, regular fertilizing, and my watering schedule I will get more fruit next year. They are soo yummy!! I agree with you, sweeter than grapefruit. Love your channel! Thank you for sharing!!
Hey S Heus. I think you're heading down the right path with getting that tree mulched and fertilized. With a mature tree it should have the potential to produce really good for you if it's treated well. Glad you like the channel and thanks for the comment!
There is another version of pammelo that grows in Asia and Middle East and they are much much bigger in size and are very yellow greenish in color skinn and the inside is very pink. You need to find out about it.we call it batabee
Hello Shahram. I have not heard of that variety before, but if it works well in the Middle East it should do well for us here also as we are in a very similar climate. Thank you for the suggestion!
Update July 2021. I got my pomelo to hang onto 9 fruits this spring. They are all bigger than a soft ball right now. I have been feeding it with a gallon of water soluble fertilizer cocktail once a week since late bloom set. The cocktail has Hoss Micro Boost, fish emulsion, and Hoss 20-20-20. The last ingredient isn't organic. As usual all my other citrus are experience growth spurts right now with zero fertilizing, but not the pomelo even with the heavy feeding I have been giving it. The tree does look extremely healthy though. I use the fertilizer mix mentioned on my vegetable garden and figured why not just use it on the pomelo just to see if it responds and holds onto more fruit. Seems to have worked.
Thanks for the update on your Pomelo. Our new tree is not much to look at yet, but it has put on some growth even with the crazy hot weather. However, the other citrus seems to be growing a bit stronger. Fingers crossed you get those fruit into the Fall and have a sweet harvest!
I LOVE pummelo! Absolutely agree about them being the better grapefruit! I love telling folks about them in the grocery store! Gotta try em! You can only find them when citrus are in season and I eat as many as I can.
Wow I love to watch your pomilows plantation... I love pomilows especially in my backyard . I hope I can get some seeds of it . But I 'd like the marcotted one or grafted.. Because it will not grow taller..
I have a 4 year old Chandler Red Pomelo. I have only gotten 4 or 5 fruits off it so far, but they were the best tasting citrus I have ever had. The tree itself has not grown much at all since I have planted it, but it is experiencing a nice growth spirt this spring. Every year it makes tons of flowers, but very few turn into fruit. I plan on grafting a few branches onto my ruby red grapefruit that is the same age and triple the size. Hopefully they take and produce well. I didn't realize that I was not supposed to let the pomelo fruit for 3 years so it could get some size to it. Apparently so much energy goes into the fruit that these trees don't grow after fruit set. I have also notice mine doesn't get a late summer growth spirt like my other citrus (Myer Lemon, Blood Orange, Grapefruit, Ponkan Mandarin)
Great idea on grafting onto a more established tree and it makes sense that these trees need to be thinned completely for the first few years. That's a great tip that we'll need to incorporate as well. We usually strip them completely for the first 2 years, but we'll do the same and keep a minimum of 3.
You have to let it turn completely yellow before eating. When you visit the east valley in the winter stop by the Asian markets especially 99 Ranch Market.. they had a slew of amazing pummelos last month. Pummelos are my absolute favorite citrus, can't wait for mine to start producing!
I’ve never heard of those before. Not sure if I’d like it as I don’t like grapefruit😎 But good comparison of all of your citrus from small to large. Thanks for sharing😎
Hey William. Yeah, if you're not a fan of grapefruit you can definitely skip this one. The tree can be finicky, but the fruit are definitely impressive looking!
I suggest to try one pomelo, buying it in a store, and then decide, because in my taste/opinion it is really different from grapefruit. There are some variety that are mixed with grapefruit, but Honey pomelo are just sweet and crisp. Really handsome, I wouldn't count it out alltogether! 🤗
Great questions! It's very difficult to tell when to harvest these as the skin color doesn't really change. I've heard stories of these being referred to as a New Year's fruit, so it's probably best to plan on harvesting them in December. We were actually a little late in harvesting these when we did in January. You can let these sit off the tree and they store fairly well as do most types of citrus. However, they do not continue to ripen once you remove them.
It's a solid option for us, but watch the freezing nights for the first few years until they're well established. They do fine down into the upper 20's, but we almost lost this one when we hit that 20 degree number.
Great question Manuel. They actually thrive in the summer heat. The challenge is very cold temps below 30 degrees. That's where they start to struggle.
