Orange home tree: growing in a pot. Orange tree, home care, photo

Orange (lat. Citrus sinensis) is a species of flowering plants of the dicotyledonous class, order Sapindoceae, family Rutaceae, genus Citrus. The orange is a cultivated hybrid form, most likely developed through crossbreeding and pomelo.

The orange got its name from the Dutch word appelsien or German Apfelsine, which translates as “from China”, “Chinese apple”.

Orange - description and characteristics. How oranges grow.

The orange plant is a fairly powerful evergreen tree, the height of which depends on the variety: vigorous varieties of orange grow up to 12 m in height, dwarf forms have a height of about 4-6 m, trees for indoor growing reach 2-2.5 m in height. The most compact orange trees grow up to 60-80 cm.

The orange tree is dense thick crown round or pyramidal in shape, and its shoots often grow thorns up to 8-10 cm long. Orange leaves are dark green, dense, oval in shape with a sharp tip, growing up to 15 cm in length with a width of about 10 cm. The edge of the leaf can be wavy , and at the very surface of the leaf there are special glands containing aromatic oil. One leaf lives for about 2 years, and on an orange tree old and young leaves grow simultaneously, performing different functions. Young orange leaves are responsible for photosynthesis, with their help the tree breathes, while old leaves are a reservoir for nutrients. The period of intensive leaf shedding (about 25%) occurs in February and March; the orange tree loses another quarter of its old leaves during the year.

Roots.

Orange roots, unlike others fruit trees, do not have root hairs necessary to absorb moisture and nutrition from the soil. But on the roots there are special capsules with colonies of special soil fungi that form mycorrhiza with orange roots. Orange supplies the mushrooms with amino acids and carbohydrates, and in return receives moisture and minerals, which the mushrooms provide in a form that is easily digestible for the plant. The overgrown mycelium of mushrooms does not tolerate drought, low soil temperatures and exposure of the roots on which they grow, so oranges are very demanding of moisture and heat and suffer greatly when transplanted without a clod of soil.

Flowers.

The orange has large bisexual flowers white or Pink colour, up to 5 cm in diameter, solitary or growing in inflorescences of 6 pieces. The formation of flower buds occurs in early spring; the flowers can remain in the bud stage for about a month, then open at a temperature of 16-18 degrees and bloom for about 2-3 days.

Fruit.

The fruit of an orange is called an orange. It is distinguished by its round or oval shape and has a structure typical of other types of citrus fruits. Such a fruit, which comes from the superior ovary, is called hesperidium (one of the varieties of berry-shaped fruit). Thus, the orange fruit is a fruit and a berry.

The orange pulp consists of 9-13 separable segments, covered with a thin film. Each lobule contains many sacs filled with juice, which are formed from the inner epidermis of the carpels. The taste of orange pulp can be sweet, sweet and sour or bitter.

Some fruits do not produce seeds, but most oranges still contain multi-embryo seeds arranged in a segment one above the other.

Peel.

The smooth or porous orange peel is up to 5 mm thick; its top layer, flavedo (zest), contains many round glands filled with essential oil. The white spongy layer covering the inside of the peel is called albedo. Thanks to its loose structure, the orange pulp comes off the skin quite easily. Depending on the variety and stage of ripeness, the orange peel makes up from 17 to 42% of the total weight of the fruit. Orange peel color can be greenish, pale yellow, bright orange and orange-red.

Terms of ripening.

Orange is a remontant plant, capable of repeated flowering and fruit set, so an orange tree can simultaneously contain buds, flowers and fruits in different stages ripeness. The ripening of oranges lasts about 8-9 months, and ripened fruits can remain on the branches for a long time, and in the spring they turn green again, and by autumn they acquire a characteristic Orange color. The seeds of fruits that ripen over 2 seasons are of higher quality, but the pulp loses its taste and beneficial features.

How long does an orange grow?

The orange tree grows quickly (annual growth is about 40-50 cm) and begins to bear fruit 8-12 years after planting. The life cycle of an orange tree is about 75 years, although some specimens live up to 100-150 years and produce about 38 thousand fruits in a harvest year.

The homeland of the orange is Southeast Asia (China); in the 16th century, the exotic fruit came to Europe, and then to Africa and the USA. Nowadays, orange is widely cultivated in many regions of tropical and subtropical climate zones, and the leaders in fruit exports are Brazil, China and the USA. Spain, Italy, India, Pakistan, Argentina, Morocco, Syria, Greece, Egypt and Iran are slightly behind.

Types and varieties of oranges, photos and names.

According to the speed of ripening, orange varieties are divided into:

Early;
Mid-early;
Late.

Depending on the size, shape, taste, color of the fruit and pulp, orange varieties are divided into 2 main groups:

Light oranges (with orange pulp);
- Ordinary (oval) oranges;
- Navel oranges;
King oranges (with reddish flesh).

More detailed description This classification is given below.

Ordinary or oval oranges- extensive group high-yielding varieties, which are distinguished by their round or oval fruit shape and tasty, sweet and sour pulp, bright yellow color containing many seeds. The oranges are medium to large in size and have a thin, pale orange or yellow peel that is well adhered to the flesh. Most famous varieties ordinary oranges:

Hamlin- an early ripening variety of oranges with small or medium-sized fruits of a round or slightly flattened shape and thin, smooth yellow skin. Grown mainly in Brazil and the USA, it has excellent transportability and is stored for a long time, and is actively used in indoor floriculture;
Verna – late variety oranges of Spanish origin, with medium-sized or medium-sized fruits with few seeds, elongated shape, containing sweet, tasty pulp;
Salustiana- a late-ripening variety of oranges of high economic importance in Spain and Morocco. The fruits are characterized by an oval-spherical or slightly flattened shape and a yellow-orange color of a thin, easily peeled peel. The juicy slices are seedless and have a sweet, buttery flavor.

