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Growing Blood Orange in Australia
Growing blood orange is easy in the tropics. A ‘blood orange’ is a variety of orange with crimson, near blood-coloured flesh. The white blossoms have a delicious scent and the fruit is awesome. This tree loves warm climates.
Growing Blood Orange Tree
Location and Soil
Blood orange trees will grow in most soil types, regardless of the ph. However, they should be planted in a well draining location. While they thrive in the tropics they can also grow in other areas.
This tree thrives in full sunlight and enjoys high humidity. Hence, it is a fine candidate for tropical gardening.
Growing Blood Orange From Seed
You can grow a blood orange tree from seed. However, it will be slow to get going and take longer to fruit than a grafted tree.
Consequently, these trees are overwhelmingly grown by grafting. This is done by using rootstock of another citrus fruit.
Time needed: 4 minutes.
How to grow a blood orange tree from cuttings.
- Select cutting: Make sure the cutting is at least 20cm (8in) long and has 4 nodes (nodes are the knobby areas on the stem from where the leaves grow).
- Prepare cutting: Remove leaves from the bottom half of the cutting.
- Apply hormone: Put the end of the cutting into the rooting hormone mixed with water.
- Potting: Push a small hole in your potting mix. Then put the cutting in the hole and firm up the soil so it can stand on its own. Make sure the soil is damp to the touch, but not water-logged.
- Transplant: When your seedling fills the pot, transplant it into your growing spot in your tropical garden.
Growing blood orange in pots
It is easy to grow citrus in a pot. Firstly, you should purchase a dwarf variety of the citrus you want to grow. These are readily available at most nurseries.
Second, you need and the correct size pot. A large 76 litre (20 gallon) pot is ideal. Make sure it has drainage holes. The addition of some heavy-duty coaster or wheels is a good idea (especially if you ever need to move it).
Finally, select a well-draining, commercial potting mix that will drain well. Avoid buying any potting soil with chemical wetting agents which will make the soil too wet and potentially rot the roots.
Blood Orange Tree Care
Best Fertilisers for Growing Blood Orange
We use organic fertilisers, as they are safe and natural. The organic fertilisers that we use are compost, manure and bone meal.
Pests and Disease
Root rot can be a problem with these trees. So while mulching is recommended, you should pull back the mulch a few centimetres from the base of the tree.
The pests of these trees include mealybug, aphids and fruit fly. However, regular application of ‘white oil’ can help address some of these pests. Indeed, white oil is an effective organic pesticide that you can make at home.
Neem oil is also an organic solution to pests which is effective against certain insect and fungal disease.
Health Benefits of Growing Blood Orange
Blood oranges are high in vitamin C. In addition, they have five other vitamins and minerals essential to your health. These are potassium, folate, copper, magnesium and B vitamins.
Thank you for reading and all the best with growing your blood orange tree.
Tropical Citrus Fruits
- Australian Fingerlime
- Kumquat Tree
- Lemonade Tree
- Meyer Lemon