Probably everyone dreamed at least once to grow something exotic at home. So what prevents us from doing the same with some of the fruits? After all, there are amateur growers who have an orange at home not only grows, but also bears fruit.
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Why grow?
At home, the orange plant performs several functions:
- decorates the interior
- improves the air in the house
- enables children (if any) to learn in practice how to care for citrus fruits
- you have the opportunity to taste a real orange, just taken from the branch
But, meanwhile, even experienced home plant lovers do not dare to start this plant because of the possible complexity and relative decorativeness. In addition, fruiting must be expected for several years.
young tree
Although one can argue about the beauty of an orange tree: its foliage is very bright, glossy, and with the help of shaping you can achieve a beautiful crown. So, even without fruits, it will look very dignified among flowering and decorative leafy house plants.
Start growing an orange not by buying a ready-made tree hung with beautiful fruits, but by planting an ordinary seed from an ordinary orange. With a lack of experience, you can not cope with the store "miracle".
Citrus trees that have arrived from abroad or grown in Russian greenhouses have been kept on stimulants for more than one year, grown at a constant temperature and humidity. Therefore, once in our apartments, such plants begin to rapidly fade away. Only experienced hands can save them.
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Oranges were brought to Russia from Holland in the 17th century.
It was from that time that he began to be grown at home. First - in the greenhouses of noble nobles, and then in houses, in large tubs. By the way, the word "greenhouse" comes from the French "orange", that is, an orange.
The old greenhouses of the 18th and 19th centuries have been preserved, in which not only oranges were grown, but also many other exotic plants. By the way, they achieved flowering and fruiting of citrus fruits. Now, on the basis of greenhouses, farms are being created that, as before, are engaged in the reproduction and grafting of oranges and other citrus fruits.
Many leading countries are now engaged in the cultivation of oranges: America, Brazil, the Mediterranean countries, Iran, Turkey, Egypt, India and traditionally, for the past 3-4 thousand years - China. The production of oranges does not fall, but vice versa. Only in the last 30-40 years their production has doubled.
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Description of the species
Orange is a very attractive plant. However, like everything that cannot grow in our latitudes. They began to describe it from the beginning of the 19th century.
Botanists who have encountered orange trees in the wild have been impressed for a long time. The orange tree is a long-liver. There are specimens that have lived up to 150 years.
Let's not forget that every year the trees bring a huge amount of tasty and healthy fruits. One orange in a fruitful year is capable of producing 30-40 thousand fruits. The amount depends on the age of the plant.
orange leaves
The height of the tree reaches 6 meters in height, at home 3 times less. The crown of an orange is very beautiful. The leaves are of the correct lanceolate shape, like all orange ones. They are glossy and dark green in color.
orange blossom
White flowers have a special beauty. They are white, rarely pink, extremely fragrant and arranged in clusters, sometimes singly. The flower consists of a perianth covering many stamens and five petals.
The fruits consist of several nests, each of which contains seeds. Orange, like tangerine, unlike some other citrus fruits, is easily divided into shares, each of which contains one or two seeds.
Orange peel has 2 layers:
- flavedo (yellow), outer
- albedo (white), internal
Inside the outer layer there are many glands in which the essential oil is located.
All citrus fruits have an albedo layer. But, for example, in a lemon it is dense, which does not allow peeling, while in an orange it is weak and loose. This makes it easy to separate the peel from the fruit.
The pulp of an orange differs, like that of all citrus fruits, in originality and complex structure. It consists of elongated sacs with juice. It can be observed that if you do not cut the fruit, but only open it, then the juice does not flow out.
This is because the juice sacs are not broken.
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orange pips
From the seed, you can try to plant not only an orange. But also lemon, persimmon or avocado. Only the fruits of these indoor plants will not wait. Sufficiently beautiful trees will please the eye, but only with foliage. Citrus fruits are a pleasant exception.
Why do you need a rootstock
An inquisitive newcomer who has never planted anything is faced with the question: if you plant an orange seed, what will grow? Moreover, the orange is the most common, from the nearest supermarket. The answer is yes. How to do this, we will describe below.
But we do not need an orange seedling, but a rootstock. What does it mean? Buying a ready-made shaped tree with orange fruits in a flower shop, we do not even suspect that it is grafted. In 99% of all cases, the scion and rootstock are different types of citrus.
citrus grafting
All citrus fruits are grafted, otherwise, grown from seeds, they will bear fruit late (if at all) and the fruits will not be as tasty. Quite often you can hear or read a story on specialized forums, fragments of which are similar.