Navel oranges (Navel)- a group of varieties on the trees of which thorns do not grow, and the fruits have a characteristic mastoid outgrowth-umbilicus at the top, a reduced second fruit. Navel oranges are the largest, the average fruit weight is about 200-250 g, and individual specimens weigh up to 600 g. A distinctive feature of most varieties is also their rough, easily peeled peel and exceptional consumer qualities: juicy, orange pulp, sweet taste with a slight sourness and a refined citrus aroma. The most popular varieties of navel oranges:

Washington Navel- a variety of bright orange oranges of important global economic importance, known since the 17th century, as well as one of the few oranges that successfully bear fruit in the conditions of Transcaucasia. Medium and large orange fruits have a round or slightly elongated shape and weigh from 170 to 300 g. The pulp of oranges is bright orange, sweet with a slight sourness and a small number of seeds. Orange Washington Navel is one of the popular varieties for home breeding;
Navel Late– a late variety of oranges, very similar to the Washington Navel variety, but distinguished by more delicate pulp and increased shelf life;
Thomson Navelnavel) - a variety of round or oval oranges with a characteristic small navel and relatively thin, light orange skin with small pores. The pulp of the fruit, compared to Washington Navel, is more fibrous and not as juicy;
Navelina– most early variety small and medium oranges with a small navel. The round or ovoid fruits have a thin, finely porous orange peel and loose, sweet pulp.
Of particular note is the variety of oranges Kara-Kara (Cara Cara navel)orange), which is a mutation of the Washington Navel variety and was found in Venezuela in 1976. Kara-Kara inherited most of the characteristics of the original variety: navel, orange color of easily separated peel and exceptional taste of juicy pulp. But its main difference is its ruby-colored flesh, comparable to the color of the darkest grapefruits. Interesting feature variety is the ability to produce a certain number of variegated shoots, on which striped fruits subsequently develop.

Blood orange, king orange or wren orange- this is a group of varieties that contain anthocyanins, pigments that give the fruits and their pulp a blood-red color. Blood orange also has a name Sicilian orange, since the first plantings appeared in Sicily. The king orange is a natural mutation of the common orange. Trees of this varietal group are distinguished by long ripening periods, low growth and an elongated crown. Blood orange fruits are characterized by a round, slightly ribbed shape and a hard-to-separate peel of brown, red or dark orange color. The pulp of the king is distinguished by its red, orange, burgundy or red-striped color, and the fruits are especially valued for their exquisite sweet and sour taste and excellent aroma. According to historians, blood oranges have been grown in Sicily since the 9th-10th centuries. They are currently cultivated throughout Italy, Spain, Morocco and the US states of Florida and California.

There are 3 main varieties of blood oranges:

Moro orange (Moro) - a fairly young variety, bred at the beginning of the 19th century in Sicily in the province of Syracuse. The skin of the blood orange is orange or reddish-orange in color, and the flesh is orange with bloody streaks, bright crimson or almost black. The diameter of the fruit is from 5 to 8 cm. Weight is 170-210 grams. Moro oranges have a strong citrus aroma with a hint of or forest berries and a bitter aftertaste.

Sanguinello orange native to Spain, similar to the Moro orange and cultivated in the Northern Hemisphere. Blood orange fruits are distinguished by an orange peel with a reddish tint, sweet red pulp with red spots, which contains a few seeds. The fruits ripen from February to March.

Tarocco orange It is considered one of the most popular Italian varieties and is believed to be the product of a natural mutation of the Sanguinello orange. Tarocco oranges are medium in size, have a thin orange-red peel and do not have a pronounced red pigmentation of the flesh, which is why they are called “half-breeds”. Thanks to their juiciness, sweet taste, absence of seeds and high content of vitamin C, Tarocco blood oranges are considered one of the most sought-after varieties in the world. Cultivated on fertile soils in the vicinity of Mount Etna.

Orange hybrids, photos and names.

Crossing the orange with other types of citrus fruits has given rise to a number of interesting hybrid forms.

A hybrid of sweet orange and Poncirus trifolia, the purpose of which was to develop a cold-resistant orange. Citrange tolerates air temperatures down to -10 degrees, but its fruits have a bitter taste. Citrange is commonly used in making drinks, marmalade or jam.

A hybrid of citrange and kumquat, it is a compact tree, sometimes with small thorns, producing round or oval fruits with an elongated neck. Used as food in fresh or used to make marmalade and lemonade.

- one of the types of citranquat, a hybrid of orange, margarita kumquat and trifoliate poncirus. The fruits are yellow or yellow-orange in color, medium in size, oval or pear-shaped. The peel is thin and bitter, the pulp with a small number of seeds, when unripe is very sour, when fully ripe it becomes quite edible.

- a hybrid of tangerine and orange blossom. The fruits of the hybrid are visually similar to tangerines, but differ in their harder skin, rich sweet taste and juicy pulp. The second variety of clementine is a hybrid of mandarin and bitter Seville orange, bred in Algeria in 1902. The fruits are small, orange, with a hard skin.

Clementines are usually divided into three types:

Corsican clementine - its fruits are medium in size, covered with an orange-red peel, the pulp is fragrant, there are no seeds in it;
Spanish Clementine can have both small and larger fruits with bright orange pulp with a sour taste. The fruit contains from two to ten seeds;
Montreal Clementine is a rare type of citrus with sour fruits containing 10-12 seeds.

Santina (eng.Suntina) - a hybrid of clementine and orlando. The bright orange fruits are medium to large in size, with a thin skin, and have a sweet taste and strong aroma. The ripening period is from late November to March.

Tangor (eng.Tangor, temple orange) - the result of crossing a sweet orange and a tangerine. The fruits are medium or large, can reach 15 cm in diameter. The shape of the fruit is slightly flattened, the peel is of medium thickness, porous, yellow or deep orange. The presence of seeds depends on the variety of tangor. The flesh of tangors is very aromatic, orange, and has a sour or sweet-sour taste.

Ellendale (eng.Ellendale tangor) – a citrus hybrid, a variety of tangor, obtained by crossing tangerine, mandarin and orange. Citrus is native to Australia. The fruits are medium to large in size, juicy, with a reddish-orange rind and very sweet, fragrant dark orange pulp. The peel is thin, smooth, and easy to clean. Seeds may vary in number or be absent altogether.

Orangelo (eng.Orangelo) or chironha (Spanish)Chironja) supposedly considered a natural hybrid of grapefruit and orange. The fruit is native to Puerto Rico. The fruits are large, the size of a grapefruit, have a slightly elongated or pear-shaped. When ripe, the peel is bright yellow, thin and smooth, and quite easily separated from the pulp. There are few seeds. The pulp is orange-orange, tender, juicy. The taste is sweeter, similar to orange and lacks the bitterness of grapefruit.

