Flowering Orange Harvest: Tree Has Oranges And Flowers At Same Time
Anyone growing orange trees appreciates both the fragrant spring blossoms and the sweet, juicy fruit. You may not know what to do if you see oranges and flowers at the same time on the tree, however. Can you harvest from a flowering orange tree? Should you allow both waves of fruit crops to come to orange harvest? That depends on whether they are overlapping orange crops as opposed to off-bloom fruit.
Orange Fruit and Flowers
Deciduous fruit trees bear one crop a year. Take apple trees, for example. They produce white blossoms in spring that develop into tiny fruit. Over the season those apples grow and mature until at last autumn comes and they are ready for harvest. In autumn, the leaves fall, and the tree goes dormant until the following spring.
Orange trees also produce blossoms that grow into developing fruit. Orange trees are evergreen though, and some varieties in certain climates will produce fruit all year long. That means a tree may have oranges and blossoms at the same time. What’s a gardener to do?
Can You Harvest from a Flowering Orange Tree?
You are more likely to see both orange fruit and flowers on Valencia orange trees than on other varieties because of their long ripening season. Valencia oranges sometimes take 15 months to ripen, which means that they are quite likely to have two crops on the tree at the same time.
Navel oranges only take 10 to 12 months to mature, but the fruit can hang on the trees for weeks after ripening. So, it’s not unusual to see a navel orange tree flowering and setting fruit while the branches are hung with mature oranges. There is no reason to remove the maturing fruit in these cases. Harvest fruit as it ripens.
Flowering Orange Tree Harvest
In other cases, an orange tree blooms at its usual time in late winter, then grows a few more flowers during late spring, called “off-bloom fruit.” The oranges produced from this second wave may be of inferior quality.
Commercial growers strip off-bloom fruit from their trees in order to allow the orange tree to focus energy on the main crop. This also forces the tree back to its normal schedule of flowering and fruiting.
Gardening tips, videos, info and more delivered right to your inbox!
Sign up for the Gardening Know How newsletter today and receive a free download of our DIY eBook "Bring Your Garden Indoors: 13 DIY Projects For Fall And Winter".
If your orange blossoms appear to be a late wave of off-bloom fruit, it may be a good idea to remove them. Those late oranges could interfere with your tree’s regular bloom time and affect next winter’s crop.
Teo Spengler has been gardening for 30 years. She is a docent at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Her passion is trees, 250 of which she has planted on her land in France.
-
Climate Change And Pests: Do Warmer Winters Mean More Pests?
Warmer climates can result in an increase of some pests and decrease of others, which isn’t always a good thing. Here's how to protect your garden.
By Bonnie L. Grant
-
What Is A Water Wick? How To Use One To Keep Houseplants Hydrated While You’re Away
A water wick for plants will give you a worry-free break if you need to leave your plant babies for a while. It’s easy to set up and pretty much runs itself.
By Amy Grant
-
Plants For French Cuisine – Growing French Vegetables In Your Garden
A French potager is just a fancy way of saying kitchen garden. Try planting French herbs and vegetables, and in no time you'll be saying bon appétit as you serve your family.
By Bonnie L. Grant
-
Bergamot Orange Growing Tips – Caring For A Bergamot Orange
If you have ever enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey tea, you know the aroma and flavor of the bergamot orange fruit. Read on for more.
By Mary Ellen Ellis
-
Trovita Dwarf Orange – How To Grow Trovita Orange Trees
Trovita dwarf orange is an orange tree that can be grown across a wide range of conditions, including indoors. Read on for more.
By Tonya Barnett
-
Growing Navel Oranges – Learn About Navel Orange Care
Sweet, delicious, and easy to peel, navel orange is easy to spot because of the partially formed, belly-button-shaped orange that grows at the bottom end of the fruit.
By Mary H. Dyer
-
Can You Grow Store Bought Oranges - Planting Grocery Store Orange Seeds
Anyone looking for a cool indoor gardening project may want to try growing an orange tree from seeds. Click here to learn how.
By Teo Spengler
-
Small Orange Problem – What Causes Small Oranges
There are a variety of potential causes for small fruit on orange trees. Click here for an overview of causes of trees with small orange problems.
By Teo Spengler
-
Diseases In Orange Trees: How To Treat A Diseased Orange Tree
Growing oranges and other citrus can be a fun hobby for the home gardener, but it can also become derailed by disease. Know some of the main orange disease symptoms so you can catch and manage problems early and still get a great harvest of fruit. This article will help.
By Mary Ellen Ellis
-
Alternaria Blotch On Orange Trees: Signs Of Alternaria Rot In Oranges
If you have citrus trees in your home orchard, you should learn the basic facts about orange tree alternaria rot. Click the following article for information about alternaria rot in oranges, including tips on how to prevent alternaria blotch.
By Teo Spengler