The orange tree is an evergreen citrus plant with a life cycle of 50 to 60 years. Some trees can live for 100 years or more with proper care.
The best time of year to plant an orange tree is in the spring, when the soil has warmed up to medium temperatures (above 60°F or 15°C).
You need to plant a lot of seeds obtained from different oranges. The fact is that only a small part of the seeds you find can turn into young seedlings.
For the proper development of the tree itself and its fruits, the orange tree needs a lot of sunlight. It does not tolerate frost and wind. The orange tree can be used as a bonsai. You need to water the tree with settled tap water, in the summer - in the morning and in the evening, in the winter - once every two days.
A tropical plant loves moisture. The soil under the orange should always remain loose and moist. In summer, citrus is watered daily, in winter no more than once every 5 to 10 days.
Moisten the soil with settled water.
You can use any general purpose citrus fertilizer. You can buy a ready-made composition or mix potassium salt, phosphorus and nitrogen in a bucket of water. Copper sulfate or potassium permanganate can be added to the mixture twice a season.
To make the crown symmetrical and neat, citrus pruning is done in the spring, during the period when growth begins, or during the dormant period (usually the winter season). From one skeletal branch, 2-3 lateral shoots should depart, each of which will give rise to another 2-3 branches of a lower order.