Agli fruit or agli (eng.Ugli fruit) - This is the result of crossing a tangerine, a grapefruit (or pomelo) and an orange. Agli fruits grow in Jamaica; they are not very beautiful in appearance due to their rough and wrinkled skin. The diameter of the fruit is from 10 to 15 cm. The color of the fruit varies from green to yellow-green and orange. Despite some unattractiveness, the pulp of the agli fruit is very tasty and has a grapefruit note. The fruiting period is from December to April.

Grapefruit (lat.Citrus paradisi) According to scientists, it is a natural hybrid of orange and pomelo. The fruits are large, with a diameter of 10 to 15 cm, with juicy sweet and sour pulp with a slight bitterness. The color of the pulp, depending on the variety, can be almost white, light pink, yellow or reddish. The peel is yellow or reddish.

Meyer lemon (lat.Citrus meyeri) - presumably the result of hybridization with an orange or tangerine. The large fruits are round in shape; when ripe, the peel acquires a yellow-orange hue. The pulp is dark yellow, juicy and not as sour as a regular lemon, and contains seeds.

Natsudaidai (Natsumikan, Amanatsu) (eng.Amanatsu, natsumikan) – a natural hybrid of orange and pomelo (or grapefruit). The plant was first discovered in Japan in the 17th century. The fruit has a fairly thick yellow-orange peel; it is eaten fresh, but its juicy pulp tastes quite sour. The fruit contains many seeds.

Orange calories.

100 g of orange contains 36 kcal.

Nutritional value of orange per 100g:

Proteins – 0.9 g;
Fats – 0.2 g;
Carbohydrates – 8.2 g;
Water – 87 g.

Orange: benefits and harm.

Beneficial features.

The exceptional popularity of the orange is due not only to the excellent taste of its fruit, but also to the unique chemical composition with a high content of useful substances found in the pulp, juice, zest and seeds. The main advantage of orange is the increased content of vitamin C (50 mg per 100 g), because 150 g of orange satisfies a person’s daily need for ascorbic acid. Orange fruits have a general strengthening effect on the body and increase immunity.

Orange contains a number of vitamins and minerals necessary for the human body:

Vitamins B, A, PP, E;
Minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc);
Pectins;
Phytoncides;
Anthocyanins;
Sugar;
Citric and salicylic acid;
Orange essential oil.

A balanced combination of beneficial substances allows the use of oranges in the complex treatment of a number of pathological conditions:

obesity;
colds and various viral diseases, heat;
anemia, anemia, weakness, loss of appetite;
chronic constipation;
atherosclerosis;
hypertension;
gout;
liver diseases;
scurvy;
periodontal disease and bleeding gums;
gastritis and low acidity stomach;
vascular and heart diseases;
urolithiasis disease;
lead poisoning;
increased nervous excitability.

In order not to lose essential oils, bioflavonoids and pectins, which are rich in zest and seeds, it is recommended to squeeze oranges whole for juice.

Orange leaves purify the air and saturate the room with phytoncides, which have a detrimental effect on various pathogenic bacteria. This property is one of the factors in favor of growing oranges at home.

Among the wide variety of indoor plants sold in specialized stores, the eye quickly catches neat trees with glossy leathery foliage and a mass of bright, fragrant fruits. If you have patience and put in a little effort, you can grow an orange tree from a seed at home, especially since a seed from a ripe fruit purchased in a store is suitable as planting material.

How to grow an orange at home from a seed?

The orange seed is covered with a rather dense, hard peel, which, on the one hand, protects the sprout from all kinds of damage, and on the other, prevents its germination. If the seed dries out, it is very difficult to get it to hatch, so only fresh seeds are used for planting.

washed in warm water;
soak for 8–12 hours;
planted in loose soil or to a depth of 1 cm under a film.

Until germination, which occurs in a month or a month and a half, the container with the seeds remains in a shaded, warm place. The mini-greenhouse needs to be periodically moistened and ventilated. And only after the sprouts appear, the future orange trees are brought into the light.

Since in countries where oranges grow naturally, the trees generously receive both heat and light, you can provide the seedlings with the longest possible daylight hours by planting the seeds at the end of winter or in March. But even in this case, young orange trees respond well to extending daylight hours with the help of

Transplanting an orange at home

Picking sprouts is carried out at the stage when two true leaves open on the orange, and it is important to take into account that the plant reacts extremely painfully to all manipulations associated with transplantation and possible damage to the root system. It is unacceptable for the root neck of the orange to be buried underground during transplantation.

The best way replanting a tree is the spring transfer of a plant along with a lump of earth until active growth of shoots begins and buds appear. An orange grown at home will have to be subjected to this procedure regularly, each time choosing a container with a diameter 1–3 cm larger than the old pot:

Expanding root system a young plant once a year requires expansion of the “living space”.
Mature fruit-bearing trees are replanted every 2–3 years.

For seedlings with 4–6 leaves, a pot with a diameter of about 10 cm and a soil mixture of two parts turf soil, one part leaf humus, the same volume of peat and sand are suitable. Already at the next transshipment, the proportion of turf soil in the soil is increased and a small amount of clay is added. An orange tree that is grown from a seed at home must be provided with good drainage and a watering regime that does not allow the roots to rot.

Optimal growth conditions for oranges at home

Like all inhabitants of the subtropical zone, orange trees do not tolerate drafts, but they love light and are demanding of air and soil humidity. If there is insufficient lighting, citrus fruits may get sick or refuse to bear fruit, so it is better to grow them in sunny side, but protecting from burning direct rays, especially in the summer. In autumn and winter, when the length of daylight hours decreases, oranges grown from seeds are illuminated.

The air humidity in the room where the tree is located should not be lower than 40%, otherwise the plant begins to quickly shed its leaves and may die. This happens especially often in winter, during heating season, or when the pot is close to heating device. In this case, it is necessary to artificially humidify the air, spray the plant and make sure that the soil under it does not dry out.

The danger of drying out the soil also exists in the summer, so daily watering, which moisturizes the entire earthen lump, but does not cause stagnation of moisture, is extremely necessary for the orange.

Orange trees at home may die if the irrigation water contains chlorine. Therefore, they use rainwater, melt water, or water that has been standing for at least a day, which is heated to 25–30 °C.

