Need help, I had 12 yrs old Pummelo tree on ground, healthy 12 ft tall, grow from seed, never flowers or fruits.

This is what I randomly tried during the last 5yrs when I am running out patient:

Put "fruit tree" fertilizer spikes, take off 70% leaves, drill holes in trunk and branches, hit trunk with baseball bat, cut down some branches but no luck.

Last year as run out option, I cut down the tree and leave only trunk back about 5ft tall but still no luck and it grows back healthy as you see at the attached picture.

Sorry, the date pictures were wrong, I took all them during this month 02/12/2012

http://plant.daleysfruit.com.au/l/pummelo-7790.jpeg

http://plant.daleysfruit.com.au/l/pummelo-7791.jpeg

http://plant.daleysfruit.com.au/l/pummelo-7801.jpeg

From reading your post, so far you have done just about everything wrong. First, citrus trees produce blooms ONLY on the new growth, therefore any cutting or pruning of the tree removes the newest growth, and therefore the tree will not and cannot bloom. Second, fertilizer spikes are a poor method of fertilizing your tree. Use a granular fertilizer that contains both macro and micro elements that can be spread evenly under the tree's canopy. A 12 year old pummelo tree in southern Texas should be fertilized three times a year over the growing season. Each application evenly spaced out starting shortly before the last frost and ending in September. You can fertilize the tree with a fertilizer having the formulation of 6-6-6 at a rate of 13-lbs. per each application, starting a foot from the tree's trunk (do not place fertilizer against a citrus tree's trunk) spreading the fertilizer EVENLY extending a foot or two outside the tree's drip line. Or apply a 8-8-8 fertilizer three times a growing season at the rate of 5.2-lbs. per each application. Lastly if you use a 10-10-10 formulated fertilizer apply 4-lbs. with each application. If you use other formulations of granular fertilizer for citrus trees, follow the application rates on the bag. Further, for best results all grass or other plants growing under the tree's canopy should be removed, as they will rob much of the nutrition need by the tree. I don't know where you heard the hitting the tree with a bat is helpful, it is not, so stop doing that. Hopefully, you have planted your tree in a location where it is receiving full sun, and the ground where it is planted it has good drainage. Citrus trees have a rather shallow root system. When you water the tree water enough so that the water wets down at least 3 or 4 inches. However, do not water so much that the area is way over soaked. - Good luck. Millet (339 ABo-)

Thank you very much for your reply. I will try your advice.

I think it is time to abandon any advice from "ALLEXPERT".

Wish I had some encouragement to give you. A friend grew a cocktail grapefruit tree from seed and waited 17 years to fruit. Your pummelo does not come true from seed.

I would suggest finding someone to topwork your tree to a named pummelo variety. You would have fruit the 2nd year.

Tony, the advise that I wrote above is still good advise, and should be followed, on how to grow your pummelo. However when I read your post, I missed the part that your pummelo tree was grown from seed. When I came back to the post and read Mr. Texas response I only then realized that your pummelo was a seedling tree. Because the tree was grown from seed makes a big difference on why it has not yet flowered. Your tree has to first produce (grow) the required number of nodes (basically attain the needed height by growing enough vertical nodes) before it finally reaches the point of maturity. Only then will the tree begin to fruit. One other note that you should be aware of. After the tree reaches the required node count, which for a pummelo tree could be 12 to 17 years of growth, only the part of the tree, at and above, the maturity node will produce fruit. The entire tree below the maturity node point will forever remain immature, and will never produce any fruit. Sorry, that I did not read your initial post more carefully. - Millet (339 ABo-)

Thanks guys, I hope that I do not have to wait for another 5yrs. Most Pro. said never grown fruit trees from seed and I believe it now.

my vote would be for topwork your tree. try some grafting this spring, now would be a good time. you can get some scion at the scion exchange that is coming up.

Scion Exchange
March 10, 2012 from 11am to 1 pm
at Caldwell Nursery in Rosenburg, Texas

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/txrarefruitgrowers/

you might be able to get someone to show/help you.

http://www.txrfg.org/

Hi mrtexas & gdbank,

"I would suggest finding someone to topwork your tree to a named pummelo variety. You would have fruit the 2nd year.". I do not understand what you really mean on "topwork your tree" and it is really sound good to me.

Does new air layer tree will product fruit if the mother tree was never fruit?

I am welcome to all suggest, advice or trick to push my Pummelo or Pomelo to fruit.

Your tree is probably big enough to start fruiting, but it looks like all the growth is still juvenile. Marcotting probably wont work, because the new plant will still be juvenile. I think grafting some of the limbs over to other Pummelo types is the best shot. You could do several types and have a multigraft pummelo.
If you still want to try to get the original to fruit, leave some original limbs when you graft.

Wow, I read some articles about grafting but never try. I need time to learn more about grafting before jumping in, wish me luck. Thanks again.

you should just jump-in and do a few grafts. you have enough branches to try a few and most likely one or more would work.