Orange Trees for Sale Online

Growing Orange Trees at Home

For those of us not lucky enough to live in areas where you can plant citrus trees grow outdoors year-round, there are still ways to grow our delicious oranges at home. Growing citrus trees indoors is nothing new. As far back as the 1600s, wealthy Europeans were growing citrus trees indoors.

They grew them in specially designed orangeries, which is just a fancy word for "Greenhouse for growing citrus." Today thanks to advances in glass technology and efficient heaters, we can now grow oranges, Meyer lemon trees, lime trees right in our homes.

Choosing the Right Pot for an Orange Tree

The size of the pot has a lot to do with the ultimate size of your orange tree. A smaller pot will keep your tree short and make it easier to move the tree outdoors in the summer. Width is less critical when choosing a pot. Orange trees become top-heavy, especially when they are laden with fruit. This is common with all types of citrus.

A deep pot not only has the benefit of allowing the tree to develop a sound root system allowing the tree's root to reach downward, but it will help keep the tree upright. Be sure the pot has suitable drainage holes in the bottom to allow excess water to drain.

Choosing the Best Soil for Orange Trees

Orange trees, like all citrus trees, do not like to have wet feet. Choosing the best soil is paramount for the success of your citrus fruits. Espoma makes a unique potting soil just for citrus trees. Espoma Organic Cactus Mix is specially formulated for cactus and citrus trees and is one of the most well-drained soil we've seen. Both Plants require good drainage, and this soil retains the perfect amount of moisture for the plants to thrive.

Another option is to use soil such as Ocean Forest Potting Soil mixed with about 20% sand. The sand helps drainage and also adds weight to the soil. It is also recommended to line the pot's bottom with about two inches of gravel to allow the soil to drain.

Either of these types of soil works well for all varieties of citrus trees, including navel oranges.

Watering an Orange Tree

Citrus trees, including oranges grown indoors during the winter, will need to be watered about once per week. The trees will be in a semi-dormant state, so watering during the winter will be critical. When the trees are outside, it's not uncommon for the trees to need water daily in the warmer months. This is especially important during the fruiting period when the tree bears fruit.

If you notice your Orange tree leaves starting to curl, this is a sign of stress from not enough water. This helps to achieve the most consistent ripened fruit.

Pollinating Citrus Trees

The pollination of citrus trees is quite simple. If you grow your fruit tree outdoors in the summer, insects will do the work as they visit each flower to collect pollen. Indoors you'll need to do the job. Take a paintbrush or Q-tip and begin dabbing each flower, moving from flower to flower. This will help your citrus tree to produce copious amounts of fruit.

Don't get nervous if you see your dwarf citrus tree drop occasional unripened fruit. This mostly happens when the fruits are small. The tree will produce more fruits than it can support and will drop fruits so that the ones that don't drop can grow to their full size.

Fertilizing Orange Trees

Orange Trees are heavy feeders. Osmocote Indoor/Outdoor fertilizer can be sprinkled on the soil's surface, which feeds the plant each time you water, or Jack's Classic Houseplant Fertilizer can be used once per month at the labeled rate.