How to Root an Orange Tree

Orange trees may be grown from rooted cuttings.

If you want to grow orange trees from seed so that you can enjoy the literal fruits of your labor, you may be waiting a long time. Orange trees that grow from seed may take up to 20 years to mature. In that time, they will not produce fruit. By contrast, orange trees that are rooted from cuttings will produce oranges within five years. Rooting an orange tree from a cutting is a similar process to rooting other softwood cuttings.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears
• Peat moss
• Sand
• 6-inch container
• Rooting hormone
• Plastic freezer bag
• Rubber band
• Watering can

Instructions

1. Take a cutting from the tip of a branch’s new growth. The cutting should be approximately 6 inches long and should have three points (nodes) where a leaf emerges.

2. Strip the leaves away from the lower two-thirds of the branch.

3. Fill a 6-inch container with a solution of one part peat moss and one part sand. Water the peat moss so it's as damp as a wrung-out sponge.

4. Dip the cut end of the branch into rooting hormone. Insert the branch halfway into the potting mix. The first and second nodes should both be buried in the potting mix. Roots will sprout from each node.

5. Cover the container and the cutting with a plastic freezer bag. Secure the bag to the container with a rubber band. Place the container in a south-facing window so that the container is out of direct sunlight.

6. Check the container daily to ensure that the potting mix is damp. Water any time that the soil is dry to keep the soil as damp as a wrung-out sponge.

7. Remove the bag once the tree has sprouted roots. Continue to grow the tree in the container until the roots fill it up. Then either move the tree into the ground, or plant it in a larger container. You can grow your tree as a container plant, or in the ground in zones 10 and 11.

Tips & Warnings

• Although oranges will root from softwood cuttings, most growers prefer to graft oranges onto sour orange rootstock. Grafting oranges gives the orange top branches (scions) some protection from soilborne diseases.

References

• NC State University Extension: Plant Propagation by Stem Cuttings: Instructions for the Home Gardener
• Texas A&M University Extension: Home Fruit Production-Oranges
• University of New Hampshire Extension: Rooting Softwood Cuttings

Resources

• Texas A&M Universtiy Extension: Orange