GardenPerennial Fruit Tree · zones 9–11 · 23 varieties
Orange
Citrus × sinensis
Rutaceae — the same plant family as mandarin, grapefruit, lemon and lime. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.
Orange (Citrus × sinensis) is a perennial fruit tree for USDA zones 9–11. It wants full sun and pH 5.5–6.5 soil, with about 1 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 2–4 yr on a grafted nursery tree, or 7–10 yr from a seed. Watch for aphids and citrus greening. Below: its full sourced profile from 13 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.
Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.
What we will not put a number on
We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.
Site & soil
- Hardiness zones
- 9–11
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 5.5–6.5
- Soil texture
- Loam, Sandy, Well drained
- Frost tolerance
- Tender
- Suffers in days above
- 90 °F
No published figure for a warm-night limit. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.
The plant
- Mature height
- 8–30 ft
- Mature spread
- 8–15 ft
- Growth rate
- Moderateest
- Spacing in row
- 180 in
- Between rows
- 180–240 inest
- Planting depth
- At soil level
- Container size
- 15–25 gal — start at the low end, pot up as it growsest
- Support
- Self-supportingest
- Grown from
- Grafting, Budding, Transplant
Water & feeding
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Water per week
- 1 in/wkest
- Critical water
- Establishment, Fruit setest
- Feeding
- Moderate
Timing & fruiting
- Years to first harvest
- 2–4 yrest
- That is the grafted nursery tree, which is what a nursery sells. Grown from a seed on its own roots it is 7–10 yr — a different tree, and a different wait.
- Chill hours
- 0–100 hrs
- Pollination
- Self fertile
- Harvest cues
- Fruit coloring
- Winter damage below
- 26–28 °F
- Survives winter down to
- 20 °F
Edible parts per source: fruit.
Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.
Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.
PeopleLow severity, Contact dermatitis
Petsdogs, cats, horses
Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).
| Variety | Type | Days | Color | Size | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akcay Sekeri Heirloom | Common Sweet | — | Small | UC Riverside records this asno seeds | |
| Ambersweet | Common Sweet | — | Medium | UF/IFAS Extension records this astakes the cold | |
| Bergamot Heirloom | Sour | — | Medium | Four Winds Growers describes this asstrongly scented | |
| Bouquet de Fleurs Sour Heirloom | Sour | — | Four Winds Growers describes this asgrown to look at | ||
| Cara Cara Navel | Navel | — | Four Winds Growers describes this asan unusual color | ||
| Chinotto Sour Heirloom | Sour | — | Small | Four Winds Growers describes this asgrown to look at | |
| Hamlin Heirloom | Common Sweet | — | |||
| Lane Late Navel | Navel | — | Four Winds Growers describes this asno seeds · keeps a long time after picking | ||
| Midknight Valencia Heirloom | Valencia | — | Four Winds Growers describes this asno seeds | ||
| Moro Blood Heirloom | Blood | — | Red | ||
| Newhall Navel | Navel | — | Four Winds Growers describes this asno seeds | ||
| Parson Brown Heirloom | Common Sweet | — | |||
| Pineapple Heirloom | Common Sweet | — | |||
| Robertson Navel | Navel | — | |||
| Sanguinelli Blood Heirloom | Blood | — | Red | ||
| Seville Sour Heirloom | Sour | — | Medium | ||
| Shamouti Heirloom | Common Sweet | — | Large | UC Riverside records this asno seeds · keeps a long time after picking | |
| Smith Red Blood | Blood | — | Red | ||
| Tarocco Blood Heirloom | Blood | — | Red | ||
| Trovita Heirloom | Common Sweet | — | Medium | Four Winds Growers describes this astakes the heat | |
| Valencia Heirloom | Valencia | — | Large | Four Winds Growers describes this askeeps a long time after picking | |
| Vaniglia Sanguigno Blood Heirloom | Blood | — | Red | Medium | |
| Washington Navel Heirloom | Navel | — | Large | Four Winds Growers describes this asno seeds |
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
- Mississippi State University Extension
- NC State Extension
- UC Statewide IPM Program
- UF/IFAS Extension
- UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
- University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 18 of the 25 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.
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