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Well, who doesn’t love to eat a ripe and juicy orange? However, in the so-called off-season, store-bought fruit is not much different from plastic. There is a way out – plant an orange tree and enjoy the sweet fruits at any time of the year.
Description and characteristics of homemade orange
Home orange is a fairly compact tree. The plant reaches a height of 3 m, while in natural conditions the minimum height is 7 m. In addition to its direct purpose – fruiting, the plant perfectly copes with the role of a decorative element. A neat bush with bright orange fruits will refresh any interior.
The plant has a surface type root system. It is characterized by the absence of the usual fibers, which are considered a kind of “conductor” of nutrients. Instead, this role is performed by special mushrooms, which are located at the tips of the roots. Thus, a symbiosis is established between the orange tree and these microorganisms.
On the branches of an orange tree, rich green leaves flaunt. They contain a large amount of essential substances, so when lightly squeezed, the leaf begins to exude a pleasant citrus aroma.
The fruit plant looks especially aesthetic during the flowering period, that is, in the spring. Then the branches are covered with rather large flowers. In most cases, they are white, but there are varieties with red inflorescences. Unfortunately, they fall off after a couple of days.
Video “How to grow a room orange in the house”
From this video you will learn how to care for an orange tree at home.
Varieties of orange for home cultivation
For the successful cultivation of a tropical plant, it is worth choosing varieties suitable for home conditions:
- Washington Navel. Perhaps the most popular among lovers of indoor oranges. The height of the tree can reach 2,5 m. After planting, the crop appears, as a rule, after 2–3 years. The variety is characterized by rather large fruits.
- Pavlovsky. It belongs to the smallest varieties, since the height of the trunk does not exceed 1 m. The first fruits will have to wait a long time, but their appearance can be accelerated by careful care, especially lighting.
- Gamlin. The most unpretentious variety of tropical trees. The fruits are medium in size, sour in taste.
How to grow a citrus tree from seed
The process of growing a fruit plant from a seed is quite simple. However, it requires compliance with the correct algorithm of actions.
Preparing the seeds
So, having decided to plant a bright plant on your windowsill, you should take care of high-quality seeds. They should be ripe and fresh, have a symmetrical shape. To “insure”, you can use seeds from different fruits.
To begin with, the grains should be carefully removed from the fruit and rid of the remnants of the pulp. Warm running water will help clean them thoroughly. Next, the bones must be placed in water with the addition of fertilizer (“Energen”, “Epin”). In this procedure, it is important to strictly follow the instructions. In the solution, the seeds should be from 7 to 12 hours.
Seed sowing
For planting, you need to choose a container of no more than 100 ml. Plastic packaging from yogurt or sour cream will be suitable. It should be remembered that each bone should have its own “pot”. If the seeds are planted in a common wide container, you need to keep a comfortable distance for future sprouts – 6-7 cm and 4 cm from the walls of the container. It is recommended to deepen the seeds by 1,5 cm into the ground.
Soil is considered a fundamentally important point in the process of growing an orange tree at home. It can be found in specialized flower shops. On the packaging with the earth must be indicated “for citrus”. Experienced gardeners can prepare the substrate with their own hands. To do this, it is enough to mix ordinary soil from the garden and peat in equal parts.
A pot with bones is placed on the southern windowsill. To create the most “tropical” conditions, the container is placed on a small layer of foam. It will protect fragile seeds from drafts and a cold window sill. By the way, the presence of light at this stage of orange development is not necessary at all.
To create a comfortable microclimate, a plastic bottle cut off from the bottom is installed on the pot. Moreover, the gardener will be able to adjust the degree of ventilation by unscrewing or twisting the lid.
To maintain the required level of humidity, the container is covered with cling film, which will not retain light.
Transplanting sprouts
The first sprouts appear, as a rule, after 1,5–2 months. During this period, the plant should install additional lighting to stimulate growth. However, this condition is necessary only if the landing was made in autumn-winter.
When several formed leaves appear on the sprouts, the plant should be picked. The main condition in this procedure is considered to be careful handling of the roots, especially at the time of removing the stem from the ground.
