How to Care for Orange Trees

The orange tree is a member of the citrus family. It is a sub-tropical tree best grown in the south east or gulf region of the Americas. This article will provide some basics for successful orange tree care, whether it's one tree or several.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Orange tree seeds or yearling plant
• Gently sloping area
• Full exposure to the sun for at least 10 hours a day
• Fertile, well drained soil
• Temperatures that don't drop below 45-50 degrees farenheit at night

1. Air circulation is extremely important to an orange tree. Before you plant your tree you need to select a planting area with a gentle to moderate slope, so the cold air will move downward on frosty nights and not be trapped around the tree. This will allow the foliage and fruit to dry rapidly helping to prevent fungus diseases that develop in moist, trapped air. The sloping area should not be surrounded by buildings or tightly planted shrubbery as this will also hold the cold air in place.

2. The soil the tree is planted in needs to be fertile, deep and well-drained. The water table should be at least 3 ft. (1 meter) below the surface during the growing season. Poor drainage can be corrected by installing land drains to help run off the extra moisture.
   
   Adding organic material matter to the soil is extremely important when it comes to orange trees. Peat moss or manure can be worked in to small areas around a few orange trees. It may be more cost effective to do "green manuring" in larger areas such as are done in orchards.

3. Orange trees have a large root system and need to be planted six to twelve feet away from each other and other competing trees or shrubs. When planting young trees, avoid putting them near to older established trees due to the viruses that the older trees may carry. Younger trees have yet to develop an immunity to them and need to be quarantined from heartier trees and plants.

4. Do not fertilize the tree until it's second summer. An alternative to fertilizer is to use hay as a mulch. Hay will provide the nutrients the tree needs as it rots, but it must be used liberally in order to eliminate the need for a commercial, chemical fertilizer.

5. Plant your tree in the spring as soon as the soil is dry enough to work without it packing down tight. With the exception of the northern tier of the US & Canada, you can also plant in the Fall.

6. Dig a hole big enough to put the roots in without bending them ("J" rooting).

7. Clean off the broken & ragged root ends of the tree your planting with a set of sharp shears.

8. The soil mix that you will be filling in around the roots should be 50% wet peat moss. Unless the soil is already moist, fill the hole with a bucket of water when the hole is halfway filled in around the root system.

9. When you plant the tree into the ground, the "bud" or "graft union" or bulge above the roots where the trunk starts, needs to be about an inch above the ground or the tree will not survive.

10. Once you place the tree into the hole and fill the soil around it, jiggle the tree gently and give a quick, gentle pull upwards to make sure it is secure in the ground.