How to Grow Valencia Orange Trees in Los Angeles
Valencia oranges commonly are called juice oranges--and Americans typically think of Florida as they place they are grown. While California has the reputation of growing lots of navel--or eating--oranges, Valencia orange trees widely are adapted to many parts of southern California, including Los Angeles. In fact, "Sunset Western Garden Book" notes Valencia orange trees need less heat in summer and tolerate a bit more frost than navel oranges. Valencias also grow well near the coast. The longer fruit remains on a Valencia orange tree, the sweeter it becomes. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Garden shovel
- Organic matter
- Irrigation source
- Citrus blend granular, slow-release fertilizer
Instructions
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Choose an ideal planting site for the Valencia orange tree. A fertile, well-drained soil is necessary to grow an orange tree in Los Angeles, so do not plant the tree without knowing if the soil is good for plant life. The site also must receive at least eight hours of sunshine a day. Avoid intensely hot locations, such as places where reflects heat off of concrete roads and building facades and directly hits tree foliage. Such hot locations increase the need for watering and can cause droughtlike growing conditions.
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Amend the planting area for the Valencia orange by first adding organic matter such compost, well-rotted manure or pulverized bark. The "Sunset Western Garden Book" comments that average soils or sandy soils that drain very fast can be improved with the incorporation of a 4- to 6-inch layer of organic matter into the soil. Orange trees need moist but porous soil to allow air molecules to reach the roots. Therefore, adding compost to heavy clay soils greatly improves the texture and quality of the soil for the orange tree to prosper for many years.
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Dig a planting hole for your container-grown or balled and burlapped Valencia orange tree that is the same depth as the root ball and two to three times as wide. With Los Angeles' mild winter with natural rains, focus on planting the tree in late fall or winter so the roots can establish before leaf and stem grow starts in the warming spring months. Container-grown trees can be planted any time of year, however.
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Fill the planting hole with soil and gently tamp it down with your hand. Do not plant the tree too deeply--the crown of the orange tree, the transitional flare where the trunk becomes roots, must be at the soil surface. Use excess soil to create a berm or catch basin around the tree to collect irrigation water.
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Water the Valencia orange tree with a garden hose or by gently dumping cans of water into the catch basin. Soak the soil to a depth of 3 feet, and keep water off of the trunk as this can promote diseases, according to "Sunset Western Garden Book." For the first year after planting, keep the soil evenly moist (never soggy or bone dry) to ensure the roots become well-established. Across the hot summer months, watering twice a week is a general guideline.
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Place a layer of organic mulch 2 to 3 inches deep atop the soil around the orange tree. Keep the mulch at least five inches away from the tree trunk, but extend it out two to tree feet beyond the reach of the tree's branch tips in all directions. Maintain this mulch layer year round across the lifetime of the tree as it helps cool the soil, keep it moist and retard weed growth.
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Apply a well-balanced citrus special fertilizer to your tree as recommended by local garden center staff or Los Angeles Cooperative Extension office horticulturists and master gardeners. Nitrogen is a primary nutrient often lacking in southern California soil, but orange trees also need traces of magnesium, iron and manganese to sustain green leaves. Yellow leaves and lack of flowers on established trees are indications of poor soil nutrition. Timed applications of granular fertilizer occurs from mid to late winter, across the warm month growing season, and up until midfall.
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Prune branch tips in early spring as needed to maintain a well-shaped, uniform canopy. Diseased, damaged or wildly errant branches can be pruned anytime. Spray pruning blades with rubbing alcohol after removing diseased twigs and branches to sterilize them.
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Tips & Warnings
"Sunset Western Garden Book" notes that heavy clay soil types need to slightly dry out between any irrigation--such as spacing intervals so the top 5- to 6-inches of soil dries before the next watering.
Slow, gentle waterings that allow soil to moisten to a depth of at least 2 feet are better than quick, frequent waterings that only wet the top 6 inches.
Monitor the growth on the Valencia orange across the year. Diseases, pests, flower and fruit development all need to be watched so you can treat problems before they lead to more serious plant health issues.
Fluctuating soil moisture levels causes developing orange fruits to crack open. The key is even soil moisture for the trees year round, especially across the warm summer and fall.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit oranges and orange juice image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
