Citrus in Arizona

Southern Arizona has about a perfect climate for citrus. Most people have probably had oranges and many people eat grapefruit, but there are dozens of varieties of citrus fruit and even people in Phoenix are often unfamiliar with some of the different types. We have been growing citrus for over thirty years. Our trees included white and pink grapefruit, navel oranges, Arizona Sweet oranges, tangelos, tangerines (also called mandarins) limes and lemons. Each of those general categories have numerous varieties. I also happen to like kumquats, but no one else does so we don't have a tree.

We usually purchase our trees for planting in 5 gallon containers when they are about three to five years old. From the time they are planted until they start giving fruit is usually about two more years. Most citrus trees will live and bear fruit for over a hundred years if properly maintained. We presently have five full grown grapefruit trees. Four of those trees had over 700 pounds of fruit when it was picked and donated to the local food bank.

Citrus trees are susceptible to a number of diseases, including Texas Root Rot. However, most of the varieties they sell in Arizona are grafted onto rot resistant root stock to avoid the problem. Citrus trees bloom in the early Spring, which means January and February in Phoenix. They set fruit and the fruit matures during the year, ripening in late November and December. Unless the trees are picked, they will have blossoms and fruit ready to pick at the same time.

If the trees are not picked, the fruit will start to fall off by the end of January or so. Tangelos are the first to go, then oranges and grapefruit. Lemons and grapefruit can stay on the tree into March and even April, but beyond April the fruit will start to dry out in the heat. Sometimes a few grapefruit will summer-over and still be edible in the Fall.

When I was young, our Scouts used to make money for camps by picking grapefruit and selling it to the citrus suppliers. We would have metal rings and the fruit had to fit in the ring to be salable. It was sweaty and dirty work since the trees are covered with dust. The branches are also stickery. We always seemed to have a ready supply of citrus all winter and so we would also have citrus fights. It is not fun to get hit in side of the head with a grapefruit. Especially, if you don't know it is coming. We would also roll the citrus out into the street just as cars went by to see if we could get the cars to run over the fruit.

I guess it never occurred to us that children were starving in where ever while we threw edible fruit at each other.