How to Grow Orange Blossoms? Master These Cultivation Methods
When growing orange blossoms, you must do a good job with watering and fertilizing, pruning, and controlling temperature and light. As a southern fruit tree, the orange needs to grow in a warm and humid environment, and should receive 4-6 hours of light every day. When watering, water thoroughly, but there should not be waterlogging. Fertilizing is mainly with nitrogen fertilizer, applied once every 7-10 days. Pruning of orange blossoms can be done together with repotting. But if you want the orange blossoms to bloom more abundantly, you also need to pay attention to the following points:
Notes on Growing Orange Blossoms
1. Water according to the situation
In dry and hot seasons, it is best to water once in the morning and once in the evening, and the leaves should also be sprayed frequently. During flower bud formation and the fruit-setting period after flowering, the potting soil can be appropriately dry, and watering should be reduced to avoid excessive vegetative growth and prevent flower and fruit drop. In addition, before overwintering, water thoroughly first, wrap the area around the pot with plastic film or straw, or bury the pot in the soil. Before overwintering, it is best to move it indoors or into a cellar, and a windbreak warm shed can also be built for protection.
2. Fertilize according to season and stage
(1) Spring: Spring is the peak growing season for orange blossoms. At this time, fertilizer should be applied generously, mainly decomposed cake fertilizer, which should be diluted when applied, once every half month.
(2) Summer: In early summer, apply thin organic fertilizer and appropriately apply phosphorus fertilizer. After fertilizing, water with an appropriate amount of water and loosen the soil.
(3) Flowering-stage fertilizer: During the flowering period, apply organic fertilizer once every 10-15 days, and appropriately apply 1-3 additional applications of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer.
(4) Post-flowering fertilizer: After flowering, apply thin compound fertilizer, preferably combined with pruning. During the budding period, apply 1-2 applications of urea solution to promote a second flowering.
3. Pruning
During the seedling stage of the orange tree, the main focus is shaping and cultivating the crown; during the growing period, the main focus is removing buds and controlling shoots; during the full flowering and full fruiting period, appropriately prune overly dense and excessively vigorous branches to enhance light penetration and ventilation inside the plant. Finally, pruning during the aging period should be done well, cutting off diseased and dead branches to enhance sprouting ability.
Orange blossoms generally open in April-May, with white or pale yellow flowers and a delicate fragrance. Growing them as a potted plant to decorate the interior is a good choice.