Caring for an orange tree at home

In order for the seedling to develop quickly, and after a few years the plant begins to bear fruit, it needs to create conditions like in the Mediterranean and northern Africa, where oranges grow in nature:

In summer, the tree can be taken out into the air, protecting it from the scorching sun.
In the spring, when bud formation begins and ovary formation is expected, orange trees need to be kept at 15–18 °C.
In winter, reduce the number and arrange a warm winter at temperatures above +12 °C, not forgetting about illuminating the plant.

When moved from room to room, changes in temperature, humidity and other growing conditions, even turning the pot, an orange tree, as in the photo, at home can shed its leaves, turn yellow and wither. Therefore, it is recommended to rotate the plant so that its shoots grow more evenly, approximately 10° every 10 days.

An actively growing orange needs complex fertilizing with fertilizers for citrus crops or a composition based on 10 liters of water and:

20 grams of ammonium nitrate;
25 grams;
15 grams of potassium salts.

Caring for an orange tree at home means that ferrous sulfate is added to the fertilizer four times a year, and to maintain the rich color of the foliage, the orange is watered monthly with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Grafting an orange from a seed

If you carefully look after the tree, it quickly grows and develops. However, not everyone manages to wait for flowering and ovary, and if the fruits do appear, they turn out to be small and bitter. The fact is that oranges grown from seeds may not bear the parental characteristics and may simply be wild plants. Such a wild bird can be recognized already at one year of age by the hard green thorns on the trunk.

How to grow oranges at home that are as sweet and large as store-bought fruits? In this case, you can choose one of the following methods:

Carry out a classic grafting of a tree, using a seedling as a rootstock for a varietal cutting obtained from a fruit-bearing plant.
Graft an orange using budding by implanting a bud cultivated plant with a small layer of bark and wood. For reliability, you can use up to three eyes at the same time, grafting them on different sides of the trunk.

The second method is less labor-intensive and painful for the tree. If the seedling after grafting remains only as a rootstock, the operation is best carried out on a tree at the age of 1 - 3 years, when the diameter of the trunk does not exceed 6 mm.

Various citrus crops can be grafted onto an adult orange tree, in the photo, since the plant practically does not reject related species.

Forming an orange crown at home

Fruiting of an orange tree at home can begin 6–10 years after seed germination and only if the plant’s crown is properly formed. In plants, buds, and then the ovary, appear on developed branches of the fourth order. Therefore, to obtain an early harvest, crown formation begins when the tree reaches a height of 25–30 cm:

In spring, the main shoot is pinched at a level of 18–25 cm.
Of the side shoots, three or four of the strongest are left, which are pruned, forcing them to branch.
In the next season, two branches of the second order are left from the growth. They will subsequently give from 3 to 5 shoots of the third order.
And only then will horizontal fruiting branches begin to develop.
Next, monitor the density of the crown and timely replacement of branches.

On young trees, it is better to remove the first flowers and ovaries. The first harvest can be only 2-3 oranges, so that the plant does not lose too much strength when they ripen.

You can speed up the tree’s entry into fruiting time by overwintering the orange at a temperature of 2 to 5 °C, limiting watering and not feeding for three months. When the temperature in the room where oranges grow rises to 15–18 °C, a set of buds and the formation of an ovary begin. An orange that receives proper care at home can live up to 50–70 years, regularly delighting with the appearance of white flowers and bright, fragrant fruits.

Grafting citrus fruits at home - video

Its fruits, of course, are several times smaller compared to ordinary oranges, but taste qualities and the composition of nutrients does not suffer at all from this.

Description of orange and beneficial properties of fruit

The orange plant is the most widespread citrus crop in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world. A tall tree from the Rutaceae family, growing up to 9 meters, with an almost spherical dense crown. Young branches are ribbed and have thorns in the leaf axils. Leaves with short petioles, oval, entire, leathery.

The flowers are white, single or growing in bunches, fragrant, with abundant nectar. The fruits are almost spherical, less often ovoid or slightly compressed, yellow-orange with a thin, easily separated peel. They are grown in different climatic zones, so flowering and fruit ripening occur at different times of the year.

The plant began to be cultivated approximately 4,000 years ago somewhere in South or Southeast Asia. It is known that it was grown in China as early as 2200 BC. Currently, orange is the most widespread citrus crop in the world.

It is most grown in the USA, Brazil, Spain, Italy, and Japan. As a houseplant, it is grown in various climate zones.

The beneficial properties of orange fruit are due to the fact that they contain vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, P, provitamin A, fiber, phytoncides, pectin and nitrogenous substances, carbohydrates, and mineral salts. Flavonoids, terpene aldehydes, and essential oil were found in orange peel.

Growing conditions and care for homemade oranges

It is possible to grow oranges from the seeds of ripe fruit. Soak the seeds in water overnight, and then plant them to a depth of 1-1.5 cm in a loose substrate. Composition: 2 parts turf, 1 part leaf soil, 1 part humus or peat and 1 part sand. You can plant them directly in peat. After this, cover the pot with film. Shoots will appear in about 1 month. Keep the pot in a dark and warm place. After 2 true leaves appear, pick the seedlings, then repeat it 2 more times.

A necessary condition for growing oranges at home is bright, diffused light during the summer. Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight may cause foliage burns.

Very thermophilic, it will feel great on a sunny loggia in the summer. In winter it needs rest, temperature 12-15°C. Watering. Like any tropical plant, high humidity is necessary.

When growing an orange from a seed, frequent spraying is required in the summer and a distance from the heating radiator in the winter. Apply any complex fertilizer at least once a month.

An orange grown from a seed must be grafted to produce fruit.

You can buy already grafted trees from nurseries.

Orange care must be careful and constant: spraying, watering, loosening, pruning old branches, pinching young ones and pruning thin long shoots that dry out in winter.

Orange fertilizers require combined mineral and organic fertilizers, and in specialized stores you can also buy special fertilizers for citrus fruits.

When caring for homemade oranges, it is important not to forget that these plants are demanding of light and heat. The process of budding, flowering and fruit formation occurs best at air and soil temperatures of + 15 +18°C.

Orange needs bright, diffused light, but it must be shaded from direct sun in spring and summer during the hottest hours. A suitable place is an east and west window.

In spring and summer, you should water generously 1-2 times a day, and in winter, water moderately - 1-2 times a week with warm water. The soil should be neither dry nor excessively wet. From October, watering is reduced.

It is better to use soft water for irrigation. You can soften water by adding nitric or oxalic acid. You can also use vinegar or vinegar essence.

Needs to be replanted every year in new soil.

