Orange tree care at a glance
You can grow sweet oranges in a pot almost anywhere, or in the ground where winters stay mild. Oranges need more heat and sun than lemons to turn sweet, so light and warmth matter most. Add steady water and regular feeding, and a grafted tree will start giving fruit within a few years.
|
Need |
What an orange tree wants |
|---|---|
|
Light |
8+ hours of direct sun; the more heat, the sweeter the fruit |
|
Water |
When the top 2–3 inches of soil are dry; deep soakings, not sips |
|
Soil |
Fast-draining, slightly acidic, pH around 6.0–6.5 |
|
Temperature |
Happiest at 60–90°F; protect from frost |
|
Feeding |
Potted trees every 4–6 weeks in the growing season; in-ground trees 3–4 times a year |
|
Fruit |
Usually 3–5 years after planting a grafted tree |
|
Where it grows outside |
Year-round in USDA zones 9–11; in a pot everywhere else |
Choosing the right orange tree
For a pot, buy a dwarf tree, one grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock. It stays a manageable 4–8 feet and still bears full-size fruit. Standard trees in the ground can reach 20 feet or more.
|
Variety |
Best for |
What to know |
|---|---|---|
|
Navel |
First-time growers, pots or ground |
Seedless and easy to peel; ripens late fall into winter |
|
Cara Cara |
Pots |
A pink-fleshed navel, sweet with low acid |
|
Valencia |
Juice, in-ground trees |
Ripens spring into summer and holds on the tree for months |
|
Blood orange (Moro) |
Gardens with cool nights |
Deep red flesh; color is strongest after chilly nights |
|
Calamondin |
Indoors year-round |
Small, tart fruit on a compact tree that tolerates indoor life best |
Light, water and soil
Light. Give an orange tree the hottest, sunniest spot you have: at least 8 hours of direct sun. Heat is what builds sugar in the fruit, so a tree in partial shade often gives sour oranges.
Water. Water deeply when the top 2–3 inches of soil are dry, until it drains out the bottom of a pot or soaks a wide circle around an in-ground tree. A newly planted tree in the ground may need a deep soak twice a week in summer; an established one, about once a week in dry weather. Never let a pot sit in a saucer of water.
Soil. Oranges need soil that drains fast. In pots, use a citrus mix or a bark-based blend like our 5-1-1 recipe. In the ground, plant on a slight mound if your soil is heavy clay, and keep mulch a few inches away from the trunk.
Cold protection and growing indoors
Sweet oranges are less cold-tolerant than Meyer lemons. Frost damages leaves and fruit, and a hard freeze can badly injure young trees. In zones 9–11, cover in-ground trees with frost cloth on nights forecast near freezing, and water the day before, since moist soil holds more heat.
In colder areas, keep your orange in a pot and bring it inside before nights drop below about 45–50°F. Ease it in over a week, set it by your sunniest window, and add a grow light for 12–14 hours a day if the window is weak. Indoor-grown oranges can be a little less sweet than ones ripened in summer heat, so move the tree back outside once nights stay warm. Our guide to moving citrus indoors for winter walks through the transition.
Feeding an orange tree
Orange trees are heavy feeders, and a steady supply of nutrients is what turns a leafy tree into a fruiting one. How often you feed depends on where the tree grows:
- In a pot: every 4–6 weeks from late winter through summer, because watering flushes nutrients out the drainage holes. Feed lighter through winter.
- In the ground: 3–4 times a year, in late winter, late spring and late summer. Skip feeding outdoor trees in late fall, since soft new growth is easily hurt by frost.
A good citrus fertilizer for oranges leads with nitrogen, has moderate potassium and less phosphorus, and includes the micronutrients citrus run short on: iron, zinc, manganese and magnesium. Pale or yellowing leaves on new growth are often the first sign those are missing.
Our citrus kits come pre-measured with a feeding schedule. Use the 3-in-1 Container Citrus kit for potted oranges and the Large & In-Ground kit for trees planted outside. Both are in our citrus fertilizer collection.
Fruit, harvest and pruning
Orange trees are self-fertile, so one tree is enough. Indoors, hand-pollinate by brushing a small paintbrush through open flowers every few days. Expect many tiny fruits to drop after bloom; the tree keeps only what it can carry.
Oranges take a long time to ripen: about 7–12 months for navels and up to 15 months for Valencias. Color isn't a reliable sign of ripeness, because some ripe oranges stay partly green in warm weather. Taste one instead. Oranges don't sweeten after picking, so leave the rest on the tree until they taste right, then clip them with pruners.
Prune lightly after harvest. Remove dead or crossing branches and any shoots growing from below the graft on the lower trunk. Most orange trees need little shaping beyond keeping a potted tree at a size you can move.
Common orange tree problems and fixes
Most orange tree trouble comes down to light, water or nutrition:
|
What you see |
Likely cause |
What to do |
|---|---|---|
|
Sour or bland fruit |
Too little sun or heat, or picked too early |
Move to a hotter, sunnier spot; taste before picking |
|
Yellow leaves with green veins, on new growth |
Low iron or other micronutrients |
Feed micronutrients; check soil pH |
|
Pale leaves all over |
Not enough nitrogen |
Start a regular feeding schedule |
|
Leaves dropping after a move |
Shock from new light and temperature |
Keep it in one bright spot and water evenly |
|
Fruit splitting |
Uneven watering, often a heavy soak after a dry spell |
Water on a steady schedule |
|
No flowers or fruit |
Young tree, too little light or too little feeding |
Add light, feed regularly and give it time |
See the most common causes of yellow citrus leaves for more on leaf color.
Where to get an orange tree
Shopping for a tree? Trees.com carries citrus trees and can add a GrowScripts kit to your order, so your tree is ready to feed from day one.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an orange tree take to bear fruit? A grafted nursery tree usually fruits in 3–5 years. Trees grown from seed can take 7 years or more, and the fruit may not match the parent.
Can I grow an orange tree indoors? Yes, in a pot by a sunny window with a grow light as backup. Dwarf navels, Cara Caras and calamondins handle indoor life best, and fruit sweetens most when the tree spends summer outside.
How big does an orange tree get? A dwarf tree in a pot usually stays 4–8 feet. A standard tree in the ground can grow 20 feet or more.
How often should I fertilize an orange tree? Every 4–6 weeks in the growing season for potted trees, and 3–4 times a year for trees in the ground. Our citrus fertilizer kits include a schedule for both.
Why are my oranges sour? Usually too little sun or heat, or fruit picked before it was ready. Taste one before you pick the rest. Oranges don't get sweeter off the tree.
Growing lemons too? See our Meyer lemon tree care guide. Growing kumquats? See our kumquat tree care guide. Growing calamondin too? See our calamondin tree care guide.