Date: 2013-11-13 | Views: 84636

Probably many times beginners or experienced flower growers, meeting in flower shops beautiful orange tree, wondered how to grow an orange at home. In our apartments this is quite tender plant. But you can grow your own, hardened and adapted tree.

This will require several seeds, a piece of cloth, a glass or glass, soil, plastic bags, sun, water and, of course, your care.

Planting seeds

Sowing seeds can be done at any time of the year. But it is better to do this in the spring. In this case, the plant will develop under more intense lighting and longer daylight hours.

Just before planting, select large and ripe orange fruits. Choose the roundest and largest seeds from them. Flat and dried ones are not suitable for sowing. Place them in a damp cloth and place them in a shot glass or plastic yogurt cup. Close the cup in a plastic bag. It turned out to be a small greenhouse. Put it in warm place, maintaining a temperature of 18-22°C. Don’t forget to check the moisture content of the cloth every 2 days and ventilate the mini-greenhouse.

Transplanting sprouts

After 3-5 weeks, the first shoots should appear. As soon as the sprouts reach 1-2 cm, transplant them into the ground into pots with a diameter of 7-9 cm. To do this, pour a little expanded clay on the bottom of the pot, and on top - required quantity ready soil for citrus plants. You can make this mixture from leaf soil, coarse river sand, humus and turf soil in a ratio of 1:1:1:3 parts. Do not use pure peat. It is advisable to place the pots closer to the light (but not in direct sunlight).

When transplanting, do not bury the sprouts too deeply. Optimal depth- 1.5 cm. Be careful with the roots - the plants are still very fragile. Therefore, cover the sprouts on one side with damp soil. This is necessary so that the stems do not dry out and break.

Young plants must be constantly watered and sprayed with clean, settled water at room temperature. The larger the tree becomes, the more water he will need it.

After the formation of the first 4-6 leaves, transplant the seedlings into more spacious pots already 9-11 cm in diameter. Use the transshipment method. Save the old large ball of earth and plant the sprout with it.

At this stage you should not create ideal conditions for seedlings - additional illumination with lamps, mandatory spraying, maintenance ideal temperature etc. They are hardened and natural selection. Leave the strongest shoots. They will be ideal tenants for your apartment.

Crown formation

When the orange trees grow to 20 cm, you will have to pinch off a couple of leaves at the top. Then the plants will produce lateral branches. They are considered second order branches. If you break off the tops of second-order branches, they will give third-order branches, etc. You shape the crown of the tree yourself. Aim for the bush to have many fifth-order branches within a few years. The first fruits will appear on these branches.

Optimal conditions for growth

Monitor air humidity. It is advisable to place a container of water or an indoor fountain next to the pots with orange trees. Optimal temperature air - 22°C.

Flowering and fruiting

While the plant is still small, it is advisable to remove the first buds. The tree can bear fruit in 8-10 years. If you want to get tasty fruits before this time, graft a branch from a fruit-bearing tree onto an overgrown tree. Instead of grafting, you can do ringing (squeezing branches with wire or removing the bark on a branch in the form of a ring). And then your tree will bear fruit for you in 4 years.

To speed up fruiting, you can use the cold wintering method. To do this, it is necessary to place the plant in the cold (air temperature 2-5°C for 3 months), do not fertilize it and water it from time to time. In this state, the orange tree can tolerate almost complete shade. In the spring it is necessary to resume the usual for the plant temperature regime. Cold wintering should be repeated for 2-3 years.

Orange tree pests

Plant mites, scale insects, thrips and aphids can cause trouble for the plant. Therefore, to prevent pest damage, it is advisable to treat the bush with an insecticide 2 times a year.

Don't forget about fertilizing. It is necessary to fertilize 2-3 times a month from March to November liquid fertilizer"For citrus fruits." Old tea leaves, which are buried in the ground, are also suitable for these purposes.

In general, the orange tree is a drought-resistant plant, does not tolerate waterlogging of the soil, and does not have expressed period peace. Throughout the year it grows, blooms and bears fruit at the same time.

Good luck growing these sunny fruits!

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Exotic lovers can grow oranges at home. Like all citrus fruits, it easily adapts to life indoors; with proper care, it successfully blooms and bears fruit. As a houseplant, orange is not as popular as lemon because it develops more slowly and has more requirements for temperature, humidity and lighting.

