Picking the Right Orange Tree

							Picking the Right Orange Tree

If you live in a hot, humid sub-tropical zone like Florida or California,
you have many options for growing fruit trees. You are lucky enough to be
able to support almost any type of plant as long as you prevent pests
from taking over. You should consider growing an orange tree, as these
are usually easy to maintain and produce some of the most delicious
fruits. The orange is one of the most popular fruits worldwide due to its
sweetness, juiciness, and distinctive flavor.

The orange tree can reach up to 50 feet in height towards its later
years, so you should definitely take that into account when planning.
Even if you’re starting with a very small tree, plan ahead and place it
in an open area so that it will have plenty of room to expand. If you
make the same mistake I did, you will end up having to renovate your yard
to some extreme measures, such as taking out an entire shed. Just take
the necessary precautions beforehand and avoid all of this trouble.

The ideal soil for growing an orange tree would be fine sand with great
drainage. The soil should be deep enough to allow for extensive root
development, since the trees are known for reaching monstrous sizes and
requiring lots of support from down below. If you have shallow, easily
saturated soil then you should either do something to remedy it or move
onto a different type of tree. It is most likely that attempting to grow
an orange tree in these conditions would be disastrous.

One of the more popular types of orange is the “Washington Navel”. It
probably came about as a mutation of other oranges. It originated in
Brazil around 1820, and had moved on to Florida within fifteen years. It
is characterized by being one of the largest of all available oranges.
The peel or rind is easily removed. Usually it is not as juicy as other
oranges, but has an intense flavor. These are the most popular orange
trees for commercial growing. If you decide on one of these trees, you
probably won’t have to water as much.

Another type of orange is the “Trovita”. It was invented sometime in the
early 1900s at a lab in California devoted to experimenting with new
types of citruses. It started being publicly marketed around 1940. It
doesn’t have a very strong flavor, and has more seeds than a Washington
Navel. However, it was designed to be more adaptable to harsher, hot and
dry environments that would not be acceptable for other types of orange.
Some of the more popular oranges in Florida right now are mutations of
this type.

The ‘Valencia’ is one of the most juicy and flavorful oranges. It is most
popular in South Africa and the southern USA states. Until about 20 years
ago, Valencia oranges made up a strangely large portion of the orange
market due to its popularity. It is thought to have been invented in
China. It has almost no seeds. Another subgroup of Valencia oranges are
the “Rhode Red Valencia” oranges. These were created around 1960, so they
are slightly more recent than other types. Various mutations occurred and
the trees that grew as a product of them were large and extremely hardy.
The oranges themselves are more juicy and less acidic than the standard
Valencia oranges.
Orange trees are a great thing to get planted, because with just a little
effort in the planting process you will be able to enjoy hundreds of
delicious fruits every year. Just pick whatever orange sounds the most
delicious, and go with it! Before you purchase a tree, you should of
course consult a local expert to make sure your desired type will
flourish in your area. Usually this won’t be a problem, but it is always
good to make sure before you spend the money and time.

PPPPP

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