Hello all,
I finally started getting some odds and ends done on our new house and have loads of questions on the orchard that surrounds the house.

It appears that all of the trees were planted in 1975 and while most have died back during the last year due to being a foreclosure and no water, most have new flushes of growth. All trees were a light pink grapefruit that I think taste pretty good. Here's the questions though:

1) Some of the trees have reverted back to the rootstock. It appears that they aren't grown on a grapefruit rootstock. At first I thought it was a trifoliate because there are three leaves. Then I started thinking it might be a citrange. Can anyone identify the pictures below:





2) I have more grapfruit than I know what to do with. At one time, I thought I saw a post here about someone converting their orchard to other cultivar, but now I can't find it. Joe was this something you did? Was it a bark graft? I also remember something about having a graft on each side of the rootstock.

3) For all of you farmers out there. I just spent the last couple of days trying to mow my five acres with a push mower. I'm finding that it's going to be impossible. Do you know of anything cheap without buying a tractor to keep the grass down. I'm thinking a big bottle of roundup, but I like the green between the rows so I don't mind mowing. Maybe there's somethign to attach to a pickup truck. I'm also thinking about goats.

4) I want to offer an open invitation to forum members who happen to be in the San Diego area. I'd love for you to stop by and provide any feedback. It would also be nice to get to meet some of you face to face.

Here's a picture of one of the better grapefruit trees below. I also have some pictures at: http://gallery.dauben.us/main.php?g2_itemId=3684

Dauben I enjoy your posts about you new home. I don't post very often because know many answers. I do remember Joe Real top worked a pummelo last year.

link

I haven't heard any update on how it came out. Joe did you get your usual 100%?

Helix

if this was i vote, i would vote for the goat.

but wouldn't they also eat the trees?

maybe sheep would be better. i remember seeing an old picture of the White House with sheep grazing. when i saw that as a young boy i dreamed of having my own sheep so i would not have to cut the lawn.

Yes, sheep is a good idea they are very nice and don't bother. You just have to take the wool off once a year. They smell strong, but where you are you might not care...
Goats is a very bad idea (I had both sheep and goats) they eat trees, bark, leaves and flush. They climb in the trees. They often escape the property eating the garden of neighbors. They will eat your garden as well and go in your home, climb on the table to eat the bread... and so on.
You must also know that goats eat grass only when there is nothing left. They will eat your garden and your trees first!
You cannot stop them, they are much more clever than humans.

Yes swingle has the trifoliate leaves. It has been used in FL for a long time, don't know about CA though. Swingle is a cross between grapefruit & poncirus.

I don't have any answers for your questions but I want to wish you a happy and healthy life with your family in your new house.

Here is what I did!

http://members.fortunecity.com/pjsauber/TopWorkingACitrus.htm

It was a Texas bark graft:

http://members.fortunecity.com/pjsauber/BarkInlayGraft.htm

You ought to order some budwood from the CCPP. Deadline is Jan 17 for the next cutting(I'm getting the Texas budwood bureau to order some for me, pomona lemon, seedless nagami, cocktail, and giant key lime.)

looks like citrange to me

Citrange.