In addition, an orange ripened at home cannot compete in nutritional quality with purchased fruits, which are cheap and available in any corner of the country. However, these shortcomings do not stop amateur gardeners. They successfully grow trees of this crop in their rooms from fruit seeds purchased in a store, or use ready-made purchased seedlings. A number of compact forms, not exceeding 60-80 cm in height, have even been developed especially for indoor spaces.

The subtleties of growing oranges at home

The plant is demanding of light; if there is not enough light, the fruits do not ripen or acquire a sourish-bitter taste, and direct sun can cause burns on the leaves. Optimal is diffused bright light, for which the tree is placed on the eastern, western, or near southern windows, in the latter case protected from direct rays with gauze or light cloth.

In summer, you can take it out into the garden or put it on the balcony, also not forgetting to shade it. The temperature at this time can be high, but budding and fruit set occur only at 15 - 18 °C.

The culture does not like waterlogging, which can cause disease, but it also does not tolerate dry soil. IN summer time it is watered 1-2 times a day using warm water. When growing at home, an orange is required high humidity air, so it must be sprayed regularly.

During active growth The tree needs to be fertilized; the older it is and the longer it has not been replanted, the higher the dose of fertilizer should be. Feed, pre-watering, once every 7-10 days, with special fertilizers for citrus fruits, a solution of organic or mineral fertilizers(20 g ammonium nitrate or ammonium sulfate, 25 g superphosphate, 15 g potassium per bucket of water). To preserve the color of the leaves, it is recommended to add potassium permanganate to the fertilizer once every 30 days, and iron sulfate once every three months.

How to preserve an orange tree at home in winter?

In winter, orange care at home has several features. At this time, it is better to keep it at a low temperature, up to 12 ° C, and even approaching 0 ° C. Cold wintering promotes better fruiting, under these conditions the plant is less demanding on lighting and even tolerates significant shading. Watering at this time is limited to one or two times a week, fertilizing is excluded.

If the tree is kept warm, it must be additionally illuminated in the evening and on cloudy days. The culture does not tolerate dry air very well, which is typical for rooms with central heating. Spraying is recommended to increase humidity warm water from a spray bottle, at least once a day at 12-16 °C, up to two or three times a day at 20-25 °C. Additionally, any other methods are used: place a tray with water or an air humidifier next to the pot, hang up the radiator central heating thick fabric or oilcloth.

When keeping an orange tree in winter with artificial lighting and high temperatures, it is necessary to water it more often with warm water, preventing the soil from drying out, and feed it once a month with the usual dose of mineral or organic fertilizers.

How to plant an orange at home?

Due to the peculiarities of the root system, oranges do not tolerate transplantation well, especially if they are damaged. earthen coma, it is replanted only by transshipment, and if the roots do not fill the entire space of the container, the top and bottom layers of soil are simply replaced.

Fruiting trees are transferred once every two to three years, young, intensively growing ones - annually, into a pot with a diameter 1-2 cm larger than the previous one. They are replanted in the spring before growth begins; this kind of work should not be done during flowering, fruit ripening, or at rest. When landing, make sure that root collar was not buried.

The soil mixture recommended for young specimens consists of turf, leaf soil, humus and sand in a ratio of 2:1:1:1; for mature trees, the proportion of turf soil increases (3:1:1:1) and a small amount of clay is added. To prevent the roots from getting wet, provide good drainage. You will learn more about planting oranges.

Formation and trimming of the crown

An important element of care is pruning, since it is impossible to grow an orange at home without properly forming the crown. Even grafted plants will not bloom or bear fruit in this case.

The formation of the crown begins in the spring, the main stem is shortened to 18-23 cm. Three or four of the most developed lateral shoots form first-order branches, on each of them two branches are left, making up the second-order level. On them, in turn, three to five branches of the third order are formed, where fruit-bearing shoots of the fourth order are then formed.

This completes the formation of the crown; subsequently, only pinching of young shoots is carried out, removal of thickening branches and growing inside the crown, cutting out dried old branches. If pruning is done on time and correctly, then the orange tree at home (see photo below) grows evenly in all directions. There are no long, stretching shoots on it; they are pinched and promptly transferred to horizontal position, since it is on horizontal branches that the crop is formed.

