How to Plant Orange Trees in Pots?

Oranges are colorful, sour, sweet and delicious. They are common delicious fruits in autumn and winter. However, can you grow orange trees in pots? Here are the planting methods we carefully arranged for you. Let's have a look.

Orange Planting Environment

Generally use varieties with strong adaptability, long flowering and fruiting period and good ornamental. For example, kumquat, sugar orange, honey orange, four seasons orange, etc. Orange tree likes light and temperature. Place the orange plant pots in a place with sufficient light and good ventilation. The growth of orange plants will become weak without insufficient sunlight for a long time. This affects flower bud differentiation and fruit bearing.

As we all know, oranges are fruit trees in the south. They like warm and humid environment. The growth temperature is 12.5 ~ 37 ℃. The air humidity is relatively high. Potted orange trees are better in organic matter content of 2% ~ 3% and well drained soil. Sunshine can grow normally for an average of 4 to 6 hours a day.

Best Pots for Orange Trees

Using round orange pots to facilitate the root system to stretch evenly around. Your plastic pots should have good water seepage and air permeability. When using other materials, pave 5cm thick coarse sand at the bottom of the containers. Pad a layer of new tiles along the inner wall of the orange flower pot. This solve the disadvantage of poor air permeability.

The large plastic plant pots can meet the growth of fruit trees. Summer is hot and exposed to the sun, which can be slightly shaded. When viewing fruits in winter, place them indoors in the light. Replace the orange planters every two years, mostly in spring. When replacing the orange plant pots, retain some soil mass for root protection. Conduct root grooming, pruning and rejuvenation.

Best Soil for Orange Trees in Pots

Orange tree does not have strict requirements for soil. But orange tree in pot should reasonably allocate the soil. Potted orange trees like slightly acidic soil. The best soil for orange trees in pots is generally slightly acidic. The pH value is 4.5-7.5 and rich in humus sandy loam or sandy soil.

You can use 4 parts of matured pastoral soil, 2 parts of river sand, 1 part of plant ash, 2 parts of perlite and 1 part of organic fertilizer. Fully mixed and finely screened. After the pot soil is prepared, mix well and finely. Put it in a transparent plastic bag. Expose it to the sun for a week for sterilization, and turn it frequently.

How to Grow Orange Trees in Pots?

Select healthy seedlings without diseases and pests. First, place 1 ~ 2 thick broken slag, crushed stone or sand at the bottom of the orange tree pots. Before growing oranges in pots, apply rotten organic fertilizer in the pots. When repotting orange tree, the seedling roots does not contact the fertilizer. This avoids damaging the root of the seedling.

When planting orange tree, water the plant first. When starting the seedling, reserve a certain amount of root fixing soil and reduce the root system. But reserve a certain amount of lateral roots. Add a small amount of pot soil. Put the seedlings in the center of the orange flower pot to stretch the root system.

Then slowly add the soil. Constantly lift the roots, cover the soil to the root neck. Gently compact the soil with hands to make the soil closely connected with the roots. Then, the surface of the pot soil is flat and watered. 2-3 days after transplanting, the soil is slightly subsided and compacted. The support rod can prevent the wind blowing seedlings from hindering the growth of new roots.

How to Water Orange Trees in Pots?

If the surface soil in the orange plant pot turns white, it needs watering. Tap the side of the plastic plant pots with a clear sound. This indicates the soil is dry and needs watering. Watering should be thorough. It is appropriate to have water seeping from the drainage hole at the bottom of the large flower pot. If the soil is too wet, it is easy to cause rotten roots.

When to Water Orange Trees in Pots?

When watering potted orange trees, you need to choose the appropriate watering time. Generally, you can choose to water the plants in the period of vigorous plant growth. The plants can absorb enough water. In spring and autumn, provide water for the plant in the morning. In summer, provide water for the plant in the morning. In winter, water the plant in the afternoon.

How Often Water Orange Tree in Pots?

When watering potted orange trees, pay attention to the watering times. Generally, the plants have different needs for water in different seasons. So the watering times are also different. Generally, water orange plant in pot once a week in spring and autumn. Twice a day in summer and once a half month in winter.

The tree pots soil is slightly dry during the flowering period. If the young fruit soybeans are large, it can strengthen the fertilizer and water. Oranges like a humid environment. Spray water around the leaves and orange plant pots frequently during the peak growth season.

The pot soil is slightly dry during flowering. If the young fruit soybean grain is large, it can strengthen fertilizer and water. Water once a day in summer to keep the soil moist. Be careful not to accumulate water. You can often spray water around the leaves and orange tree pots. In spring and autumn, you only need to water once a day. In winter, water once every 3 ~ 4 days.