It is about the fact that at work a huge lemon (orange, tangerine) grown from seeds is growing, which is already 15 years old (10, 20, 30). And no one has ever seen it bloom. Accordingly, this tree also never indulged in fruits.
If you want your efforts to be not in vain, immediately find a good rootstock for your future tree. They can be found in advertisements. But the search will be much more effective on specialized sites where people who are passionate about growing citrus share their experience and extra planting material.
What citrus fruits are best planted for rootstock
In order for citrus fruits to bear fruit, they must be grafted. For example, kumquat or calamondin are never planted with seeds as rootstocks. Firstly, they are too frail and grow for a long time.
Secondly, the root system of these seedlings is very weak. Callus and he and the other build up for a long time. In a word, they are not used in this capacity.
It is believed that the best rootstocks for an orange will be:
- lemon
- pomelo
- bigardia or sour orange
- grapefruit
The fact is that various factors are taken into account, such as growth rate and others. Lemons are the most commonly used, simply because they are more affordable. Than all other types of successful rootstocks.
One year old lemon seedlings
Two more factors that are taken into account when choosing a stock. He must have a powerful root system in order to fully feed himself and feed the scion. And more importantly: the callus should grow rapidly and the wounds heal within a short period of time.
Some people call the Novogruzinsky lemon as a successful rootstock for an orange. He, like bigardia, is ready for vaccination within a few months after planting. And not a year later, like a lemon.
His root is powerful, the callus builds up instantly. One of the best options for rootstock. There are many opinions regarding citrus grafting. Some people like grapefruit as a rootstock, because they have quite powerful shoots.
Someone categorically rejects them for use in vaccinations. The best way to find out who is right is to experiment with the vaccine yourself.
How to prepare a seedling for grafting
It used to be that the rootstock should be as thick as a pencil. Smaller barrel diameters are now allowed. Fans who have achieved virtuosity in matters of grafting graft citrus fruits with a thick stem into a match.
For a successful vaccination, one-year-old lemon seedlings or 4-5 month old sour oranges are taken. Some make an increased dose of nitrogen fertilizers so that the seedlings grow faster. This should not be done.
Since the excess dose of any element, including nitrogen, has the same negative effect as its deficiency.
Excess fertilizer is bad for potted plants
Among the disadvantages of this method, one can single out the increased susceptibility of the plant to fungal diseases. If the excess of nitrogen is large, then this will also affect the appearance of the plant: the color of the leaves and trunk will change, they curl and become stained.
The best way to grow a healthy plant is to use a complete fertilizer that contains the entire set of basic elements and trace elements. In order for the lemon to grow and develop better, you can occasionally spray it with Epin to use the internal reserves of the plant.
Watering should be moderate. The soil should be slightly damp. Too much water will cause the roots to rot. Outwardly, this will not manifest itself immediately, but there will be little sense from such a plant as from a stock. After all, the roots are the main organ for the nutrition of the plant.
Preparing everything for landing
Gardener's tool kit
Beginners can take lemon seeds. If you really want to grow an orange from a seed, then you can do it. An orange can also be grafted onto an orange rootstock. However, you will have to wait a little more than a lemon, about a year and a half.
In order to plant citrus seeds, we need:
Plastic cups
Soil tanks
Some specifically buy transparent cups so that you can observe the development of the root system.
Drainage
It is used to allow excess moisture to escape through the drainage hole. In the absence of drainage, excess moisture does not go outside, but accumulates in the lower layer of soil and can sour there.
Pebbles or small expanded clay are used as drainage
The latter is sold in flower shops in bags labeled "Drainage".
Priming
It is best to use the one where the name indicates: "For citrus". To improve germination, river sand can be added to the soil. It must first be calcined in the oven (20-30 minutes) or in the microwave (5 minutes).
Packed soil
If self-prepared land is used, then sand must be used. Your soil must also be calcined so that all spores of fungal infections die. It is not necessary to use highly nutritious soil for sowing.
Additionally: potassium permanganate, watering can, water for irrigation, signature marker, plastic bag, fluorescent lamp or phytolamp.
Seeds need to be soaked
In order for the seed to germinate faster, you can first soak it. The seeds of any plants are soaked in a small amount of water so that it barely covers the planting material. Otherwise, the seeds may "suffocate" and not sprout.
What is better to use for planting: pots or plastic cups? There is no unity in answering this question, each method has its pros and cons. But most still prefer to use glasses.
They are smaller and the earth in them does not have time to turn sour. As soon as the root system entangles the entire earthen ball, you can transplant the plant into a large container. And in a pot, the root will take a long time to master the entire volume, which will slow down the development of the ground part.