If the plant has bloomed, it is necessary to regulate the number of ovaries to give it the opportunity to simultaneously develop properly and bear fruit. At first, no more than 2-3 fruits are left, then, at 4-5 years of age - 6-7, and then up to 10 fruits.

How to germinate orange seeds? And other methods of reproduction

There are several ways to plant an orange at home. You can buy a seedling in a store; it will have all the characteristics characteristic of the selected variety. You can grow a seedling yourself using a seed from the fruit. In this case, the tree turns out to be most adapted to room conditions, but without being grafted, it will bloom in 8-10 years. To speed up fruiting, the grown seedling is grafted with a cutting from a fruit-bearing plant, using the method of budding, copulation or grafting with a cutting behind the bark.

Since it is quite difficult to germinate orange seeds, they are used only freshly harvested. Before planting, the seeds are soaked in water for 8-12 hours, after which they are placed in soil of a loose consistency (for example, peat) to a depth of about 1 cm. The crops are covered with film and kept in a warm, dark place until germination. Sprouts appear after 1-1.5 months, after which they are exposed to light. Picking is carried out in the phase of two sheets. Next, the seedlings are grown, and when the trunk reaches a diameter of 5-6 mm, grafting is carried out.

Why do orange leaves turn yellow and fall off?

plant in indoor culture more demanding than other types of citrus fruits. If the care rules described above are not followed, the leaves of the orange turn yellow, the flowers and ovaries fall off, and in some cases the tree can become completely bare, shedding its leaves, and even die.

Most often, orange leaves fall off for the following reasons:

• abrupt change climatic conditions(transfer from street to warm room or, conversely, from the room to the garden in the bright sun);
• insufficient watering;
• excess fertilizer;
• excessive watering, especially in winter time;
• lack of lighting in warm winter conditions (at temperatures above 8-12 ° C);
• a change in lighting, for example, when moving to another window or even a sharp turn of the pot; for uniform growth, the tree is turned once every 10 days by 10°;
• recessed root collar or too large volume of the pot when transplanting;
• draft.

According to experts, among the reasons why orange leaves fall off, there are also quite exotic ones, for example, tobacco smoke or proximity to a microwave oven.

An orange tree will please its owner not only attractive looking, but also sweet citrus fruits. This " green pet"is somewhat capricious, but if you study this material, you can create for it necessary conditions. Let's look at how to grow an orange tree at home so that it gives you real natural fruits.

General description and popular types of orange tree

The domestic orange tree has dense, bright green leaves that form a compact, dense crown. The twigs are covered with bark light shade. The height of the plant varies from 1 m to 2.5 m. This representative of the flora blooms with soft white flowers and begins to bear fruit at 7-8 years of age. An orange grown at home tastes virtually no different from a store-bought one.

In total, about 600 varieties of oranges are known. Here are the most popular ones suitable for indoor culture:

• "Gamlin" - reaches a height of 1.5 m. Fruits ripening late autumn, have a pleasant sweet and sour taste;
• “Pavlovsky” is a low-growing variety (grows up to 1 m). Different good fruiting, but oranges ripen for quite a long time - about 9 months;
• "Washington Navel" is the most popular among amateurs indoor flora. Can reach 2 m in height. During the flowering process, each flower of an orange tree of this variety exudes a pleasant sweetish aroma. Quite different large fruits weighing about 300 grams.

Reproduction of indoor orange

An orange tree can be propagated at home in three ways: seeds, cuttings and grafting. The simplest method is propagation from seeds. Specimens grown in this way require much less maintenance. But young fruits will differ significantly from the original ones.

How to grow an orange tree from a seed:

• We buy special soil for citrus fruits or make a mixture ourselves from turf soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 2:1:1, respectively;
• First, extract the seeds from the orange high degree ripeness. They must be correct form, not be damaged, not dry or empty;
• We clean them of any remaining pulp, rinse them thoroughly and soak in water for 10-12 hours;
• We plant the seeds to a depth of 1 cm in a small container (about 100 ml), keeping a gap of 5 cm between seeds. You can also plant in one box;
• Lightly water the soil, cover the container with film and put the mini-greenhouse in a dark place until the first shoots appear. After they reach 1.5-2 cm and 2 leaves “hatch” on them, we transplant them into small separate pots with a diameter of about 8 cm.