Growing homemade oranges in a greenhouse

To grow oranges in a greenhouse, you need to fill medium-sized pots with good drainage holes in the bottom with rich soil. Use soil with a decent amount of humus and add a large handful of clean sand to each pot, which is about 25 centimeters in diameter.

Water loosely packed soil before planting seeds. Plant the seeds at least 2-3 centimeters below the soil surface. When using small seed pots, plant one seed per 5cm pot.

Place the potted plant in a sunny part of the greenhouse. If your greenhouse is not solar, use greenhouse lighting bulbs or a 100-watt bulb at least 1 meter away from the plant for four hours a day. Make sure that the temperature in the greenhouse does not fall below +5 degrees Celsius. Citrus fruits prefer a temperature of at least +10 degrees.

If the winter in your area is not sunny, and funds allow, consider additional lighting for greenhouses. If the plants in the greenhouse receive at least 5-6 hours of direct sunlight per day, supplementing with full spectrum or special fluorescent greenhouse lighting will allow your plants to feel much better and therefore produce more fruit.

If the plants in the greenhouse receive less than 5 hours of direct sun rays per day, more complex greenhouse lighting systems may be needed. This site is an excellent resource useful information about the types of equipment for lighting greenhouses. On this site you can also buy lamps for lighting greenhouses.

Keep the soil moist with a sprayer while the seeds are germinating. They should germinate within three to four weeks. A greenhouse is an ideal place to grow citrus fruits indoors because it collects condensation naturally.

Water the plants, but do not allow the roots to sit in standing water. Let the leaves grow for at least six months before you begin pruning.

Transplant seedlings from tiny pots to larger ones when the roots are strong enough to transplant. Six months is the approximate time for transplantation. Trees in a greenhouse can grow from 2.5 to 7.5 meters tall, depending on the variety and growing conditions. Once fully established, trees grow best in large pots.

If you use lamps to illuminate your greenhouse during the winter, rotate the tree occasionally to prevent the light from shining onto just one side of the plant.

Diseases and pests of indoor oranges

If the orange is sick, the new leaves become smaller, the old ones turn yellow and fall off, there is no flowering, the fruits do not set - the plant does not have enough nutrients, it needs to be replanted in nutritious soil.

In diseases of oranges, yellow spots appear on the leaves or the edges of the leaves turn yellow, and the leaves fall off prematurely. This can happen due to overwatering. Remember that watering should be moderate, i.e. the soil should have time to dry out. Plant disease is also possible with irregular watering, when watering is either more or very little.

Dry, wrinkled leaves may appear due to sunburn or damage.

Sudden falling of leaves is a consequence of waterlogging of the soil, lack of light in winter, watering cold water, low indoor temperatures in winter, excess nutrients in the soil or cold drafts.

Scale insects: brown plaques on the surface of leaves and stems, suck out cell sap. The leaves lose color, dry out and fall off. Buds and flowers dry out, fruits fall off.

Control measures. It is difficult to mechanically remove scale insects from a large tree, so you need to spray it with an insecticide as thoroughly as possible. A 0.15% Actellik solution (1-2 ml per liter of water) gives good results; you can use karbofos or deciss.

: appears when the air is too dry - cobwebs appear in the internodes on the stems, leaves and buds become sluggish and fall off. The fruits fall off.

Control measures. The plant is washed with soapy water, and after it has dried, washed under warm shower. If the defeat is not severe, then this is enough. In case of very severe pest damage, the orange can be sprayed with a 0.15% Actellik solution (1-2 ml per liter of water).

Orange varieties "Washington", "Marheuli" and "Valencia"

There are about 300 varieties of orange, among which there are three main groups: ordinary, blood or red oranges and navel oranges.

Description of orange plant varieties from the first group has one common feature– in all forms the fruits are light yellow, the juice is almost colorless, seedless varieties are rare. In blood orange varieties, the pulp and juice are colored red in varying intensities.

Nevels are distinguished by the fact that instead of a seed, inside the fruit there is a second, smaller fruit, and the top of the main fruit is shaped like a navel; the color of the pulp and juice can be different, but most often it is yellow. Besides these, there are many different hybrid forms.

Below are photos and names of orange varieties with descriptions.

Washington orange- these plants of Brazilian origin reach a height of only 2.5 meters in their homeland in adulthood. It stands out among other varieties in that its fruits, which ripen in winter, have no seeds, and the juicy pulp is covered with a thick peel that is easy to peel. It is one of the most popular varieties in the world.

The orange-fleshed, seedless fruits can remain on the tree for up to three months without deteriorating in quality. Blooms in spring, ripens in 6-7 months.

The plant prefers full sun, fertile but well-drained soil, and moderate watering.

Orange variety "Mmarheulskiy"- This is a dwarf form of the Washington Navel variety. A low-growing tree with short shoots and soft thorns. The leaves are oval to elliptic, dark green, 5-15 cm long. The flowers are white, fragrant, 4 cm long, solitary or in racemes; bloom in spring. The fruits are large, sweet, with a characteristic navel and bright orange aromatic skin. The height of an adult bush is up to 1.5 meters. The seedling is grafted from an adult plant. Height 20-40 cm. Growing every day.

Orange variety "Vvalencia" originated in Spain, but today it also grows in other countries specializing in the export of oranges. The fruits of this variety are distinguished by a thin peel of a bright orange color with small red spots. The pulp of the fruit is also bright orange and also contains red inclusions.

Blood orange varieties “Tarokko”, “Gamlin”, “Korolek” and their beneficial properties

Blood orange variety "Tarokko" has a characteristic pigmentation due to the substance anthocyanin, the amount of which varies depending on the variety and degree of maturity. During the research it was found that regular use juice rich in this substance significantly reduces fatty deposits in the liver (a consequence of a diet rich in saturated fats) and also lowers plasma cholesterol levels.

Flavones are substances necessary for the restoration and maintenance of connective tissue, making bones and teeth less fragile, as well as for strengthening blood vessels and capillaries. Therefore, orange should become an indispensable element of the diet for those who suffer from cellulite, varicose veins and hemorrhoids.

Also, the beneficial properties of blood oranges are explained by the fact that their fruits contain a high content of magnesium, which is essential for the heart muscle and is a natural sedative, acting directly on nervous system. Potassium – improves blood circulation and thereby reduces arterial pressure. Selenium strengthens cell membranes and protects against the harmful effects of free radicals.