Planting seeds
In a large pot, you can plant 2 or 3 seeds at once
You can soak the seeds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes to disinfect the planting material.
The landing algorithm is as follows:
- Drainage holes are made in the cup with a hot metal object, usually a nail.
- Usually 2-3 holes are enough.
- We pour drainage at the bottom, approximately 1/5-1/6 of the height of the pot.
- Then we pour the soil.
- We leave it for a few hours so that it settles.
- Usually this procedure is done simultaneously with soaking the seeds.
- Just during this time, the earth will settle and it will be possible to start landing.
- In addition to soaking for several hours, you can leave the seeds in a damp cloth to germinate.
- The fabric should be washed every day in clean water and not allowed to dry out.
- After 2-3 days, the seeds (or seed) can be planted.
- Before planting, make a small indentation in the center of the pot or cup and pour some water over it.
- The soil should be only slightly moistened, but in no case should the so-called "bogging", when the earth turns into mud, be allowed.
- If the soil has settled heavily, then add fresh soil.
- Plant the seed at a depth of 2-3 centimeters.
- After planting, sprinkle loose earth on top and do not water again.
- Moisture should be enough.
- If the seed has a “beak”, that is, a small sprout, point it down when planting, this is a root, the cotyledon leaves will appear later.
- After planting, cover the cup with a plastic bag.
- There must be space between the soil surface and the bag.
- A so-called mini-greenhouse is formed.
- Humidity in it should be increased to accelerate seedlings.
- Shoots will appear in 2-3 weeks.
- How quickly this happens depends on many factors.
- First of all, it is pre-sowing treatment.
- If you pre-soaked and germinated your seed, then the seedlings can please you in a week.
- In the absence of time, they are planted with dry seeds.
- In the best case, the sprout will appear in a month.
- Until this time, you can keep the pot even in a dark place.
- The main thing is to check it regularly, at least three times a day.
- The bag must be removed at least once a day and aired for 15-20 minutes.
- You also need to monitor the soil and seedlings.
- As soon as a sprout appears, the bag must be removed, and the plant placed in the sun or under a lamp.
- You can wear a bag at night for a while, for example, a week.
When germinating, the soil should always be slightly moist. Check not the surface of the soil, but a little deeper. Stick your index finger on 2 phalanges. If dampness is felt, then everything is in order, you can wait with watering.
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Care of seedlings after germination
To make the orange feel “at home”, the same conditions are created for it as in the homeland. To summarize, the orange loves heat, high humidity and the sun. But everything needs a measure. For successful development, we create the following conditions for an orange or lemon seedling:
Temperature
The higher the better.In the first year of development, this rule works only for good. When the plant grows and blooms, it will be necessary to regulate the temperature in a different way. But this will only happen in a few years.
In winter, you need to reduce the temperature to 15 degrees
In this case, do not forget about the backlight, otherwise the plant will stretch. And the rest of the time - 20-25 C is the most comfortable temperature for an orange. At this time, especially when the temperature rises, you need to monitor the sun.
Lighting
Diffused light is best
Orange loves the sun, but in direct sunlight it can dry out. Especially in the first year, when a small amount of substrate in a glass dries out in half a day.
Watering
Young helper
Regular but no frills. For irrigation use only settled water or after the filter.
spraying
Several times a day, especially in the heat.
top dressing
Preferably with complex fertilizers, such as nitroammofoska, which contains three main elements: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Nitroammophoska can be applied throughout the development of the orange tree
As an additional recommendation, you can be advised to keep your seedlings away from drafts, otherwise they will die. To maintain high humidity, you can put cups with seedlings in pallets, where you can spread the wet moss.
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In order for an orange to bear fruit, it must be grafted. Let's see how to do it:
Need to cook: stock, orange stalk, pruner or blade, polyethylene or latex (in extreme cases, you can take electrical tape).
Action algorithm:
- Plant yourself using our tips, or buy a ready-made rootstock.
- Purchase from breeders or hobbyists a sprig of fruit-bearing orange tree for grafting.
- It must be bought on the day you plant the plant.
- Store before the procedure in a plastic bag wrapped in a damp cloth.
There are two ways to vaccinate: budding (or eye) and cuttings.
- For a successful event, you need to wait for the time of active sap flow, when the bark exfoliates well.
- We remove the leaves from the scion.
- After vaccination, we tie the place of vaccination, water it abundantly.
- After 5-10 days you need to check. If the eye does not turn black, then the kidney began to take root.