It is better not to choose large containers, since soil in which there are no roots will for a long time remains moist and is subject to souring. An indoor orange tree can be additionally illuminated with special phyto-lamps, as if increasing the length of daylight hours.

Homemade orange can also be propagated by cuttings. This allows you to preserve all parental characteristics.

• To obtain a cutting, cut a 10-centimeter branch with bark with a sharpened knife;
• We plant it in sandy soil and create a mini-greenhouse by covering the container with film;

• We install the container in a bright place where direct sunlight does not reach. The soil should always be slightly moist;
• After about a month, the cuttings take root and can be planted in separate containers.

Another way to propagate an orange tree is by grafting. This is the most best option for a quick harvest. It is best to take the scion from an already fruit-bearing plant, carefully cutting off the cutting with a sharp knife. It is recommended to vaccinate a specimen that has reached the age of three years. The scion must contain 3 buds.

Step by step process:

• We cut the crown of the tree at a height of 10 cm from the soil, split the trunk and place the cutting in it;
• We combine two branches and wrap the grafting site with film;
• To preserve moisture, cover the plant with film and leave it in a bright place.

After 3 weeks, you need to look at the condition of the cutting. If it does not turn black, then the grafting procedure was successful.

Conditions for growing oranges at home

For the plant to have a healthy appearance, did not suffer from pests and gave bountiful harvest, you need to know how to care for an orange tree correctly.

Lighting and temperature for indoor orange

• This plant is light-loving, therefore best place for its location there will be windows on the south and southeast sides. So that the leaves do not suffer from sunburn, it is necessary to create light shading for them, but the brightness of the lighting should not change.
• The citrus tree loves warmth very much. The optimal summer temperature for its growth is +21-25 degrees. If the specified values ​​are exceeded, the “green pet” will begin to actively grow, but will not bear fruit. The suitable winter temperature for the tree is +10-15 degrees.
• It also does not withstand drafts.

Watering and spraying citrus

• The plant should be watered regularly with warm, settled water when top layer the soil becomes crusty and dries out. But there should also not be excessive moisture, otherwise it can lead to rotting of the roots. IN winter period Watering should be reduced to 2-3 times a week.
• Don't forget about spraying. In hot weather it must be produced daily, as the plant loves humid air around. In cool weather, the frequency of procedures is reduced to 1-2 times a week. If the air in your home is very dry, then you need to spray it daily.

Transplanting and feeding plants

It is better to transplant citrus fruits in the spring, before flowering and fruiting begin. This procedure must be done once every 2-3 years.

• An orange tree in a pot should feel free, so you need to select the container slightly larger size compared to the previous one;
• Transplantation is done using the transshipment method to eliminate the risk of damage to the roots;
• The soil mixture should consist of turf and leaf soil, sand and humus in a ratio of 2:1:1:1, and the bottom of the container should have good drainage.

Every 2 weeks from the beginning of spring to mid-autumn, it is recommended to feed the plant with a special complex fertilizer intended for citrus fruits. You can buy it at the store or make it yourself. To do this, you need to dilute 15 g of potassium salt, 25 g of phosphorus and 20 g of water in 10 liters of water. nitrogen fertilizers. This mixture can be supplemented once a season without a large number potassium permanganate or copper sulfate.

Formation of the crown of an orange tree

In order for the “green pet” to bear fruit, you need to carefully monitor the condition of its crown. If this is not done, then fruiting will begin no earlier than in 10 years. Fruits appear on branches no lower than the fifth order.

• Correct formation of the crown consists of pinching the branches when they reach 10-15 cm. This should be done above the bud so that it remains outside;
• It is also necessary to remove weakened, inward growing and elongated shoots. This pruning helps to get many short young shoots.

Pests of homemade orange

It is necessary to regularly inspect the tree for the presence of pests. Usually the following settle on citrus fruits:

• Whitefly;
• Spider mite;
• Shield.

To combat them, drugs such as Biotlin and Fitoverm are used. Can also be used folk remedies, for example, a solution based laundry soap, an infusion of garlic or hot pepper.

Video: How to grow an orange tree from a seed

Like lemon tree, an orange can be grown at home - as practice shows, if you create trees good conditions, they will even be able to bear fruit, although they will have to wait at least 10 years for the harvest in the apartment. Basically the same indoor plants oranges are bred for their decorative qualities, because the smooth, shiny leaves of these crops do not lose their beauty even in the absence of fruiting.

