Orange Trees

Choosing and Planting

If you live in one of the USDA zones, 9A-11 and have an annual rainfall of at least 40", then you can include orange trees on the list of trees to add to your yard. Not only are these trees great to have because of the fruit they produce, but they are a pretty tree year round. These trees are evergreen and grow to heights of up to 30' with umbrellas of 20'.

If you have made the decision that you would like to have one or more of these trees added to your landscape, then you will have to know more about the location where the orange tree will grow the best meaning what area will afford it the best growing conditions. It might also be important to know which trees will produce fruit during which months.

Knowing when to expect fresh oranges straight from your own orange tree can be important. It is possible to have fresh oranges year-round if you plant different tree varieties. Macetera produce oranges from January through June. Valencia produces oranges from mid-February through June. Marrs produces oranges from mid-November through mid-March. Moro produces oranges from mid-November through March. Diller produces oranges from mid-November through mid-April. Cara Cara Navel and Chet Noel Navel produce oranges from December through February. Don Shaw Navel, Hamlin, Robertson Navel and Washington navel produce oranges from December through mid-March. Trovita, Sanquinelli, Torocco and Seville produce fruit from December through March. Ruby orange trees produce fruit from mid-December through the beginning of March. Knowing when these different types of orange trees produce fruit makes it easy to plan to raise oranges year round.

After deciding what types of orange trees to you would like to have, it is time to head to the nursery to purchase them. When choosing the orange trees to buy, be sure they are healthy; that they have large trunks, have dark leaves and show new growth. It is also good to check the roots for root rot. One sure sign of root rot is mushy roots.