Pomelo is the largest citrus fruit with its Asian origin. The flesh of pomelo fruit can be yellow or green, while the rind is pale and thick. A pomelo can usually get as big as a cantaloupe and slightly bigger sometimes. Its taste and teardrop are shaped quite like a grapefruit but are slightly sweeter. Pomelo generally contains a few nutrients that make a good addition to a healthy diet that mainly includes cancer-fighting antioxidants.
Moreover, one pomelo fruit is packed with numerous daily intakes of vitamin C, immune system boosters, and powerful antioxidants. It is also rich in various other nutrients, vitamins, and minerals including fiber, copper, and potassium.
| Botanical Name | Citrus Maxima |
| Family | Rutaceae |
| Genus | Citrus |
| Foliage | Evergreen |
| Lifecycle | Perennial |
| Native | Southeast Asia |
| Height | 6-15 meter |
| Sun Exposure | Direct sunlight |
| Soil Type | Well drained |
| Flowering | Autumn |
| Harvesting | Winter |
How to grow pomelo fruit?
You should plant pomelo fruit preferably in spring or winter. You can choose a sheltered spot that is well-endowed with sunlight. In addition, the plant pomelo fruit doesn’t survive in temperatures lower than 23 degrees Fahrenheit and must not be subjected to freezing for so long.
How to plant pomelo fruit in a pot?
Growing the plant of pomelo fruit in pots is the best way for all your citrus if they freeze in your area. You can also bring them indoors from October to May. You can even re-pot them every 2 or 3 years by mixing new soil into it.
How to propagate pomelo fruit?
The propagation of pomelo fruit mainly requires sterilising soil (put the soil in a microwave), sterilising knife, and other soil that will be kept moist such as peat moss, coconut coir, or peat soil. It would be better in the higher temperature, high humidity, and moist soil.
You need to dig a hole deeply, put some organic matter, dried leaves, and hummus, and mix it with some soil. Put the pomelo fruit plant and loose a little bit of the root ball above the hole. Simply cover it and don’t push the soil strongly and not too much lightly as it won’t be stable.
How to care for pomelo fruit?
- Soil: amend the soil with plenty of compost and organic matter. This fruit plant highly requires loose growing and a well-draining medium to grow best. A slightly acidic pH range of 5-6 is also optimal for pomelo. You can also add up a handful of leaf litter and sand at the time of planting pomelo fruit in order to improve the drainage as the plant hates the compact soil.
- Sunlight: pomelo fruits also require direct sunlight as well as good air circulation like all citruses. So, always remember to not keep the plant in a shaded spot as it will result in leggy growth with no or smaller fruits.
- Fertilisers: if you want to increase the number of fruits, taste, and size, then you are required to use a 10-30-20 blend once in 4 weeks. You can even refer to the label for more instructions. In addition, a monthly dose of a bone meal can also help the plant to grow good quality pomelo fruit.
- Watering: pomelo fruits grow best in a growing medium that usually stays a little on the moist side. However, this doesn’t mean that you ended up overwatering the plant. The best rule to simply follow is to water the pomelo plant when the top soil feels a little dry when touched.
- Pruning: you should always remove diseased, damaged, and dead stems from time to time so that they don’t compete for nutrients. You are also required to snip away leggy branches after harvesting. In this way, the sunlight can easily reach every part of the plant and also promote air circulation.
- Pest & Diseases: pomelo fruit is highly susceptible to mealybugs, aphids, spider mites, leaf-eating caterpillars, leaf-miners, fruit flies, red mites, scales, fruit-boring caterpillars, rats, and nematodes. However, you can easily kill all these pests by using insecticidal soap and neem oil solution.
Toxicity in Pomelo fruit
Pomelo fruit is generally safe to eat, but you should be cautious about consuming the seeds and peels in large quantities as they may contain essential oils that can cause allergic reactions or skin irritation in some individuals. In addition, it also contains compounds known as furanocoumarins that can easily interact with certain medications and even cause potentially adverse effects.
These compounds found in pomelo fruit can inhibit the activity of enzymes which are involved in drug metabolism by leading to increased drug levels in the bloodstream. So, it is advisable to consult the healthcare professional in case you are on medications, especially those processed by the liver. This will help you to ensure that there are no potential interactions with the compound in pomelo fruit. Moreover, people that are allergic to citrus fruits should also avoid pomelo fruit.
FAQs
What is the genus of pomelo fruit?
The genus of pomelo fruit is Citrus.
Is growing a pomelo fruit tree beneficial?
Yes, one pomelo fruit is packed with numerous days of daily intake of vitamin C, immune system boosters, and powerful antioxidants. It is also rich in various other nutrients, vitamins, and minerals including fiber, copper, and potassium. Therefore, growing a pomelo fruit tree is always beneficial for your health as you can enjoy fresh pomelo fruits whenever you want.
Which soil is best for growing pomelo fruit?
This fruit plant highly requires loose growing and a well-draining medium to grow best. A slightly acidic pH range of 5-6 is also optimal for pomelo.
Does pomelo fruit require sunlight?
Pomelo fruits require direct sunlight as well as good air circulation like all citruses.
What is the best way to water pomelo fruit?
The best rule to simply follow is to water the pomelo plant when the top soil feels a little dry when touched.
Which pests can destroy or spread disease in pomelo fruit?
The pomelo fruit is highly susceptible to mealybugs, aphids, spider mites, leaf-eating caterpillars, leaf-miners, fruit flies, red mites, scales, fruit-boring caterpillars, rats, and nematodes.
What is the best time to harvest pomelo fruit?
You should plant pomelo fruit preferably in spring or winter.
When do I re-pot the pomelo fruit plant?
You can easily re-pot the pomelo fruit plant every 2 or 3 years by mixing new soil into it.
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