History of the origin of the orange plant

Orange (Citrus sinensis) belongs to the Rutaceae family, its homeland is East Asia.

This is very common and ancient citrus. Not found in the wild. The history of the orange supposedly began around 4000 BC. e. in Southeast Asia. In ancient chronicles it is mentioned earlier than other citrus fruits.

In China, orange trees were grown 220 BC. e. This culture later spread to Egypt, North Africa, Mediterranean countries. The first Europeans to taste orange were the soldiers of Alexander the Great. The ancient Greek botanist Theophrastus, accompanying Alexander the Great during his campaign of conquest in India, described in detail and accurately the strange orange fruit. In Europe, starting from the 11th century, sour orange was grown, brought by the Moors to the Mediterranean. It is also known from the history of the origin of the orange that in the 15th century it was brought from Palestine by the Portuguese crusaders, so for a long time they were called “Portuguese fruits.”

At first, sweet orange was grown only in the gardens of aristocrats. They paid a lot of money to have a tree with sweet, rather than sour, fruits. Juicy, beautiful oranges were enjoyed by noble people and served as an exquisite delicacy. Orange trees, planted in tubs, decorated the gardens of the noble nobility in the summer, and for the winter they were put away in specially built rooms - greenhouses (“orange trees”).

French gardeners of the Renaissance managed to candied fruits directly on the branches so that nobles, walking in the garden, could feast on ready-made candied fruits by picking them from the tree.

The orange came to America in 1493, during the second voyage of Christopher Columbus to the shores of the New World. The seeds of the golden fruit were sown on the island of Tahiti, from where the orange was later brought to Florida.

The native Indians really liked the tasty fruits; during their migrations across the expanses of America, they lost orange grains, which unwittingly contributed to its spread.

In Rus', the fruits of the orange plant were first tasted in the 17th century. The boyars appreciated the taste and aroma of the “golden apples” - they found them “bitter and very sweet.” They began to grow orange trees in tubs, which they kept in mansions and chambers in winter, saving them from the bitter frosts. Russian name“orange” comes from the German “Apfelsine”, which means “Chinese apple”.

Currently, orange is one of the most popular fruits in the world, whose wonderful taste is enjoyed by millions of people. Orange plantations occupy about 500 thousand hectares, and the annual global harvest is more than 30 million tons. Orange trees are grown in the greenhouses of many botanical gardens.

Since orange was difficult to grow in many countries open ground, then special greenhouses were created for him - glazed greenhouses. The word "greenhouse" (orangerie) is translated from French as "orange", because "orange" in French means orange. From French, “orange” migrated to English, turning into “orange” and in this form appeared before lovers of carbonated drinks around the world. This word goes back to the Sanskrit (ancient Indian) “naranga”, which the Persians remade into “naranj”, or otherwise “narinj” - with this word the Persians initially called sour orange (orange). Orange can be grown at home in a regular pot. At home, the orange does not bear fruit, but this slight disappointment is compensated for pleasant aroma its leaves.

What an orange looks like: photo and description

Orange – evergreen fruit tree. Selected species plants reach 13 meters in height. In rooms it grows up to 1 - 1.5 m, low-growing varieties compact (0.6–0.8 m).

The orange has a compact round shape, a large number of glossy dark green leaves containing aromatic essential oils. The leaves are entire or slightly toothed, dark green, slightly fragrant, the petioles are narrow. Each leaf lives up to two years.

As you can see in the photo, the flowers of the orange plant are medium in size, bisexual, white, very fragrant:

It usually blooms in spring. Orange branches are often thorny (thorns can be up to 5 cm long). The fruits are spherical or elongated, golden-orange in color. Its bright, juicy fruits- multilocular berries, the so-called hesperidia. Many varieties produce fruits without pollination. The shape of the fruit is spherical or ovoid, from 7 to 15 cm in diameter, the pulp has 10–13 segments (parts), contains up to 35% juice, pleasant to the taste, sweet-sour, fragrant. The skin, from orange, almost yellow, to dark red, fits tightly to the pulp, smooth and shiny, aromatic.

Look what an orange looks like natural environment habitat:

Orange bears fruit annually.

