How Many Years Does an Orange Tree Generally Take to Bear Fruit

The orange tree, also known as the tangerine tree, is an evergreen small shrub about 3 m tall. The twigs are rather slender and weak, hairless, and usually have thorns. It blooms in spring, and the fruit ripens from October—December. So how many years can an orange tree live? How many years of planting before it can bloom and bear fruit?

Generally, grafted seedlings begin to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting, and reach full fruit-bearing age after 5 years; the economic life of a long-lived tree is 40-50 years. The growth process of an orange tree goes through 6 stages: seedling stage, growth stage, flowering stage, fruit-drop stage, fruit-swelling stage, and ripening stage. However, in recent years, dwarfed close-planting cultivation techniques have been used in various places, which can bring fruiting earlier and advance entry into the full fruit-bearing stage, but their economic life is correspondingly shortened.

Orange Tree Cultivation Techniques

1. Orchard Planning

The soil is required to have a deep soil layer (60 cm) and be fertile; the soil pH is 5.5-7.0; the orchard terrain slope is less than 25 degrees. When planning the orchard site, there should be the necessary roads, drainage and irrigation, water storage, and ancillary building facilities. In specific planning, as far as possible, keep the plots concentrated and contiguous, and build the orchard in places with good transportation and water source conditions.

2. Time

Generally, planting is done in September-November after the autumn shoots have matured, or in February-March before the spring shoots sprout.

3. Density

Plant at a density of 3 m between plants × 4 m between rows, planting 55-60 trees per mu.

4. Planting Techniques

Digging planting holes in the soil: stretch a line to set the spacing, dig the planting holes, with each hole 80 cm deep and 80 cm wide, then press in green manure to a depth of 50 cm, backfill soil to a height of 40 cm, and plant; ridge planting in fields: open beds in 8 m strips with ditches (ditch width 60-80 cm, depth 40-60 cm), and build 2 ridges per bed (ridge width 1.5 m, ridge center spacing 4 m, ridge height 20-30 cm). When planting, moderately prune the seedling's root system and place it in the center of the planting hole, spread out the roots, hold it upright, and while filling with soil, gently lift the seedling upward and firm the soil, so that the roots are in close contact with the soil. Water thoroughly to settle the roots, make a 1 m tree basin around the sapling, and cover it with rice husks.