How to Sow Orange Seeds

Orange trees grown indoors or in the yard are beautiful. Not only have leaves with a pleasant aroma, mature orange trees also bear fruit. Planting orange seeds is fairly easy, but orange trees grown from seed can take 7 to 15 years to bear fruit. If you want to have an orange tree that bears fruit quickly, it is best to buy a grafted orange tree from a nursery. But if you want to have a fun experience and grow orange trees as an ornamental in your home or yard, sowing orange seeds is an easy and fun job.

Table of Contents

Collect and wash orange seeds

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Remove the orange seeds from the fruit. Cut the orange in half to get the seeds inside. Use a spoon or knife to scoop out the seeds. The growing orange tree usually produces fruit similar to the parent tree. So you need to make sure to choose the seeds of the orange variety you like.

Some orange varieties like navel (yellow orange) and clementine do not have seeds, and you cannot propagate oranges this way. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Select and wash the orange seeds. Select seeds that are orange, whole and healthy, with no spots, dents or cracks, discolouration or other defects. Pour the seeds into a bowl and pour in clean water. Use a clean cloth to wipe the orange seeds and remove all the orange cloves and orange juice that is still on the seeds.

The seed washing step is also important for removing mold spores and preventing fruit flies. ^{[2] X Research Source}
You can wash and sow all the seeds of an orange, then choose the biggest and healthiest sprouts to plant.

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Soak seeds. Pour cold water into a small bowl. Pour orange seeds into water and soak for about 24 hours. Many seeds are more likely to germinate if soaked first, as soaking softens the seed coat and stimulates germination. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

After soaking for 24 hours, strain the seeds out of the water and place them on a clean towel.
Do not soak the seeds for longer than this time to avoid water infiltrating the seeds and preventing the plants from germinating.

Drills

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Sow the seeds in a prepared pot or in the ground. Choose a seeding pot about 10cm wide with drainage holes in the bottom or find a good spot in your yard to plant the seeds. If you want to plant the seeds directly in the ground, dig a small hole and place the seeds in it. If sowing seeds in pots, you should spread a thin layer of gravel on the bottom of the pot to increase drainage and pour in potting soil. Use your finger to poke a hole about 1.3 cm deep in the center of the pot. Place the orange seeds in the hole and cover with soil.

After sowing the seeds in the pot, you need to place the pot in direct sunlight every day.

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Fertilize and water as the plants germinate. A mild fertilizer such as tea manure will benefit the newly sprouted seedlings. Add a moderate amount of tea manure to moisten the soil. Do it every two weeks. Water it thoroughly once a week; Otherwise, the soil will dry out.

If the soil is constantly drying out, the orange tree will not be able to survive. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
As the seedlings grow, they will begin to grow taller and produce leaves.

Repot the seedlings

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Prepare a larger pot when the orange leaves begin to sprout. After a few weeks, when the seedlings have a few pairs of leaves and are large enough, you need to transfer the plant to another larger pot. You can use a pot with a diameter of 20-25 cm, make sure there is a drainage hole in the bottom and spread a layer of gravel on the bottom of the pot before pouring the soil in.

Fill the pot with potting soil nearly full. Mix a handful of peat moss and a handful of sand to increase drainage and mild acidity in the soil. ^{[5] X Research Source} Orange trees love soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0.
You can also find citrus-specific soil at the gardening center.

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Plant the seedlings in a larger pot. Dig a hole in the center of the pot about 5 cm deep and 5 cm wide. First, pour a new layer of soil on the bottom of the pot. Then twist or tap the pot where the seedlings are growing to loosen the soil. Just pat and pour the soil and roots out and plant in a new pot. Fill in new soil around the root ball after placing the seedling in the pot.

Water immediately to moisten the soil.

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Place the pot in a sunny spot. Move the plant to a place with lots of direct sunlight. A position near a south- or south-east window is great, but in a conservatory or solarium is even better.

In warm climates, you can take the potted plant outdoors in the spring and summer, but be sure to avoid strong winds. ^{[6] X Research Source}

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Provide plenty of water for the plant. Orange trees like to be watered regularly. During the warm spring and summer months, watering is recommended once a week. In areas with a lot of rain, you only need to water as needed to ensure that moisture is maintained in the soil.

During the winter months, you should allow the surface of the soil to partially dry out before watering. ^{[7] X Trusted Source Royal Horticultural Society Go to Source}

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Fertilize growing plants. Orange trees need many nutrients. Supplement your plants with a balanced fertilizer like 6-6-6 twice a year. Fertilize once in early spring and once in early fall. This is especially important in the early years, before the tree begins to bear fruit. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

There are special citrus fertilizers that you can find at the gardening center.

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Repot it to a larger pot or plant it outdoors when it is large. When your orange tree is about a year old, move it to a 20-30cm pot, then repot it in a larger pot every year in March. Or if you live in a relatively warm climate year-round, you can plant the plant in a sunny location outdoors. ^{[9] X Trusted Source Royal Horticultural Society Go to Source}

Normally orange trees cannot survive temperatures lower than -4 degrees Celsius, so you cannot grow oranges year-round outdoors in cold regions.
A full-grown orange tree will be quite large, so if you live in a cold climate, it’s a good idea to grow it in a greenhouse or sunbathing house if possible.

Steps

Collect and wash orange seeds

Drills

Repot the seedlings

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