An orange should be planted in individual containers not exceeding 12 cm in diameter. Planting in a large pot will lead to stagnation of moisture in the ground, followed by decay of the root system.
For sprouts, a different soil composition is needed: sand, peat, leaf humus, sod. All components are connected in the same parts, but sod land should be taken 2 times more. The grown sprouts, whose height is 30 cm, must be transplanted again. The composition of the soil is identical, with one clarification: the sod now needs 3 parts.
A nice bonus for the root system of a tropical tree will be a small amount of clay in the substrate. With each new transplant, the volume of the flower pot should be increased by 3–5 cm.
Conditions for growing an orange at home
In order for a tropical tree to grow quickly and soon bring the first fragrant fruits, it is important to consider some rules for keeping a pet.
Lighting
The orange tree is very fond of light. However, direct sunlight injures the delicate leaves of the plant. Therefore, pots should be installed on the western or eastern window sills – there is the most comfortable diffused light. In winter, the plant needs even more light. Therefore, the gardener needs to take care of additional lighting in advance.
Temperature and humidity
The most comfortable for the successful growth of a houseplant is the following air temperature:
- in winter – 10–13 ° C;
- in summer – 18–28 ° C.
In summer, an orange can be placed outdoors, but the place must be protected from drafts. With the onset of cold weather, the pot is placed on a glazed balcony or south window sill.
Care of the plant
A gardener who wants to regularly enjoy ripe tropical fruits should take care of proper care of the fruit plant.
Watering and spraying
The plant is moisture-loving, but does not tolerate stagnation of liquid. The first thing that will help to avoid this is high-quality drainage and timely soil moisture. The soil is recommended to be watered:
- in summer and during the heating period – 1 time per day;
- the rest of the time – as the earth dries up.
It is worth spraying a tree in summer and during the heating season every day, in autumn – a couple of times a week.
Additional fertilizing
From the beginning of spring to mid-autumn, an orange must be fed once every 2 weeks. To do this, use a special ready-made fertilizer. Feeding can be prepared independently. To do this, you need to combine 20 g of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizers and 15 g of potassium salt. The mixture should be dissolved in 10 liters of settled water. A solution of manganese or vitriol is added to the composition once.
Transfer
Transplantation must be carried out every 2-3 years, in the spring. For this, the transfer method is used. This ensures maximum protection of the root system from possible injuries and damage. Each subsequent pot should exceed the previous one by 3-4 cm in diameter. For the soil, a composition of turf, sand, leaf humus is used. A prerequisite is the presence of drainage.
Crown formation
Crown care is directly related to the fruiting rate of the tree. To properly form the crown of an orange tree, it is necessary to pinch those branches that have reached 20 cm in length. Weak, damaged or deformed shoots are also cut off.
Pests and diseases
The most common pests of a tropical plant are aphids, scale insects and spider mites. They usually appear after the plant has been outdoors for a long time. That is why gardeners are advised to regularly inspect the stems and leaves for parasites.
If they are still found, it’s time to declare war. This will help chemicals, like Fitoverma, or folk methods of struggle. These include garlic decoction, a solution of tar or laundry soap.
How to get fruits at home
As a rule, trees grown from seed do not retain the characteristics of the mother plant. They either do not bear fruit at all, or very weak and not very high-quality fruit. Therefore, it makes sense to resort to grafting. The procedure is of two types:
- Classic. Using a seedling of a fruiting orange.
- Budding. It is characterized by “implantation” of the bud of a fruit-bearing tree.
The second option is considered the least traumatic for an orange plant. However, before the procedure, it is important to make sure that the pet is healthy and is at least 2 years old.
By the way, you can graft almost any variety of citrus fruits. They usually do not reject related species.
Citrus trees are not just an exotic home decoration, but also a direct supplier of delicious and sweet fruits. A novice gardener needs to understand that oranges grow for a long time. Therefore, if you want to one day enjoy your own tropical harvest, you need to be patient.