Boy, that's really hard to say. My first thought would be root stock. We're very particular with the citrus that we purchase to make sure we have a root stock that thrives in our AZ soil. A few other things that can hamper growth, planting too deep, inconsistent irrigation (too frequent or not enough), not enough sunlight (they need complete, full sun), too cold in winter, something in the existing soil that is hampering growth.
Hey David. Only from the grocery store (which in my experience doesn't really count!). We're trying to narrow our "grapefruit" choice down to 1 on the new property. The Ruby Red is pretty good, but would you choose the Oro Blanco over that one?
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I agree with you fruit from the grocery store doesn't count LOL. We haven't tasted an Oro Blanco or Pummelo before. We do have a Ruby Red grapefruit tree we love. We want to plant either an Oro Blanco or Pummelo. So far everyone I have spoken to has told me to get an Oro Blanco. Also people who normally don't like grapefruit including Ruby Red seem to like Oro Blanco. If you get a chance to taste an Oro Blanco please let me know your thoughts.
We bought a house a couple years ago in Gilbert with a pomelo tree. I had no idea they existed beforehand! It’s a large, mature tree but only produced two fruits for me this last growing season. I think I got four last season. Not sure why. One year ago I raked away all the gravel mulch and replaced with wood chip mulch. I’m hoping between that, regular fertilizing, and my watering schedule I will get more fruit next year. They are soo yummy!! I agree with you, sweeter than grapefruit. Love your channel! Thank you for sharing!!
Hey S Heus. I think you're heading down the right path with getting that tree mulched and fertilized. With a mature tree it should have the potential to produce really good for you if it's treated well. Glad you like the channel and thanks for the comment!
There is another version of pammelo that grows in Asia and Middle East and they are much much bigger in size and are very yellow greenish in color skinn and the inside is very pink. You need to find out about it.we call it batabee
Hello Shahram. I have not heard of that variety before, but if it works well in the Middle East it should do well for us here also as we are in a very similar climate. Thank you for the suggestion!
We bengali of west bengal and also bangladeshi called it batabi lebu ..
Lebu means lemon
Update July 2021. I got my pomelo to hang onto 9 fruits this spring. They are all bigger than a soft ball right now. I have been feeding it with a gallon of water soluble fertilizer cocktail once a week since late bloom set. The cocktail has Hoss Micro Boost, fish emulsion, and Hoss 20-20-20. The last ingredient isn't organic. As usual all my other citrus are experience growth spurts right now with zero fertilizing, but not the pomelo even with the heavy feeding I have been giving it. The tree does look extremely healthy though. I use the fertilizer mix mentioned on my vegetable garden and figured why not just use it on the pomelo just to see if it responds and holds onto more fruit. Seems to have worked.
Thanks for the update on your Pomelo. Our new tree is not much to look at yet, but it has put on some growth even with the crazy hot weather. However, the other citrus seems to be growing a bit stronger. Fingers crossed you get those fruit into the Fall and have a sweet harvest!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thanks!
I LOVE pummelo! Absolutely agree about them being the better grapefruit! I love telling folks about them in the grocery store! Gotta try em! You can only find them when citrus are in season and I eat as many as I can.
Hey LadyV757! They really are amazing fruit and unless you knew what was under all that rind you would never think to give them a chance!
Wow I love to watch your pomilows plantation... I love pomilows especially in my backyard . I hope I can get some seeds of it . But I 'd like the marcotted one or grafted.. Because it will not grow taller..
Hey Amy! They really are an amazing fruit. Just the sheer size of them is impressive!
I have a 4 year old Chandler Red Pomelo. I have only gotten 4 or 5 fruits off it so far, but they were the best tasting citrus I have ever had. The tree itself has not grown much at all since I have planted it, but it is experiencing a nice growth spirt this spring. Every year it makes tons of flowers, but very few turn into fruit. I plan on grafting a few branches onto my ruby red grapefruit that is the same age and triple the size. Hopefully they take and produce well. I didn't realize that I was not supposed to let the pomelo fruit for 3 years so it could get some size to it. Apparently so much energy goes into the fruit that these trees don't grow after fruit set. I have also notice mine doesn't get a late summer growth spirt like my other citrus (Myer Lemon, Blood Orange, Grapefruit, Ponkan Mandarin)
Great idea on grafting onto a more established tree and it makes sense that these trees need to be thinned completely for the first few years. That's a great tip that we'll need to incorporate as well. We usually strip them completely for the first 2 years, but we'll do the same and keep a minimum of 3.