The bulk of the fruits are eaten fresh and in the form of aromatic, tasty and healthy juice. They are of great importance in the food and confectionery industry, where they are used to make jam, marshmallows, candied fruits, liqueurs, and tonic drinks. Orange oil, obtained by pressing from the peel of the fruit, has a sweet fruity aroma and is used in the production of perfumes, cosmetics, and medicine.

Below is a description of the varieties and type of orange.

Types and varieties of oranges: photos and descriptions of plants

The list of orange varieties is replenished annually with 10–15 new ones. According to the timing of fruit ripening, all varieties cultivated in the world are divided into early, mid-early and late. In addition, they differ in the typical color of the fruit (yellow, red). Morphological characteristics such as the shape of the fruit and the surface of the orange skin vary greatly depending on the growing area, soil, and nutrition. All types of orange are divided into sweet, regular and sour.

Orange varieties are divided into three groups:

• first group– varieties with fruits that are ordinary and familiar in shape and appearance, that is, round, with a beautiful, even skin;
• second group includes varieties with an underdeveloped fruit (in the form of a navel at the top of a developed fruit);
• to the third group include kings - varieties with red flesh and reddish skin.

Varieties of the first group produce fruits different sizes: from small, weighing 100–120 g, to large, 300–480 g, spherical or oval, with a large number of seeds, characterized by high yield.

Varieties of the second group, often called umbilical, are distinguished by large fruits, reaching 500–600 g, with a characteristic mastoid outgrowth at the top of the fruit (umbilicus), formed by the overgrown base of the ovary column. The orange pulp is dense, slightly crunchy, bright orange in color, with excellent taste and aroma. There are no seeds or few of them.

Varieties of the third group - kinglets - are characterized by short stature and medium-sized fruits (weighing up to 170 g) with bright red and very delicious juice pulp. Kinglets have high quality fruits, but are distinguished by their late ripening. There are few seeds.

These photos show types of oranges that differ in their taste:

Characteristics and description of varieties of indoor oranges

Varieties of indoor oranges include:"Washington Nawel", "Gamlin", "Valencia", "Moro". You can also grow the following varieties of oranges at home.

Washington Navel– the fruits of this variety have high taste qualities. Medium sized tree; The crown is dark green, widely spreading. The flowers, collected in small clusters, are fragrant and white. The fruits are round in shape, with a “navel” at the top; fruit weight – half a kilogram or more. The red-orange skin of the fruit is mostly smooth (sometimes rough), elastic, dense, and easily separated from the pulp. The pulp is juicy, bright orange, divided into 13 segments with thin partitions. This orange variety usually ripens in December. The variety propagates well by cuttings, especially when the cuttings are treated with growth stimulants. Plants from such cuttings begin to bear fruit in the second year.

Pavlovsky- almost best variety oranges for growing indoors. Its plants reach 1 m in height, are very decorative, with dark green, shiny leaves.

Pay attention to the photo - this orange variety has axillary, white, fragrant flowers, collected in bunches:

The fruits are orange, spherical. Their ripening period is quite short - 7–9 months. Blooms annually. It is preferable to propagate the plant by cuttings in February - March. Rooted plants begin to bear fruit after two years.

Gamlin – productive variety with fruits high quality, its fine-grained juicy pulp is very pleasant to the taste. The tree is small, well leafy. The flowers are white and fragrant. The fruits are medium in size, weighing about 300 g. The shape of the fruit is round, slightly flattened at the top and at the base. The thick rind of the fruit with orange, very shiny skin is easily separated from the pulp. When describing this variety of orange, it is worth noting that there are few or no seeds in the pulp of its fruit. The fruits of this orange variety ripen in November.

Korolek- a low tree with a pyramidal crown. The fruits are round, oval at the base; fruit weight up to 250 g. The peel with dark orange skin is easily separated from the pulp. The fruits of this variety have dark red, coarse-grained pulp, juicy and tender, very pleasant to the taste; The juice of the fruit is light pink and abundant. There are few seeds in the pulp.

There are many other varieties of orange suitable for growing indoors, but the ones described above are the most common: they grow quite quickly and bear fruit abundantly.

How to grow an orange tree at home and care for the plant

Orange is very demanding in terms of growing conditions; it is a rather whimsical plant, and without sufficient experience, getting it to bear fruit in a room is not so easy.

