How to Grow a Potted Orange Tree? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Care Methods
The orange tree is an evergreen small shrub of the genus Citrus in the family Rutaceae, native to China, evergreen all year round, with dense branches and leaves and a neat tree form, covered with fragrant flowers in spring and laden with yellow fruit in autumn and winter, the intermingling of yellow and green is extremely beautiful, and besides being grown as a fruit crop, its potted ornamental cultivation is also very popular, so let us take a look together at how to grow a potted orange tree!
Container Selection
The container for a potted orange tree should mainly be round, to help the root system spread evenly in all directions; at the same time the container needs good water permeability and air permeability to ensure the oxygen demand of root growth and to prevent water accumulation in the container from causing root rot. Among containers of various materials, unglazed clay pots are most suitable for planting orange trees. When using containers of other materials, to overcome the shortcoming of poor air permeability, spread a 5 cm thick layer of coarse sand at the bottom of the pot, line the inner wall with a layer of new tiles, and then fill with soil and plant the tree.
Preparing the Potting Soil
The potting soil suitable for growing orange trees is generally neutral (pH value 4.5 to 7.5), humus-rich sandy loam or sandy soil. When mixing, use 4 parts of matured garden soil, 2 parts of river sand, and 1 part of plant ash, mix them thoroughly and evenly, crush finely and sift. The growing soil should be disinfected before use, such as by steaming, baking, or chemical disinfection (sprinkling in 1.5% formalin).
Fertilizer and Water Management
1. Watering: the pH value of the water should generally be 6.5 to 7, and ferrous sulfate can be used to correct it. The temperature difference between the water and the soil should not exceed 5°C. During the growing season, water before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. In summer on sunny days, water once a day; if the soil is on the dry side, water once more that same day; in spring and autumn, water once a day; in early spring and late autumn, water once every 2 to 5 days depending on the moisture condition of the potting soil; in winter, control watering.
2. Fertilizing: potted orange trees should be fertilized with light doses and frequent applications according to the tree, the weather, and the soil. Potted plants with strong fertilizer tolerance, large growth volume, and many fruits should be fertilized more; otherwise fertilize less; do not fertilize during the dormant period; if the potting soil has a low fertilizer content or the pot has not been changed for a long time, fertilize more; if the potting soil has a high fertilizer content, fertilize less.
Crown Control and Shaping
1. Tree form selection: the tree form of a potted orange tree can, according to the different requirements of the fruit tree type and variety for uprightness and drooping habit, be shaped into imaginative tree forms, such as the natural round-headed form, pagoda form, single-branch cliff form, double-branch antler form, three-branch cup form, weeping willow form, dragon-curved form, and so on. These should not only favor fruiting but also have an aesthetic effect and enhance its ornamental value.
2. Spraying and shaping: in summer, during the vigorous growth period of the potted orange tree, spray the leaves with plant growth retardants (such as chlormequat, paclobutrazol, etc.) 2 to 3 times, which can make the branches thick and strong, shorten the internodes, and dwarf the plant. In addition, the measures for promoting flowers and dwarfing, and for shaping by pruning, mainly include bud removal, pinching, branch bending, branch curving, ring girdling, retrenchment, renewal, and branch pulling, and by opening the branch angles and thinning out vigorous shoots, densely growing shoots, and ineffective shoots to enhance light exposure and shape the ideal tree form.