How to Pick Grapefruit Trees

Citrus trees are thorny, and picking their delicious fruit can be painful unless you know a couple of tricks.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• a bag or bucket to put the fruit in
• leather work gloves
• a thick or heavy jacket
• a ladder
• a pole-mounted pruning hook OR a 10-foot length of 1-inch PVC pipe, duct tape and a wire coat hanger

1. Grapefruit are ripe when their skins turn yellow.
2. Making a fruit hook If you don't have a pole-mounted pruning hook, make one by stretching the wire coat hanger as shown and taping it securely with duct tape to the pole so that the hook extends beyond the end of the length of pipe.
3. Wear leather gloves and long sleeves. A thick jacket is also useful for protecting your arms.
4. Begin by picking the ripe fruit you can reach from the ground. Then begin using the fruit hook or pruning hook. When you can no longer reach any fruit with the hook, use the ladder.
5. If you are using a fruit hook, snag a branch and gently bring it within reach. Grasp a branch and gently pick a grapefruit by twisting and pulling it.

Tips & Warnings

• A razor knife or box cutter may be useful for separating the fruit from the tree.
• Citrus fruit generally does not fall off the tree when it is ripe, so shaking the tree is not useful.
• Avoid using the fruit hook to pick fruit that you can bring within reach. Citrus tree branches break readily, and you may end up wearing a crown of thorns.