There are relatively few indoor varieties of orange, but they all produce wonderful fruits, varied in flavor, color and size. The most common and well-proven variety is the old, good variety Washington Navy, brought to Russia at the end of the 19th century from California. It belongs to the so-called “umbilical” oranges. Navel oranges are usually the largest and sweetest. On the lower part of the fruit they have traces of a second undeveloped fruit slightly protruding from the peel.

When growing an orange at home, a novice citrus grower should keep in mind that, having sowed a seed of any variety and grown a fruit-bearing tree from it, he will have to wait a very long time for the harvest - most often 10-15 years. The resulting fruits will most likely be of low quality, because in this case, varietal characteristics, as a rule, are not inherited. That's why seed propagation orange is not recommended.

Caring for a homemade orange is not much different from caring for a traditional lemon. But orange is more cold-resistant and light-loving. Only south-oriented windows are suitable for its maintenance - this is fundamentally important, since north side The tree develops more slowly and produces few fruits with a sour taste. Orange loves direct sunlight, especially during the period of fruit ripening - with sufficient heat and light, they become sweeter.

So, orange is a light-loving plant that requires warm (20-25 ° C) rooms. If there is not enough light in the apartment, it will develop poorly and grow poorly.

In summer, it is advisable to take the orange tree to open air- this will provide him best growth and development. But in the first days, especially at noon, it needs to be shaded with gauze or thin lutrasil so that the leaves do not suffer from sunburn.

In winter, the temperature should not be lower than 10-12 °C. In winter, when there is little light and daylight hours are short, when caring at home, indoor oranges need to be illuminated, increasing the length of the day to 10–12 hours. During this period, if possible, it is better to keep the orange at a lower air temperature, which will have a beneficial effect on spring flowering.

In winter, the orange is dormant, its growth processes are inhibited and, accordingly, it requires less water. Therefore, the intervals between watering for orange plants at home should be increased. From October to the end of February, the plant is fed with fertilizers no more than once every 1.5–2 months.

When caring for oranges at home, young plants should be replanted annually at the end of winter; adults - after 3-4 years, by transshipment. Substrate of turf and leaf soil, humus and sand (2:1:1:1).

An orange tree can be shaped to your liking, although without any intervention it often forms a rather beautiful crown on its own.

How oranges are grown and plant propagation (with video)

Caring for an orange tree grown in the house is the same as for other citrus fruits, and requires care and constant care: watering, spraying, loosening, fertilizing with minerals and organic fertilizers. It is necessary to pinch young orange shoots, trim old branches, and remove long thin shoots that dry out in winter.

The main fruiting of oranges occurs on the shoots of the current year and on last year's shoots. In grafted plants, fruiting usually occurs at 4–5 years of age, but when good care and additional lighting in winter - much earlier. But we must keep in mind that with a sudden change in lighting, the orange may shed its leaves. The orange tree also categorically does not tolerate tobacco smoke.

Orange is a moisture-loving plant and requires abundant watering, and always with soft water. From April to October abundant watering. During the dormant period, watering becomes more economical, but nevertheless, the earthen clod should not be allowed to dry out. Less water necessary in winter, but the substrate should always be slightly damp.

To ensure that the plant develops normally and bears fruit, feed it with complex fertilizer or flower mixtures every 2 weeks.

Twice a month the orange is fed with fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium). IN at a young age the plant should be replanted annually, and from 5 years old - once every 2-3 years.

Of all the insects that attack oranges, the citrus red mite is the most troublesome. If the plant's growing conditions do not meet the necessary conditions, there is a high risk of developing spotting and sooty fungus.

Cuttings using phytohormones and bottom heating. It propagates very well by grafting onto bigaradia seedlings.

Orange propagation is carried out mainly by grafting onto seedlings or air layering, since cuttings take root with difficulty, and in some varieties they do not take root at all. Poncirus trifoliata cannot be used as an orange rootstock, because due to its biological features it is completely unsuitable for indoor cultivation of citrus fruits.

Watch a video of how oranges are grown, which shows all the basic agricultural techniques:

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What are the requirements for growing an orange at home?

Having an orange at home is the dream of many housewives. As long as you follow the plant care requirements, growing a wonderful orange tree at home will not be difficult. Of course, when growing it, you must carefully observe certain rules. But as a result, a magnificent exotic homemade orange will delight you and your family for many years.