Tarocco is widespread in Sicily.

Variety Hamlin. Ordinary orange. The tree is low-growing and compact. The fruits are medium (weight about 300 g), slightly flattened at the top, with a shiny orange peel, few or almost no seeds.

Variety Korolek. A typical representative of the group of kinglets. The tree is low growing. The crown is pyramidal. The fruits are medium or smaller than average with dark orange skin and red coarse flesh. There are few seeds.

Type: citrus
Flowering period: December, January, February, March
Height: 50-1200cm
Color: orange, yellow, white
perennial
Winters
Sun-loving
Moisture-loving

Bright lemon, orange and tangerine trees with their huge flowers and delicious fruits always become the most important accents of any garden. But, unfortunately, in the Russian climate under open air they do not grow - only in greenhouses and at home. But then where do such trees appear in Russian gardens in the summer? Simply, at home in a country house or in an apartment, it is quite possible to grow a beautiful citrus tree up to at least one and a half meters in height! And in the summer, put them in the garden and enjoy the incredibly fragrant large flowers, for which modern landscape designers are willing to give a lot. Agree, any garden consists of 90% plants, each of which has its own time. Yes, in the Russian climate, a citrus tree is a seasonal garden decoration, but what a citrus tree!

In its development, the tangerine tree will not be particularly whimsical. The main thing is to provide him with an abundance of sunlight, all 12 hours a day all year round. Therefore, if you want to grow a naturally beautiful tree, you will need additional intense lighting on winter evenings. There will also be some professional secrets to help.

Choosing a tangerine variety

Now let's look a little at the varieties:

Unshiu is frost-resistant and very productive variety. Your tree will be low, with a spreading crown of flexible thin branches, and with corrugated leaves. This tangerine grows quickly and produces good fruit. And if you add artificial lighting, things will go even better.
Shiva Mikan is a compact tangerine tree with large dark green foliage. Blooms and grows quickly.
The honey variety is the rarest variety, with very sweet tangerines.
And the Kovane-vasse mandarin is the tallest, suitable for home use. Just right for the garden!

Look how wonderful citrus trees grow with the right choice of variety:

Proper seed preparation

So, the first step is to get some bones for the future tangerine tree. Ripe fruits from the store are ideal for this purpose: take at least 10 of these seeds. The more the merrier: you probably know that any planting material does not rise 100%.

Second step: let the seeds hatch. To do this they need moisture. Wrap the seeds in damp gauze and leave it like that for several days. Gauze, in turn, will not allow moisture to quickly evaporate, and at the same time the bones will “breathe”.

Now let's prepare the soil. The easiest way is to buy it at a flower shop, it’s called “special for citrus fruits,” or roll up your sleeves and make a nutritious base yourself. Just connect the sheet sod land with compost or rotted humus in equal parts. The only main thing is that there is no peat in your land.

In details:

Now you can plant the hatched seeds in this soil. But be patient: the first shoots will appear from 3 weeks to a whole month, because tangerine grows slowly and from time to time also stops its growth according to some biological laws unknown to us.

Abundance of moisture

The tangerine tree loves moisture, and in the summer it must be watered (but without flooding). In winter, you should reduce the amount of moisture, while making sure that the soil does not dry out. After all, future fruits need to be “filled,” as people say.

To compensate for the dryness of the home air, it is advisable to spray the tangerine leaves with clean boiled water (or filtered) every day.

Careful transplant

When your tangerine tree grows, move it to a larger pot. The ideal time is February-March. Such a plant should be replanted using the transshipment method in order to preserve the earthen ball as much as possible and not damage the delicate root system.

A few weeks after transplantation, when the tree can get used to the new place and the so-called “housewarming syndrome” has passed, the root system will begin to actively grow. Moreover, over the entire spring-summer period, the tangerine will have several points of active growth, at which it will need to be fed with organic and mineral fertilizers, once every 1-2 weeks. The tree will especially like used tea leaves - just dig it into the soil.

As a result, thanks to your efforts, you will grow a good tree up to one and a half meters tall. Miniature, cute and especially bright during the fruiting period. And during the flowering period, the tangerine tree is strewn with flowers so that it is impossible not to pay attention to it!

How to grow an early ripening lemon tree?

Lemon is a perennial evergreen tree with thorny branches and beautiful dark green leaves. Of particular value to landscape design represent just lemon leaves, with their rich colors and excellent decorative qualities. A real decoration for any garden!

When transferring to open ground lemon quickly reaches a height of up to 5 meters. But, if you grow it only at home, and only leave it in the garden in the sun for the summer, then it will reach “only” 2 meters.

Another value of the lemon tree for landscape design is that it can bloom several times throughout the year - in spring, summer and winter. Its flowers are especially beautiful: snow-white, waxy and subtle aroma. And it is also surprising that on the same tree there can be fragrant flowers, green ovaries, and even ripe fruits at the same time. Moreover, lemongrass can calmly hang on the parent branches for up to 2 years, periodically turning green, then yellow again.

And growing this miracle of nature is not difficult:

Choosing a good variety

First of all, when starting to grow a lemon tree for your garden, you need to choose a variety - and there are about 900 of them! Among the species of this evergreen citrus plant there are those that grow exclusively in the tropics and subtropics, and there are also those that feel great indoors winter garden. And it’s important to guess!

Pavlovsk lemon grows up to 2 meters in height. And all you need to do is root the cuttings under glass jars and then transplant them into pots. Moreover, this lemon is most adapted to life at home or in a winter greenhouse, and it blooms already in the second or third year and then begins to bear fruit.
Meyer lemon will bloom all year round, although it will remain dwarf. But its beautiful round crown lends itself remarkably well to shaping. True, there are a lot of thorns on the branches of this lemon.
New Georgian lemon is obtained with a stronger growing crown and an impressive number of thorns. It will bloom a little later than Pavlovsk lemon, but will be distinguished by a stable harvest.
But the Lisbon lemon is different in that it tolerates without problems high temperature air.

