If you live in a hot, humid sub-tropical zone like Florida or California, you have many options for growing fruit trees. You are lucky enough to be able to support almost any type of plant as long as you prevent pests from taking over. You should consider growing an orange tree, as these are usually easy to maintain and produce some of the most delicious fruits. The orange is one of the most popular fruits worldwide due to its sweetness, juiciness, and distinctive flavor.
If you have the room you can plant the orange tree in the ground, but if you'd like to have an orange tree and live in a smaller space you might consider growing your orange tree in a container. The best orange trees for container gardening are the dwarf cultivars such as Calamondin Citrus Trees (a cross between a mandarin orange and a kumquat), a Trovita Orange Tree (Trovita Oranges are fun to grow at home because they are low maintenance and produce tons of sweet oranges), or a Buddha's Hand Citrus tree (The Buddha's hand fruit is very fragrant and is used predominantly in China, Malaysia and Japan for perfuming rooms and personal items such as clothing).
Growing in a Container To get your containerized orange tree off on the right footing, you need the correct potting soil mix and the correct size pot. While you can place the tree in a 5-gallon pot, bigger is better. A large container like a whiskey barrel or 20-gallon pot is ideal. Make sure it has drainage holes or drill some into it.
Orange trees should be watered every few days during the first couple of weeks after planting. Once they've established, this watering should be decreased gradually to intervals of 7 to 28 days depending on the time of year and the soil type.
An Orange tree when given proper care, can bear fruit for 50 years or more. Trees planted in the ground produce fruit longer than container-grown orange trees. Orange trees are evergreen but, unlike many limes and lemons, do not produce fruit continually throughout the year. Each tree produces one crop of fruit per year, with the fruiting cycle taking up to 10 months for some varieties.
Growing in the Ground The orange tree can reach up to 50 feet in height towards its later years, so you should definitely take that into account when planning. Even if you’re starting with a very small tree, plan ahead and place it in an open area so that it will have plenty of room to expand. If you make the same mistake I did, you will end up having to renovate your yard to some extreme measures, such as taking out an entire shed. Just take the necessary precautions beforehand and avoid all of this trouble.
The ideal soil for growing an orange tree would be fine sand with great drainage. The soil should be deep enough to allow for extensive root development, since the trees are known for reaching monstrous sizes and requiring lots of support from down below. If you have shallow, easily saturated soil then you should either do something to remedy it or move onto a different type of tree. It is most likely that attempting to grow an orange tree in these conditions would be disastrous.
One of the more popular types of orange is the “Washington Navel”. It probably came about as a mutation of other oranges. It originated in Brazil around 1820, and had moved on to Florida within fifteen years. It is characterized by being one of the largest of all available oranges. The peel or rind is easily removed. Usually it is not as juicy as other oranges, but has an intense flavor. These are the most popular orange trees for commercial growing. If you decide on one of these trees, you probably won’t have to water as much. Washington navel orange trees will grow to a maximum height of 30 feet tall and almost 30 feet wide. "Washington" navels are among the most common navel varieties. The standard size for a "Washington" navel orange tree is moderate, reaching heights up to 15 or 20 feet.
Another type of orange is the “Trovita”. It was invented sometime in the early 1900s at a lab in California devoted to experimenting with new types of citruses. It started being publicly marketed around 1940. It doesn’t have a very strong flavor, and has more seeds than a Washington Navel. You don’t have to go far to find Trovita Oranges, because they can be grown anywhere, including in your own home. Trovita Oranges are one of the top citrus trees to grow in containers.
The ‘Valencia’ is one of the most juicy and flavorful oranges. It is most popular in South Africa and the southern USA states. Until about 20 years ago, Valencia oranges made up a strangely large portion of the orange market due to its popularity. It is thought to have been invented in China. It has almost no seeds. Another subgroup of Valencia oranges are the “Rhode Red Valencia” oranges. These were created around 1960, so they are slightly more recent than other types. Various mutations occurred and the trees that grew as a product of them were large and extremely hardy. The oranges themselves are more juicy and less acidic than the standard Valencia oranges. Almost any citrus can be container grown, but due to their large size may suffer in a pot. The best orange trees for container gardening are the dwarf cultivars: Calamondin or Trovita.
Orange trees are a great thing to get planted, because with just a little effort in the planting process you will be able to enjoy hundreds of delicious fruits every year. Just pick whatever orange sounds the most delicious, and go with it! Before you purchase a tree, you should of course consult a local expert to make sure your desired type will flourish in your area. Usually this won’t be a problem, but it is always good to make sure before you spend the money and time.
Dwarf citrus trees are especially suited for container growing as they can be kept at manageable sizes. Container growing allows gardeners to overcome poor soil conditions or limited space in a landscape. People enjoy growing their trees in decorative pots on a patio or apartment balcony.
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