- The bandage can be removed after 3 weeks.
- When budding, we cut off the upper part of the stock only when the scion bud germinates and takes on an “adult” appearance.
- Budding
Vaccination schedule
Vaccination is not such a complicated manipulation as it might seem at first glance. In order for everything to go well, you need to act confidently.
You can “stuff” your hand on young twigs of any tree or shrub. You need to take those that are similar in diameter to the citrus fruits we are interested in.
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The plant is grafted, including so that it bears fruit sooner. Compare: without vaccination, at best, the fruits will appear in 8-10 years. And with the inoculation of this event, it will not be long to wait, in 3-4 years the first fragrant orange flowers will appear.
Fruit ripening in an ordinary city apartment
Sometimes the grafted plant blooms in the first year, but most often this happens later. Orange flowers are self-pollinating, so there is no need to additionally pollinate them. If at the time of flowering the temperature in the room is above 28 C, then urgently take measures to reduce it, otherwise the pollen becomes sterile and the fruits do not set.
The fruits ripen in about 8-10 months. If the plant is small, then some of the flowers can be removed. When ripe, place props so that the orange does not fall under the weight of the fruit.
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Oranges are good not only on the table, they are widely used in the food industry.
The main directions of their application:
The main orange product is, of course, juice. It is canned and sold to us already in beautiful jars and boxes. The main problem: to distinguish a fake from a really natural juice.
Fresh orange juice
In 2000, over 2 million tons of orange juice were produced in the world. Most orange juice was produced in America and Brazil. Delicious orange syrup is produced for the food industry.
It is sold in retail stores. It is also bought in bulk by the food industry. Especially those that produce confectionery, sweets, semi-finished products (pancakes with syrup), ice cream.
Antioxidant-rich essential oil is cold-pressed from the peel
There are two types - sweet and bitter orange oil. More than others, oil made in Spain and Guinea is valued.
It has a strong characteristic aroma of fresh orange, which makes it popular in aromatherapy. Combines well with other essential oils, especially pine and lavender oil. Since ancient times, it has been used in cosmetology as part of creams.
It has an anti-inflammatory, toning and regenerating effect for all skin types. Orange peel is widely used. It is rich in flavonoids, pectin, vitamins, phytoncides.
Jam from zest
It is used in the preparation of jam, as well as in the production of liqueurs. The remains of peel processing also do not disappear and go to feed livestock.
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Orange is a pantry of vitamins and other useful substances. It has a tonic effect, it is not for nothing that Americans drink freshly squeezed orange juice in the morning. At a time when citrus fruits were brought to Europe by ship, the fruit was used as an antiscorbutic.
In addition, the fruits are useful:
- prevention of hypovitaminosis
- treatment of vitamin C deficiency (160 grams contains the daily requirement of this vitamin)
- prescribed for liver diseases
- promotes better absorption of iron
- contribute to the improvement of the digestive tract
- has a beneficial effect on blood vessels, thinning the blood
Due to the presence of a large amount of fiber, putrefactive processes in the large intestine are reduced. Dietary fiber enhances the digestion process.
One large fruit contains a daily portion of vitamin C
Plus to everything: for all their benefits, they are very tasty!
Which is better to use: juice or fruits
Orange juice is the leader in popularity in all countries, but, like any juice, it contains much less fiber compared to fruits. Its glycemic index due to the lack of fiber increases slightly. Glucose in one glass of orange juice is enough for two whole oranges.
Remember this, it is especially useful for those who go on a diet. Excessive juice consumption can lead to weight gain. Good quality orange juice will only be beneficial if consumed in moderation. But, if you want to lose weight, it is better to eat whole fruits.
Juice or fruits?
As such, unwanted effects from eating oranges are rare. “Torture” with oranges is unlikely to harm a healthy body. Only a small number of people are allergic to citrus fruits.Pregnant women are advised to use caution both drinking juices and eating the fruits themselves.
Otherwise, this fruit, beloved all over the world, is the standard for combining business with pleasure - tasty, nutritious, just a storehouse of antioxidants, flavonoids, vitamins, minerals, and so on. All this helps to really prevent cardiovascular and renal diseases. All in all, a delicious and healthy meal!
9 LITERS OF JUICE FROM 4 (pcs.) ORANGE
Orange: description, planting, growing at home, reproduction and care (Photo & Video) + Reviews
Very clearly explained
Everything was explained very well. Thanks to your article, 3 pots have sprouted for me! A real little miracle on the windowsill! Thank you very much for these tips! Very accurate and understandable even to inexperienced and just beginning amateur gardeners!