Here's how wonderfully a varietal lemon tree grows:

Preparing for landing

As soon as you remove the seeds from the lemon, start planting immediately, otherwise the similarity will be lost every hour. Next, do everything according to these instructions:

Step 1. First, rinse the seeds well under running water and dry them on the windowsill on a sheet of paper.
Step 2. Next, spread them on a layer of damp cotton wool so that the seeds swell. Moreover, the cotton wool will need to be moistened periodically.
Step 3. Take plastic bottle and cut off the neck. Make a couple of holes in the bottom.
Step 4. Fill in plastic bottle soil, water a little and plant the seeds to a depth of 2 to 4 centimeters.
Step 5. Now water it with fresh water every two days.
Step 6. When lemon Tree reaches a height of 10-15 centimeters, transplant it into a pot with the same soil. It is important that the root system is not constrained in it.

You will see the process in more detail during the master class:

But, unfortunately, the lemon that you grew from the seed will begin to bear fruit only after 12-15 years of life. That is why it makes sense to purchase cuttings or buds from a fruit-bearing tree and graft them onto your plant. And your lemon will be ready for grafting when the thickness of its trunk reaches 80 millimeters.

All this is perfectly shown in the video:

The importance of proper soil

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for seedlings to be purchased even from a well-known brand store, and a week later the lemon dies. This is why it is so important to choose the right soil first.

You will need soil for a lemon tree that is balanced in structure and rich in nutrients. The recipe is the same as for the tangerine tree. But take care of the temperature: at -5-6° the leaves of the lemon die, at minus -7-8° the crown is damaged, and at minus -8-9° the tree already dies. Therefore, to overwinter your lemon tree, you need a temperature within +15-18° degrees Celsius.

When taking your citrus fruit out into the garden in the summer, place it under the crown of a larger brother: an apple tree or sea buckthorn, and relative to the same cardinal directions. After all, in the open sunny place You can’t put up a lemon tree - the leaves will burn.

Here's a good illustration proper care behind a growing lemon tree:

Correct watering temperature

You can also easily grow a lemon tree from a cutting, which begins to bloom in the third year after planting:

Step 1. In early spring take cuttings with four to five leaves.
Step 2. Keep such a cutting in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and cover the cut with crushed coal.
Step 3: Remove the bottom leaves, leaving only the top three.
Step 4. Next, plant the cuttings in damp river sand.
Step 5. Cover with a jar or bag and place in a dark place.

Like here:

The main thing is to keep the soil moist. If droplets of water appear on the walls of the jar, it means that the cuttings are releasing roots. And as soon as the plant takes root (check this by lightly tugging the cutting), take it out into the light and remove the jar.

In winter you need to water the lemon tree only once or twice a week, and in summer - every day, but just a little. Moreover, with warm water, 2-3 degrees higher than the air temperature. If you water it colder or warmer, the plant will not like it. After all, this is the capriciousness of the lemon tree, which does not like both a lack of moisture and its excess. Experienced gardeners know a tricky secret: tap the pot with a wooden object. If the blows are loud, the ground is already dry, and if they are dull, there is still moisture.

You still need to rotate the lemon tree on the windowsill, no matter what the sellers tell you. All this in order to succeed beautiful crown, otherwise there will be light and shadow leaves that will no longer fit into the landscape design of your summer garden.

Fertilizing also affects the color of lemon tree leaves. So, from March to September, feed your plant with manure or droppings every 1-2 weeks. During the fruiting period, do this every 10 days, and this time give preference to a complex of mineral fertilizers.

Formation of a beautiful crown

The next interesting secret: it is easy to form the future crown of a lemon using its roots. After all, the root system is a mirror image of the crown. Therefore, plant the lemon in a pot of the shape you want its crown to be.

In the spring, the top of a young plant 20 centimeters tall needs to be cut off and 5-6 packs left so that they can produce side shoots. And in March-April, prune this tree, removing old dry and diseased shoots, as well as those that are trying to grow into the crown and not away from it.

And one more important point. From time to time the lemon tree becomes crowded: usually once every 2-3 years. At this time, it gives its little signal, rising above the soil level and bringing roots into the drainage hole. This means it’s time to transplant the tree into a larger pot. It is advisable to do this before mid-February, before new shoots begin to grow. And keep in mind that an adult lemon tree already feels better not in light soil, but in heavy, loose soil. You can get it yourself by mixing one part of leaf soil, one part of sand and one part of humus, additionally adding a little clay to such soil.

Help with pollination

Another secret to getting a really beautiful lemon tree is that you have to pollinate it! Yes, this is a self-pollinating plant, but it still has male flowers with only pollen. Collect this pollen cotton swab and bring it to the pestle, which is large and noticeable.

In summer, be sure to take lemon out into the garden, and it will become a wonderful attribute of landscape design. And in winter, arrange additional lighting: a fluorescent lamp or Reflex lamps, at a distance of 10 centimeters from the upper leaves of the tree.

How to grow an orange tree with a beautiful crown?

The orange tree is a real boon for the landscape design of any garden. It is neat, with glossy leaf skin and beautiful fruits.

Proper planting of seeds

You can grow this tree from an ordinary seed:

rinse the removed seeds in warm water;
soak for 12 hours;
bury the hatched seeds into the soil to a depth of 1 centimeter under the film.

This can be done at the end of winter or early spring:

When caring for a growing plant, do not forget that orange trees are inhabitants of the subtropical zone. They do not like drafts, but they love an abundance of indirect sunlight and are capricious about air and soil humidity.

And about selecting soil for an orange, we invite you to watch a video:

Abundance of light and warmth

The orange must receive a lot of light and heat - this is the main requirement. If you properly care for an orange tree, it grows quickly and pleases with a beautiful crown. But, if you want your beautiful tree to bear fruit over time, pay attention to the green thorns on the trunk: if they are hard already at one year of age, you have come across a wild plant whose fruits are worthless. Then it is worth carrying out a regular vaccination.

At home, a cultivated orange tree will begin to bear fruit 6 years after seed germination. What can be speeded up if you overwinter the orange at a temperature of +2 to +5 degrees, limiting watering and fertilizing.

Proper feeding and watering

A pot with a diameter of about 10 centimeters is good for seedlings. The main thing is not to allow the humidity in the room to be below 40% - otherwise the plant will begin to shed its leaves. And you cannot water the orange tree with running water with chlorine - only distilled water, heated to 25-30 degrees Celsius.

Feed the orange tree with 20 grams of ammonium nitrate, 25 grams of superphosphate and 15 grams of potassium salts diluted in 10 liters of water. Four times a year, you will also need to introduce iron sulfate into its fertilizing, and once a month, water the orange tree with a solution of potassium permanganate so that the leaves have a rich color.