Growing an orange crop at home will not bring special labor, if you follow all the rules.

Orange, like all citrus fruits, is a very useful plant. Eating its fruits improves immunity and enriches the body with vitamins. At home, an orange tree, unlike a lemon, is unlikely to produce large and tasty fruits, as when grown in open ground. But the air, purified by him from harmful substances, will be very useful.

Providing proper care, you can grow an orange tree up to 1.5 m tall. Potted orange is evergreen tree with a spreading crown. During the flowering period, small white flowers spread a pleasant, subtle, delicate aroma into the house. Those wishing to grow this plant should know that it is quite capricious and requires personal care.

Orange care:

The crop is best grown on sunny side, on the window.

1. This is a very light-loving plant. It is better to place it near southern windows. But in order not to burn the leaves, you should still avoid straight lines in hot weather. sun rays. To get a uniform spreading crown, periodically turn the pot towards the sun different sides. The sun has a very beneficial effect on the orange tree during flowering and fruiting. In summer it is permissible to take it outside.
2. Don't forget that the orange tree is a guest from the south, absolutely intolerant of the cold. Air below +5 degrees will be critical! Temperature is determining for him. At high temperature(+25 degrees) the tree stretches to grow, blooms and bears fruit poorly. But at +15-18 degrees the orange feels comfortable: the leaves have a juicy green color, abundant flowering gives a good harvest.
3. Periodically trim elongated and weak shoots. To reduce the load on the tree, thin out its crown.
4. Orange does not like dry soil, and you must provide it with plenty of moisture. In summer and spring, water once a day at night, and in autumn and winter - 2 times a week. Also spray the plant every day. Gently loosen the soil once a week. When active growth begins in the spring, feed with fertilizers.

Transfer:

Every 2-3 years, as the plant grows, it requires an increasingly larger pot. To move the delicate tissue as carefully as possible root system, use the transshipment method. This means that the orange tree needs to be moved into a new container with the same lump of earth on the roots. Then simply add soil depending on the size of the pot. Remember to ensure good drainage to prevent moisture stagnation.

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Reproduction methods:

Watering indoor orange must be carried out especially carefully, do not overfill.

1. Cuttings. An important advantage of the method is the preservation of varietal characteristics. To obtain cuttings, use branches from this and last year that are covered with bark. Using a sharp knife, cut a cutting 8-10 cm long with 5 leaves immediately below the bud at the bottom and 5 mm above the bud at the top. Remove the leaf from the bottom bud. Ready cuttings plant in a mini-greenhouse in sandy soil. Place the greenhouse in a bright place without direct sunlight and keep the soil slightly moist. After about a month, the rooted cuttings can be transplanted into an individual pot. Do this carefully so as not to damage the delicate roots.
2. Planting seeds. Even a novice gardener can use this method. Plants grown from seeds are less demanding of care, grow quickly, but begin to bear fruit only at 8-15 years of age. Be aware that such a tree may not borrow the varietal characteristics of the parent. Use seeds for planting from indoor oranges. Store-bought fruit seeds are not suitable for growing indoors. The seeds must be fresh, that is, just taken out. They need to be planted in a mixture of humus and sand to a depth of 1 cm. Cover the container with film and place in a dark place. At moderate watering in about a month the first shoots will appear. When the first two leaves grow, transplant the sprout into a pot.
3. Graft. It allows you to get a faster harvest, so the scion should be taken from a fruit-bearing tree. The disadvantage of this method is that it can only be used during the period of active sap flow. Use a razor-sharp knife to cut the cuttings. You can graft onto a lemon or orange tree that is 2-3 years old. Cut off its crown at a height of 10 cm from the ground. Split the trunk into two halves and insert the cutting with oblique cuts. Choose a scion with 3 buds. Align the two branches and wrap the grafting site with film. To retain moisture, cover the plant with film and place it in a bright place. After about 3 weeks it will be clear whether the cutting has taken root or not. If it doesn't turn black, then everything worked out.

Many housewives are faced with yellowing of foliage. Sometimes an orange can shed its crown completely. Watch the tree. Perhaps you overdid it with watering or fertilizing. Either your orange does not have enough light or is in a draft.

Be attentive to the plant, and your handsome one will give joy for many years!