How to Grow Orange Trees in Australia

Oranges are a great addition to any gardener's collection of fruits and vegetables. The sweet fruit can be eaten raw, candied, or even cooked for use in meat dishes. In good weather conditions, these trees are easy to grow and don't require a huge amount of attention in order to produce a lot of quality fruit. Orange trees need warm climates to grow, which make many areas of Australia ideal for this fruit.

Things You'll Need

• Young orange trees or orange seeds
• A large potting container or space to plant in the ground
• Fertilizer
• Pruning shears (as desired)

Instructions

1. Choose a variety of orange that grows well in Australia. The Washington Navel is commercially grown in Australia, as are Valencia orange trees.

2. Buy small potted orange trees. You can grow orange trees from the seed of an orange, but it can take as much as eight years for an orange tree to produce fruit when grown from a seed.

3. Plant the tree in a sunny area in the ground or in a large, glazed ceramic pot. If you choose to plant in a pot, make sure to choose a pot with several drainage holes in the bottom and place the pot on top of a drainage container to catch water when you water the plant. The planting area should have organically-rich soil.

4. Water the plant heavily once a week, allowing the ground to dry out between waterings. If you receive some rain during the week, feel free to skip watering that week.

5. Protect trees from frost by covering them or taking potted trees into a garage or other covered area when temperatures drop.

6. If your orange trees are growing too large and need their size to be managed, prune new growth in late winter.

7. Add fertilizer designed for citrus monthly in spring and summer.

8. Harvest the oranges when they are large and a bright orange color. You must harvest all oranges in order to provide room for new growth. Oranges that haven't been cared for properly or have been damaged by frost may not grow to a desirable size, but you must still remove them.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want fruit soon, purchase a small tree that is already producing. Dark green leaves are a sign of a healthy tree.

• If you cover your orange tree with plastic during cold weather, be sure to prop up the plastic so it doesn't touch the tree -- it can get frostbitten if you allow this to happen.