Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Rio Red Grapefruit
Rio Red is a red grapefruit with deep red, juicy flesh and a good balance of sweet and tart. It thrives in desert heat and grows into a large, vigorous evergreen tree. Fragrant white blossoms open in spring and bring in the bees. The fruit is ready from December and can hang on the tree into late spring.
Best for: a large backyard fruit tree, deep red grapefruit to pick from winter into late spring, fresh juice, and spring blossom scent in a sunny yard.
Rio Red grows into a large, vigorous tree about 15 to 20 feet tall and wide. Give it a sunny spot about 12 to 20 feet from other trees. Keep it off a hot west wall, where afternoon sun can burn fruit and bark.
The fruit is ready from December, and it can stay on the tree until about late May or early June without going flat. That lets you pick a few at a time instead of all at once.
The flesh is a deep red, especially near the peel, and darker than Ruby Red. It is juicy, with a good balance of sweet and tart, and the peel can pick up a red blush.
Young trees need frost cloth on freezing nights. The trunk sunburns if the low branches are cut off. It drops leaves, blossoms and fruit, and dropped blossoms can clog a pool filter.
- Grapefruit trees in a rowAbout 12 to 15 ft apart
- Single tree in the yardAbout 20 ft from other trees
Water a newly planted Rio Red every few days for the first months, more often in summer. Soak out past the branch tips so the roots spread.
Water 2 to 3 feet deep about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter. Do not water a little every day.
Give citrus fertilizer three times a year. Feed once in January or February, once in March or April, and once in May or June.
Do light pruning from late winter into spring, never in summer. Keep the low branches over the trunk, and paint exposed bark with white latex paint.
It is rated to about 26°F. Cover young trees with frost cloth to the ground on freezing nights, and water the day before.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does a Rio Red grapefruit tree get?
Expect about 15 to 20 feet tall and about as wide on a standard tree, and older trees can grow larger. Semi-dwarf trees stay smaller, at about 8 to 15 feet.
How far apart should I plant Rio Red grapefruit?
Space trees about 12 to 15 feet apart in a row, and give a single tree about 20 feet from other trees. The Spacing tab can count trees for a row.
When is Rio Red ripe in Arizona?
You can start picking in December. The fruit can hang on the tree until about late May or early June and stay good, so pick it as you need it.
Is Rio Red better than Ruby Red?
Rio Red came from the Ruby Red line and has darker red flesh. Ruby Red is light pink and fades toward gold by spring. Both grow into large, vigorous trees.
Does Rio Red grow well in the Phoenix heat?
Yes. It is known as a red grapefruit that thrives in desert heat. Plant it in full sun, keep it off a hot west wall, and keep the low branches to shade the trunk.
How cold can a Rio Red grapefruit take?
It is rated to about 26°F. Cover young trees with frost cloth to the ground on freezing nights, and water the day before.
How often should I water a Rio Red?
Soak the soil 2 to 3 feet deep, out past the branch tips. Established trees need water about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter. Young trees need water every few days at first.
When do I fertilize a grapefruit tree?
Use citrus fertilizer three times a year. Feed once in January or February, once in March or April, and once in May or June.
How do I keep the trunk from sunburning?
Keep the low branches so they shade the trunk, and prune lightly in late winter or spring, not in summer. Paint any bare, sun-hit bark with white latex paint or whitewash.
Can grapefruit interact with medicine?
Yes. Grapefruit and its juice can change how some medicines work in the body. If you take a prescription, check the label or ask your doctor or pharmacist about grapefruit.
Is it messy near a pool?
It drops leaves through the year, plus blossoms in spring and any fruit you leave. Dropped blossoms can overload a pool filter, so plant it back from the water and pick up fallen fruit.
Is a Rio Red grapefruit tree safe for pets?
No. Grapefruit is listed as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Chewing the peel, leaves or stems can cause vomiting, diarrhea and depression.
Rio Red Grapefruit for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Rio Red is a popular deep red grapefruit for Arizona yards. It brings a large evergreen tree, fragrant spring blossoms and fruit you can pick for months. This page covers the questions people ask most, including size, spacing, when to pick, how it compares to Ruby Red, and watering, feeding and frost care.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
How big does a Rio Red grapefruit tree get?
A standard Rio Red grows about 15 to 20 feet tall and about as wide. It is a large, vigorous evergreen that grows at a moderate rate.
How far apart do you plant Rio Red grapefruit?
Plant trees about 12 to 15 feet apart in a row. A single tree needs about 20 feet from other trees, and the spacing calculator can count trees for a row.
When to pick Rio Red grapefruit in Arizona
Rio Red is ready from December. The fruit holds on the tree until about late May or early June, so you can pick it a little at a time.
Rio Red vs Ruby Red grapefruit
Rio Red came from the Ruby Red line. Its flesh is a deeper red, while Ruby Red is light pink and fades toward gold by spring.
Watering a grapefruit tree in Phoenix
Soak the soil 2 to 3 feet deep, out past the branch tips. Established trees need water about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter.
Fertilizing grapefruit in the Valley
Grapefruit gets three feedings a year. Feed once in January or February, once in March or April, and once in May or June.
Protecting a grapefruit tree from frost in Phoenix
Grapefruit trees are rated to about 26°F. Cover young trees with frost cloth all the way to the ground, and water the day before a freeze.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.