When watering potted orange trees, we also need to choose the appropriate watering method. Generally, watering methods according to the changes of pot soil. When the soil is dry, directly pour the water into the soil. When the soil is wet, spray the water on the plant to keep the environment moist.

Watering orange tree in planter also needs to choose water source. Generally, use tap water to irrigate plants. But the chlorine in tap water is unfavorable to the growth of plants. Therefore, when using tap water to irrigate small orange tree in pot, the water needs to be left standing for 1 days. If conditions permit, using mineral rich river water to irrigate orange tree in pot.

Best Fertilizers for Orange Trees in Pots

Apply urea as the base fertilizer before planting to promote the growth of oranges. The nutrient supply of potted oranges is very limited. Usually, you should apply thin fertilizer more. Apply rotten liquid fertilizer before germination. Then apply liquid fertilizer dominated by nitrogen fertilizer every 7 ~ 10 days. This promotes the growth of branches and leaves and spring shoots of oranges.

Every time after picking the heart, fertilize in time to promote the branches to mature early. The growth of dwarf orange tree most needs organic fertilizer. In addition to the fertile soil, during the growth period of oranges, sprinkle some cake fertilizer in the orange tree planters. Then some fertilizer seeps into the soil every time watering to enhance fertility.

Apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer to promote growth. During the growth period, pour the decomposed fertilizer and water every 7 ~ 10 days. When applying fertilizer outside the root during fruit setting, apply rotten organic fertilizer to increase the rate of fruit setting. Spray 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate plus 0.3% urea every 15 days for two times. This promote the expansion of young fruits and the growth of new shoots.

Applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once 25 days before fruit picking. This can increase the number of fruits and improve the quality. After harvest the fruit, apply the ternary compound fertilizer again. After autumn, reduce fertilization to avoid excessive nutrition of plants. This may resulting in fruit drop. Pay attention to fertilizing a small amount of fertilizer for many times. The organic fertilizer must be fully decomposed. The interval between the application of solid fertilizer is generally 1 month.

Don't apply fertilizer during fruit viewing in winter. Turn the soil every six months. Ensure the root system has sufficient oxygen respiration. Replace the pots soil every other year. Ensure the fertility of the pot soil is sufficient. The pot soil with low fertilizer content should be fertilized more. The pot soil with high fertilizer content should be fertilized less.

Pruning Orange Trees in Pots

Potted oranges have small orange planters, less soil and limited nutrients. If you want to concentrate nutrients on flowers and fruits, you must sparse flowers and reduce fruits, and do necessary pruning. Through pruning, adjust the rational distribution of nutrients in orange trees. The limited nutrients are concentrated to supply buds and leaves. This can form more fruiting branches, so as to achieve full branches of flowers and fruits.

When to prune orange trees? Prune the spring shoots once a year before germination. Timely pick the heart, control the height and promote the growth of lateral branches. Cut off some leafless branches, inner bore branches, dense weak branches, etc. Remove flowers and branches. There are also clusters of ethnic flowers.

Only a few well-developed strong flowers can bear fruit. Therefore, thinning flowers and deleting fruits is to achieve the purpose of protecting flowers and fruits. When the flowers are not in bloom, spare part of the flower buds first. After flower withering and fruit setting, spare some young fruits in improper positions. This reduce the consumption of nutrients and concentrate the limited nutrients on the retained flowers and fruits.

If the amount of flower buds is small, more flowers can be left. Artificial pollination should be carried out at the same time. In the young tree stage, the long branches can be moderately short cut. Then pruned with their favorite tree shape. If you want nice potted orange tree, you need to trimming orange trees from time to time. Properly trim the messy branches. Maintain the better shape of the orange tree and improve the beauty of the orange tree.

How to trim an orange tree? According to the different requirements of species and varieties, such as upright and drooping. You can shape imaginative tree shapes, such as natural round head shape, tower shape, single branch cliff shape, double branch antler shape, three branch cup shape, weeping willow shape, dragon curve shape, etc. Moreover, we pay more attention to the ornamental value of orange tree in pot. In about 2 years, change the orange plant pots and soil. Clean, trim and rejuvenate the root system.

Diseases and Pests

Common pests of potted oranges include red spider, scale insect and leaf miner. The most common diseases are Huanglong disease and anthrax. When these diseases occur, the diseased branches should be cut directly. Strengthen soil management and improve the resistance of orange trees.

In fact, care of orange trees in pots is not difficult at all. As long as we ensure sufficient light, don't lack water and sufficient nutrients, there is basically no problem.

Learn more in our Growing Plants in Pots guide.