You have to let it turn completely yellow before eating. When you visit the east valley in the winter stop by the Asian markets especially 99 Ranch Market.. they had a slew of amazing pummelos last month. Pummelos are my absolute favorite citrus, can't wait for mine to start producing!
That's solid advice. One of our challenges with Pummelo are our frequent freezing temps in December when they start to ripen.
I’ve never heard of those before. Not sure if I’d like it as I don’t like grapefruit😎 But good comparison of all of your citrus from small to large. Thanks for sharing😎
Hey William. Yeah, if you're not a fan of grapefruit you can definitely skip this one. The tree can be finicky, but the fruit are definitely impressive looking!
I suggest to try one pomelo, buying it in a store, and then decide, because in my taste/opinion it is really different from grapefruit. There are some variety that are mixed with grapefruit, but Honey pomelo are just sweet and crisp. Really handsome, I wouldn't count it out alltogether! 🤗
We some time add pinch of sugar, salt and chili to the pulp of pomelo ... Taste awesome ..
Beautiful tree, even with the frost damage.
Hey Daniel. Thanks and it definitely took the most damage from this last frost, so not quite as hardy as some of the other citrus. Cool fruit though.
How can you tell when the best time to pick them are? And do you let them sit for any amount of time after harvesting or eat as soon as picked?
Great questions! It's very difficult to tell when to harvest these as the skin color doesn't really change. I've heard stories of these being referred to as a New Year's fruit, so it's probably best to plan on harvesting them in December. We were actually a little late in harvesting these when we did in January. You can let these sit off the tree and they store fairly well as do most types of citrus. However, they do not continue to ripen once you remove them.
I have 3 ordered.
It's a solid option for us, but watch the freezing nights for the first few years until they're well established. They do fine down into the upper 20's, but we almost lost this one when we hit that 20 degree number.
They can get even bigger than that. If it was pollinated then the fruit get 50% larger.
Hey there! I can't imagine these things even bigger. It's amazing to see such a large piece of fruit on these young trees!
what USDA zone were you in?
Hey there! We're in zone 9b, but our low temps get down to about 20 degrees. So we're really pushing the limits with Pummelo.
How do they take the summer sun here in Phoenix?
Great question Manuel. They actually thrive in the summer heat. The challenge is very cold temps below 30 degrees. That's where they start to struggle.
My wife say pummelo leaves gives stronger scent then lines and lemons is that true?
That's a good question Julio and I'm not sure. The leaves of both are pretty strong when you break them apart in your hand.
I got like 12 pomelo trees and they're refusing to grow, what could be the problem?
Boy, that's really hard to say. My first thought would be root stock. We're very particular with the citrus that we purchase to make sure we have a root stock that thrives in our AZ soil.
A few other things that can hamper growth, planting too deep, inconsistent irrigation (too frequent or not enough), not enough sunlight (they need complete, full sun), too cold in winter, something in the existing soil that is hampering growth.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thanks for response and your time 🙏
why are their peel so thick?
Great question! That is the natural way these grow, so I imagine it has evolved that way to ensure it can survive certain conditions.
Please what the name of that pomelo??
This is the Chandler variety Nieves.
Have you tried an
Oro Blanco grapefruit before?
Hey David. Only from the grocery store (which in my experience doesn't really count!). We're trying to narrow our "grapefruit" choice down to 1 on the new property. The Ruby Red is pretty good, but would you choose the Oro Blanco over that one?
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I agree with you fruit from the grocery store doesn't count LOL. We haven't tasted an Oro Blanco or Pummelo before. We do have a Ruby Red grapefruit tree we love. We want to plant either an Oro Blanco or Pummelo. So far everyone I have spoken to has told me to get an Oro Blanco. Also people who normally don't like grapefruit including Ruby Red seem to like Oro Blanco. If you get a chance to taste an Oro Blanco please let me know your thoughts.
@@cactuscannon We need to do that. The Pummelo really struggled with the freezing temps this winter, so the Oro Blanco may be a better option.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm We bought an Oro Blanco from RSI. Thank you for your advice.
@@cactuscannon I think you made a good choice on this one!
Imho, these pamelo is 100x better than oranges. Maybe not as sweet (lately au oranges are almost inedible).
They really are very good tasting fruit. Glad to hear we're not the only ones who like these.
fact: kumquat is bigger than calamansi citrus fruit...
Hmm, didn't know that. Thanks for the info!