pummelo

Gardener starts with ...
We've just had a taste of a pummelo and found it to be very sweet. Does anyone know where you can buy this tree is Melbourne, or even it is possible for it to grow in Melbourne. Any help or info would be greatly appreciated.

Michael says...
Hi There,
I love eating pummelos and I currently have 3 trees with 2 in the ground and 1 in a large pot.They are quite small but the one in the pot is blooming with lot's of flowers right now.
Pummelos are the hardest citrus tree to grow in Australia as our climate is not hot enough for the fruit to turn sweet. You can get fruits but need constant heat all year round to turn the fruits sweet. Regardless I'm still going to try growing my own tree .I got 2 of my trees from Daleys - The Dwarf Nam Roi variety. I tried this variety in Vietnam and it was the best tasting pummelo I ever tried.

Hi Nguyet - I would love to see pictures of your tree when it is in fruits.

Cuong says...
HiJujube and Michael,

I have experienced the same thing with my parents pomelo.

It tastes sweeter if picked and left for sometime before eating it then if you it it straight off the tree.

I think you can have a sweet pomelo in Australia, ours is almost there I think if we change our fertiliser program it will be sweet this year...

Gardener says...
Hi All

Thanks for your input, I will try Gardenworld to see if they have a tree and by the sounds of it, keep it in a pot.

Thank you

JUJUBE FOR SALE IN MELBOURNE says...
Hi Cuong,

Many thanks. My fruits are juicy. I apply epsom salt and potash every year. The only thing I have not done is checking the PH. that is a good point. I will do so soon.

JUJUBE FOR SALE IN MELBOURNE says...
Hi Amanda,

Many thanks for the hints. Much appreciated.

I have some spare rocks around my pond so I am going to remove some and place them underneath the tree.

Also good point about ventilation, I will have to punch lots of holes on the black plastic bags otherwise those fruits will get cooked due to summer heat.

I will certainly apply some Phosphorus too.

It is realy pity that the tree is beautiful and very productive but I have unpleasant taste after eating the fruits.

JUJUBE FOR SALE IN MELBOURNE says...
Hi Michael,

Yours are very healthy. Good luck to the fruiting bit. I hope yours are good to eat.

VLR says...
I don't know about pummelo but I did get a pomegranate tree from Lena Nursery, Wangara last summer for my Dad. It was the only nursery in my area that stocked pomegranate trees at the time. The healthiest plant I could find was still a bit burnt but it's really taken off now. The label said the variety was "Elite" but I think it was a typo and it's actually "Elcite". They only sold ones of that variety. Try calling your local nurseries if Wangara's out of your way. Some of the other nurseries I contacted led me to believe they sometimes have pomegranate trees in but had sold out. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for them to order one in for you. They grow well in Perth.

Damo says...
was there today, he has new stock purchased after the auction last month.

Shaun says...
Hi VLR,
Big W garden centre in Bunbury Forum has a large Pummelo plant with lots of flowers (some small fruits and good amount of leaves) for sale for only $19.95 !!!
There is only 1 plant left ..... you have to be quick !

Shaun says...
Well, with the recent cold nights and hot days in Perth, my Pummelo plant has dropped all its leaves and gone dormant again !!

Pummelo is a very tropical citrus, and loves hot climate.
If you get a sudden cold spell, it can drop its leaves, flowers and fruits and go into dormancy.
I was told to grow Pummelo in a hot green house until it is established, before moving the pot to outdoors.

I thought I could let my small Pummelo plant acclimatise outdoors, but it seems like I was wrong :-|

Jennifer says...
Does anyone know where you can buy pomelo in Brisbane? And when is the pomelo season?

Jennifer

Diana says...
Picture.

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Matthew says...
I lived in Thailand for 2 years. I ate lots of pomelos there. They were very sweet and very refreshing. The pomelos over there were pink inside.Pink was the more expensive type. In Brisbane they can be sweet with some bitterness.

chris says...
Michael,
Citrus are not the preferred host for QFF, but they'll go for it if there is nothing else around (ie. tomatoes and stone fruit).
Not that I would wait to find out, but given the thick rind and the rind oils, these would kill many eggs and larvae. Citrus are most at risk when ripe fruit are left on the trees. That's the battle I have with my neighbours neglected tree.

Adam T says...
Hi everyone. I planted some yellow pomelo seeds 14 years ago as a child. Most of the seedlings i gave away, and i planted one for myself next to a north facing wall. Today (16/4/2011) as i was picking some limes i spotted something 'sitting' on the bathroom window ledge. Turns out it was a rock-melon sized pomelo and it's not even ripe. I've been patient for a long time and frankly i forgot all about the tree, using the thorny branches to keep the possums from climbing other fruit trees. Today's been a pleasant surprise.

Tips: All i can say is that the plant likes a hot position. Mine is surrounded by 10m2 of pavement and it's directly in front of a north facing wall. Never gets frost, but sometimes gets dew. Planted in shallow sandy loam, over solid mudstone rock that begins at 50cm depth. The plant is happy, as tall as the gutter,incredibly lush and so dense i didn't even spot the fruit. It never gets watered unless there's rain (the pavement collects a lot of water that remains in the shallow soil). Hope this helps. Good luck everyone!

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Tim@Moss Vale says...
Can anybody tell me where to get a pomelo tree in NSW. I would prefer a dwarf variety. If not are seeds available.

Mike says...
Pomelos are a bit like grapefruit in that the hotter the climate the sweeter the fruit.I agree that nam roi is a very good type but not quite like the Thai one with a slight pink tinge.I planted a tree a couple of months ago and chose Chandlers Red over Nam Roi even though I haven't tried a chandlers red.Has anyone tasted fruit of this variety?

JK says...
I plannted my Pommelo about 2.5 years back. Got it from Mitre 10. Its about 6 feet tall. With new leaves last 2 springs.. but no flowers yet.. Is something wrong?

Tim@Moss Vale says...
Thanks mike I will try a specialist fruit market to see if they are available. Might try to graft on to a dwarf greapefruit and see what happens.

Tim@Moss Vale says...
Still no luck with locating either pommelo seeds or fruit. Can anybody for the top end send some seeds from their fruit? I will pay postage.

Pom says...
I was trying to find pomelo fruit in Melbourne for some time but noone seems to stock it.
Any ideas as to where could I find it?
Thanks!

Michael says...
Hi Tim,

Pomelo can grow and fruit pretty well in pots .Check out the thread below .I had 8 huge pomelos from my small tree in a pot . The Nam Roi variety from Vietnam is famous for it's sweetness and no seeds .Daley has them as a dwarf variety which i have a few plants . If you want to go for a drive then head down to Canley Vale where there is an Asian nursery that stocks heaps of pomelo especially Nam Roi . They are around $40 - $45 each I think . The nursery is a the corner of Canley Vale road and Phelps St . They stock alot of other Asian plants as well .

http://www.daleysfruit.com.au/forum/fruit-trees-growing-in-pots-successfully/