Sweet, delicious, and easy to peel, navel orange is a popular fruit found in most supermarkets. The unusual-looking seedless fruit is easy to spot because of the partially formed, belly-button-shaped orange that grows at the bottom end of the fruit.
Navel orange trees are relatively easy to grow in the warm climates of USDA plant hardiness zones 9 through 11, (zone 8 is possible with extra protection). In the United States, commercial navel orange trees are grown primarily in California, Arizona, and Florida.
Read on and learn about growing navel oranges.
How To Grow Navel Oranges: Tips On Navel Orange Care
Plant navel orange trees in early to mid-spring so the roots have time to establish before temperatures drop in fall. If you live in a very hot climate, plant in fall when temperatures are cooler.
Site navel orange trees in full sunlight. If possible, locate the tree on the south or southeast side of your house to provide extra protection from wind and cold. Be sure to allow at least 12 to 15 feet (2.5 to 4.5 m.) of space from structures, walkways, and sidewalks.
Navel orange trees require well-drained or sandy soil that allows the roots to dry between waterings. Dig in a generous amount of well-rotted manure, compost, or other organic matter to improve soil quality, but don’t add mulch or peat moss, which holds moisture.
Don’t fertilize the tree at planting time. Instead, wait until new growth appears in a few weeks. Thereafter, provide growing navel oranges a healthy handful of balanced fertilizer or citrus fertilizer every six weeks from February to September.
Pick developing fruit the first couple of years. Removing fruit when the tree is young ensures energy is devoted to growing a healthy navel orange tree.
Growing navel orange trees doesn't require much pruning, other than removal of dead, damaged, or crossing branches. This should be done annually before new growth appears in spring.
-
6 Flower Seeds I’m Gifting Everyone I Know This Christmas – To Inspire Their Garden In 2025Give the most meaningful gift of growing this holiday season. Senior Editor Melanie shares her flower seed picks to delight both new and experienced gardeners.
-
Bold & Beautiful Festive Bloomers: 6 Christmas Flowering Plants For A Big Holiday Buzz‘Tis the season for celebration and easy living, so make sure your plants are up to it. These dynamic Christmas flowering plants will help you see out the season in style
-
Plants For French Cuisine – Growing French Vegetables In Your GardenA 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.
-
Bergamot Orange Growing Tips – Caring For A Bergamot OrangeIf 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.
-
Trovita Dwarf Orange – How To Grow Trovita Orange TreesTrovita dwarf orange is an orange tree that can be grown across a wide range of conditions, including indoors. Read on for more.
-
Can You Grow Store Bought Oranges - Planting Grocery Store Orange SeedsAnyone looking for a cool indoor gardening project may want to try growing an orange tree from seeds. Click here to learn how.
-
Flowering Orange Harvest: Tree Has Oranges And Flowers At Same TimeCan you harvest from a flowering orange tree? Should you allow both waves of fruit crops to come to orange harvest? Find out in this article.
-
Small Orange Problem – What Causes Small OrangesThere 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.
-
Diseases In Orange Trees: How To Treat A Diseased Orange TreeGrowing 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.
-
Alternaria Blotch On Orange Trees: Signs Of Alternaria Rot In OrangesIf 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.
