We can grow the orange plant by cutting and seeds. Many gardeners believe that if they grow an orange plant by seeds then it produces sour fruits. So we grow orange plants through cutting. The propagation season of orange trees is beginning in summer. In this season you can grow the cutting branch with rooting hormones.
Preparing Orange Tree Cutting:
If you are interested to grow the orange plant, firstly you should take an 8 to 10 inches long branch of an orange tree for planting. Secondly, make 3 to 4 cuts on the branch, these vertical cuts will help to produce strong roots. Remove every leaf of the branch and bury the branch two-thirds inch in the soil.
Rooting hormones are those chemicals that encourage roots production. Some plants cannot produce their roots in winter so rooting hormones make them able to produce their roots and it is best for the propagation of cuttings.
Planting The Cuttings:
Firstly you should take a pot and fill it with potting soil. After filling the pot put the cuttings in the pot two to three inches deep in the soil. Give them water. When you prepare the cutting pot then you should cover it with a plastic bag, it is good for root production.
Check the cutting every day and give water an accurate level. Rooting hormone work in two to three days and the roots will be produced at the bottom of the cutting.
Then you can remove the plastic bag and put the cutting into a big container after 13 to 14 weeks. You should be very careful in the method of reporting. After reporting you should keep the plant indoors, but if you have a mild winter in your region then you should take it outdoor. Otherwise check the USDA plant zone map for information about the planting region.
Read More:
How To Care For An Orange Tree:
Temperature, Light, and Humidity:
Every plant grows best in its requirements of temperature, light, and humidity. Similar citrus plants grow in their similar requirements. Citrus plants like orange plants grow in light temperatures so you can keep them indoors.
They need a minimum temperature of 18°c in the daytime and 5 to 10°c in the nighttime. You can keep the plant indoors but you should put the container near a window that receives at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight.
Water:
Orange plants needs water for their growth. In spring we give them water on a regular basis. But remember orange trees use water according to their climate and yearly rainfall.
So we should give them water according to their needs. The growth of orange trees is depended on their water quantity too. They need 1 to ½ inches of water per week. Otherwise, they dry and died.
Fertilization:
Every plant needed fertilizer for its growth. The high amount of nitrogen makes the fruit peel more oily and potassium reduces the oil in the peel. We use a specific range of potassium, phosphorus, and as well as micro-nutrients in the growth of an orange trees.
If your older orange plants do not produce more fruits, so firstly you test the soil when the orange plant is present and then use specific fertilizer for its proper growth.
Pruning:
Those orange plants grow by cutting they need minimal pruning because they grow slowly. In late winter you can remove only those branches that are unhealthy and cross each other. Otherwise, stop the pruning and you should pinch the stem of the tree in summer. In this way, the fruit’s branches will grow well.
Orange Tree Winter Care:
Orange trees need more care in winter because they survive in specific temperatures. If temperatures drop below 10°c then you should take the plant’s pot in warm conditions like greenhouses if possilble.
That is the best way to protect the plant. But if you do have no greenhouse, then you should put the plant in the bright and airy room. Orange plants happily survive in that kind of room.
Many mini calamondin orange plants survive in those conditions and produce many sweet fruits.
Orange Tree fruits and flowers :
Orange trees produce minimum (only one time) amounts of fruits in one year. Because they are evergreen plants. But other citrus plants like lemon and limes produce fruits 4 times in one year.
Orange fruit takes time for growing and its fruits are ripe after 7 to 12 months. They take time because they grow without any help from other plants. If we want more fruits the sparking of pollen from one flower to another is the best way for fruiting.
Transfer the pollen when they bloom in this way to allow them to make more fruits.
In general plant falls its fruits for its strength when they are small when they have more fruits for their maintenance. You see that plants produce both fruits and flowers at the same time when they have too much yield.