You need to replant a grown plant using the transshipment method, with a solid earthen lump. With the beginning of warm summer, take your tree into the garden, well protected from the scorching sun.

More oxygen!

All citrus trees are a little finicky to care for, and everyone likes their root system to be enriched with oxygen. Therefore, we recommend that you use large wooden blocks or pottery pots to grow your orange tree. And to prevent mold from appearing in any case, be sure to treat their inner surface with a blowtorch.

Also all citrus trees need good drainage, and therefore always place small pebbles at the bottom of your tree, but without sharp edges. After all, citrus fruits have very delicate roots.

As you can see, all citrus trees are propagated by seeds and then grafted or cuttings. Can't you handle this? Yes, easily! And on quiet summer evenings, your garden will be delighted with real exotic citrus trees!

Growing an orange tree at home is quite difficult. An inexperienced gardener is unlikely to cope with such a task, especially if his goal is to obtain a fruit-bearing plant. However, with some effort and taking into account the recommendations given in this article, it is quite possible to achieve success. If you have never “welcome” citrus fruits into your home, try first using a store-bought orange tree. If the experiment is successful, you can begin trying to enrich your garden with a plant grown from a seed.

What kind of orange is grown at home?

Of the citrus fruits intended specifically for indoor growing, three are especially popular:

Pavlovsk orange. He is not tall - a meter maximum. Quite fruitful; additional specimens can be obtained by ordinary cuttings. However, the fruits take a long time to ripen, up to nine months, during which the tree needs increased attention and careful care.
Gamlin. It will be taller - up to one and a half meters. The fruits are juicy, sweet and sour, and contain few seeds. The harvest should be expected late in the fall.
Washington Navel. The most favorite orange tree among home gardeners. Can grow up to two meters; An adult plant cannot be lower than one. An additional bonus is that it smells charming during flowering, and the hair can bear fruit from the age of three. The fruits are quite large, up to a third of a kilogram.

It is advised not to buy a fruit-bearing orange tree: if you change your residence, it may stop bearing fruit for a couple of years. Let it agree to “feed” you when it settles in.

How to choose the right place

In order for your home orange tree to agree to stay with you, you must first place it in a place that fully meets the needs of the plant. You need light - plenty, but not too bright. The east and south sides are suitable if the tree does not stand close to the window. You can determine the required distance by the condition of the leaves. If the leaves begin to stretch and corrugate, you need to move them closer without waiting for them to fall. If they start to turn yellow, you should move them a little further (although this rarely happens). Additional care should be to periodically rotate the pot so that the orange tree is exposed to the light on different sides, and the crown is formed harmoniously. And in the summer it would be nice to take it out into the garden or onto the balcony.

Temperature

You also need to be careful with heat. If the temperature drops below 5 degrees, the orange tree may die. At high levels (25 and above), it will begin to grow actively, but will not even think about bearing fruit. It is advisable to maintain it in the range of 15-18 degrees. If the ovaries have already appeared, vigilance can be relaxed, just do not allow them to dry out. The southern tree will cope on its own.

Careful watering

In principle, the orange tree (photo) loves water. So in hot weather you need to water and spray it daily. Water for these purposes must not only be settled, but also warm. However, heating it is not recommended. It is better to place it next to the pot ahead of time so that it is at air temperature at the time of watering. When it gets cold and in winter, spraying stops, and watering is done every other day or two. With the volume of water it’s like this: let less rather than more. The leaves that have curled from water starvation will straighten out, but the roots that have rotted from stagnant water cannot be saved.

A beautiful crown is not only for aesthetics

Since you have already understood the basic rules of how to grow an orange tree, now you need to figure out how to get it to bear fruit. And for this, the plant must have a formed crown suitable for reproduction. If you don’t do this, you can get a harvest only in a decade. Branches of the fifth order bear fruit. Therefore, in the spring, branches longer than 10 centimeters are pinched and the lower leaves are torn off. This way you will get a branched tree with a uniform crown.

Such manipulations are carried out in the spring. Actions should be performed above the kidney, so that it is outside. Special attention is given to shoots that are weakened, very elongated and growing inside the crown. And if the orange tree has grown greatly, above a third of a meter, with weak development of the side branches, the top is also mercilessly pruned.

Transfer

Rule to replant houseplants does not apply to the orange tree annually. It should be relocated about once every three years. Young specimens can be replanted after two, but not more often. This is done by transshipment without chopping off the roots. Particular attention is paid to drainage - its layer should be thick enough. And the movement must occur before the orange tree (photo) blooms. Moreover, this process is unacceptable when it is already “feeding” the fruits.

Stimulation of fruiting

In order for an orange tree at home to bring you a harvest, you will have to devote extra time to it. Without care on your part, its fruits will be small and bitter. There are two ways to improve their quality:

graft. If there is another tree that has already produced fruit, small identical pieces are carefully cut out from the bark of both and exchange places. To prevent the damaged area from rotting, it is wrapped in cellophane. The operation is quite dangerous for plants. If you are afraid of not being able to cope, call a professional for help;
wintering in extreme conditions. Fruiting will begin somewhat later than with grafting, but much faster than without it. The orange tree is taken out into the cold (not excessively, so as not to freeze), watering and fertilizing are stopped. In such harsh circumstances, it must withstand at least a month. In the spring he is again surrounded by care. Already in the third year after hardening it will produce flowers.

If the capricious one nevertheless deigns to bloom, it can be pollinated - with an ordinary brush. However, if there are a lot of flowers and the extra ones are plucked, then the fruits will appear without pollination.

The bone will come in handy!

If you are suspicious of the specimens offered in flower shops, you can try growing an orange tree from a seed. To do this, you should go to the nearest supermarket and buy a ripe, richly colored fruit. Its seeds cannot be stored after eating; they must be planted immediately. A clay pot is taken for the future tree. Since it is not a fact that the selected seed will sprout, several should be placed in the container at once. When increased success the trees can be planted in separate “apartments” later. The soil is purchased specially for citrus fruits - or it is assembled independently, from medium-sized sand, humus, leaf soil and turf - it is taken in three parts, all other components one at a time. The seed from which an orange tree should grow is immersed in the soil about two centimeters, after which the surface is sprayed with water, and the pot is covered with glass or wrapped in polyethylene. For a week, the container is placed in darkness and warmth, and then moved to the windowsill (again, warm). Until the sprouts appear, the shelter is not removed.