Orange trees are beautiful plants if you grow them in your home or backyard. In addition to producing deliciously scented leaves, mature citrus trees also produce fruit. Orange seeds are very easy to sow, but citrus trees grown from seeds take about seven to 15 years to bear fruit. If you are looking for a tree that produces fruit faster, it is better to purchase a grafted tree from a plant nursery. But if you're looking for a fun activity and want to plant a tree for your home or yard, sowing orange seeds is an easy and fun way to do it.
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Part 1 of 3: Collecting and Cleaning Orange Seeds
Step 1. Remove the orange seeds from the fruit
Slice the orange in half to reveal the seeds. Use a spoon or knife to scoop out the seeds. Trees grown from seeds are more likely to produce similar fruit, so make sure you choose seeds from a citrus type that you like.
Some citrus species, such as navel and clementine, do not have seeds, so you cannot propagate the tree this way (Note: vegetative methods must be used, such as grafting, etc.)
Step 2. Select and clean the orange seeds
Look for seeds that are healthy, whole and fully round in shape, that have no spots, marks, dents, cracks, discoloration, or any other blemishes. Transfer the seeds to a bowl of clean water. Use a clean rag/cloth to scrub and clean all traces of meat and water/juice.
- Cleaning the seeds is useful for getting rid of mold and fungal spores, and for inhibiting the development of fruit flies.
- You can clean and sow all the seeds of the citrus fruit, then take the seeds that grow the largest and healthiest for planting.
Step 3. Soak the seeds
Prepare a small bowl of clean water at room temperature (±20-25˚C). Put all the orange seeds in the water and soak for 24 hours. Some types of seeds have a better chance of germinating if previously soaked in water, as soaking softens the seed coat and provides an early boost to germination.
- When all the seeds have been soaked for 24 hours, drain the water and place them on a clean cloth.
- Do not soak orange seeds for more than 24 hours, as they may become full of water and may not germinate.
Part 2 of 3: Making Orange Seeds Sprout
Step 1. Transfer the shoots to the prepared pots
Prepare a 10 cm diameter pot with a drainage hole at the bottom. Fill the bottom of the pot with a layer of gravel/coral to improve drainage, and fill the remaining space with ready-to-use compost soil. Make a hole about 1.5 cm in diameter in the center of the pot with the help of your finger. Put the seeds in the holes, then cover them with soil.
After transplanting the sprouted seeds into the pot, place the pot in a place that receives direct sunlight every day
Step 2. Fertilize and water the orange seeds during shoot growth
Newly sprouted seedlings will benefit from a light fertilizer, such as compost tea. Add enough compost tea to moisten the soil. Repeat every two weeks. Water the soil thoroughly once a week, or if the soil begins to dry out.
- If the soil is dry for too long, the orange tree will not survive.
- During its growth, orange seedlings will increase in size and release leaves.
Part 3 of 3: Moving Orange Seedlings
Step 1. Prepare a larger pot when the leaves begin to appear
After a few weeks, when several pairs of leaves appear and the seedlings are growing steadily, the plant will need to be moved to a larger pot. Take a pot that is one or two times larger than the previous pot. Make sure the pot has drainage holes at the bottom, and first add a layer of rock or gravel/coral.
- Fill most of the pot with ready-made compost soil. Mix peat moss and sand, a handful each, to provide a well-draining, slightly acidic planting medium. Citrus trees like a pH (degree of acidity) around 6 and 7.
- You can also buy ready-made composted soil at plant sales centers.
Step 2. Plant the seedling into a larger pot
Make a hole in the center of the new pot with a depth and width of about 5 cm each. Use your hands or a shovel to dig and remove the seedling from the original pot. Be careful not to damage the plant roots. Insert the tree into the hole you made in the new pot, then cover the roots with soil.
Water immediately to keep the soil moist
Step 3. Place the pot in a sun-exposed location
Move the plant to a location that gets lots of direct sunlight. The window area on the south or southeast side is a great location, but a solarium or greenhouse is even better.
In warm climates, in summer and spring, you can move the pot outside in any location protected from strong winds
Step 4. Water the plants abundantly
Citrus trees love regular watering. During the warm summer and spring months, water the plant abundantly once a week. Meanwhile, for areas with regular rainfall, simply water the plant as needed to ensure the soil remains moist.
During the winter months (or rainy season), allow some of the topsoil to dry before watering
Step 5. Fertilize the growing tree
Citrus trees are strong eaters and require a lot of nutrients. Fertilize the tree twice a year with a fertilizer with a balanced composition, such as 6-6-6 (that is, it contains 6% N, 6% P, 6% K, and the remaining 82% is filler). Fertilize the tree once in early spring and again in early fall. This fertilization is especially important during the first few years, before the tree bears fruit.
At plant sales centers you may find fertilizers specifically for citrus trees
Step 6. As it grows, move the orange tree to a larger pot or an outdoor location
When the orange tree is about a year old, transplant it into a 25 or 30 cm diameter pot. Next, move the plant to a larger pot every March. Alternatively, if you live in an area that is relatively warm year round (the tropics), you can move the tree to an outdoor location where there is plenty of sun.
- Citrus trees usually don't survive exposure to temperatures below -4˚C, so they can't be permanently moved outdoors in cooler areas.
- Fully grown citrus trees are large, so if you live in a cooler climate, if possible, keep the plant in a solarium or greenhouse.
