Orange trees can be grown from (fresh) seeds, from cuttings or by grafting yourself. With our instructions, you too can grow a beautiful orange tree.

Sow orange seeds

You can easily obtain seeds for sowing from commercially available, fresh and ripe oranges. However, the seeds are still germinable at most a week after removing them from the fruit, which is why it is best to put them in sandy potting soil immediately. Lightly press the seeds into the substrate and cover them with a one to one and a half centimeter thick layer of soil. At temperatures between 20 and 30 °C and sufficient light and brightness, the seeds germinate within two to four weeks.

Keep seeds viable longer

The germination of the seeds can be maintained for up to a year if stored in a slightly damp place in the refrigerator. However, a preventive treatment against mold is very helpful here, and seed kernels that have been stored in this way do not promise as good a success as fresh ones.

pull cuttings

The propagation of cuttings usually works quite well with oranges, although plants grown from cuttings are usually more sensitive to roots than grafted ones. Cuttings are particularly sensitive to cold and moisture (root rot). For this reason, it is advisable to transplant cuttings to a more robust base when they are about one year old. The bitter orange and the often hardy bitter lemon have proven to be particularly suitable. Bitter lemons are often also available under the name "three-leaf orange" (Citrus trifoliata).

Benefits of Bitter Lemon

Bitter lemons are not as fast-growing as oranges, and they also have other properties that are good for cultivation in temperate climate zones:

  • good tolerance of moist and / or loamy soil
  • cold resistance
  • Resistance to root rot
  • Resistance to tristeza and xyloporosis viruses

Only calcareous irrigation water is not tolerated.

Grafting a young orange tree

From the noble variety, a woody branch of the last year of vegetation is taken, which has dormant buds. The leaves of the branch are removed, but the petioles remain on the branch. Now the finishing underlay is prepared:

  • Cut one from the trunk or a side branch (maximum two centimeters thick).
    at least five centimeters long, straight area free.
  • Leaves are to be removed.
  • Now the scion is cut with a long cut from above to the base, a small counter cut is made.
  • Make sure that the cut surfaces are smooth.
  • Cut the rice above the second bud.
  • The cut that is as long and wide as possible is now made on the base,
    so that the two parts fit together well.
  • Now the scion is pushed under the small, remaining tongue on the base.
  • The assembled parts are wrapped with raffia. There must be no cavities
    develop.
  • The interface is sealed airtight with tree resin.

A prerequisite for the growth of scion is that the grafting base is in the "juice". Therefore, grafting only works during the growing season.

tips and tricks

Be sure to pay attention to hygiene when finishing! Hands and tools must be thoroughly cleaned and you must not touch the interface.

Category:

Vegetable garden