Orange: Tree, Description, Morphology, Growth, Pest and, much more

 Orange tree

Orange trees are evergreen trees with a useful age of 50-60 years. Some orange trees that are well cared for can live up to 100 years or more.

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The tree is a flowering tree and its height at maturity can range between 16 and 50 feet (between 5m and 15m). Orange trees are grown mostly for their fruit, but also for flowers and as ornamentals. Brazil is a world leader in orange production, as, for every 4 oranges produced worldwide, more than 1 orange is produced in Brazil. However, the United States, Mexico, India, and China are also great orange producers.

Orange trees, like all oranges, are trees with one main trunk. Their main arms usually grow from the stem at a height of 23-46 inches (60 to 120cm) from the ground. The trunk is cylindrical and the crown of most cultivars is usually round, although the shape can vary depending on how the tree is pruned.

 Orange trees -although evergreen leaves- are characterized by a tendency to continually renew their foliage. During the first few years until the completion of tree formation, the annual number of newly formed leaves is higher than that of older leaves which tend to fall. Young leaves are light green in color and acquire a darker green color gradually. 

The berries are orange in color and the flesh is orange to red, depending on the type. Both the fruit and leaf surfaces are full of oleaginous glands, which give it a distinctive orange aroma. Orange trees usually bloom in spring. Although they produce a large number of flowers, only a small percentage of these eventually develop into ripe fruit. Orange tree flowers are usually white, with a very pleasant smell.

Morphology

Oranges are one of the fruit commodities that are highly favored by the public, both in the form of fresh and processed products.

Fruit that has a sweet, sour taste and a lot of water content is rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, calories, and fiber that are good for the body.

In addition, orange fruits also contain beta carotene and thiamin. Plants that have a variety of species belong to the class of seed plants and are widely grown in the tropics.

Root

Orange roots consist of taproots, fibrous roots, and hair roots. The taproot of orange plants can reach approximately 4 meters if the roots get fertile soil and do not meet hard soil or watery soil. This is because orange plants have a taproot with the root tip consisting of young cells that are constantly dividing and are the growing point of orange roots. These root cells are very soft, so they break easily if they penetrate hard and dense soil.

Stem

The stem of the orange plant is round and covered with buds. Some of the stems of orange plants look rough and prickly, but some have a smooth surface, some oranges can reach a height of 15m and some only reach 5m and have a variety of colors, it all depends on the type of orange plant itself.

Leaf

The leaves of orange plants are oval in shape resembling eggs, dark green, and look thick. There are no hairs on both sides of the leaf, and the leaf bones are pinnately shaped, although some are alternate.

Flower

Oranges are compound flowering plants, pale white in color, and are included in perfect flowers (in 1 flower there are 2 sexes or hermaphrodites). Usually, orange flowers appear in the axils of leaves or twigs that are still young and smell good because they contain large amounts of nectar/honey.

Fruit

There are orange fruits that are round, oval and some are oval with slightly elongated. Some of the fruit skins are thick and tough, some are thin and easy to peel, have yellow, orange, and green colors depending on the type.

Seed

In orange plants, seeds are found in the grain of the fruit, the availability of seeds in orange plants depends on the variety, there are many seeds to those without seeds. Orange seeds are usually white or grayish-white, oval in shape and pointed at one end, polyembryonic with white embryos.

How to grow orange trees

1. The best growing soil: Orange trees are sunny, suitable for fertile, loose, slightly acidic, well-drained sandy soil.

2. Growing humidity requirements: like a warm environment with certain humidity, the potting soil should be kept moist, but no water should accumulate in the pot. In summer to early autumn, when the weather is hot, in addition to watering the basin, you should also spray water on the ground around the basin to keep it moist.

3. Optimal growth temperature: Orange trees like warmth, are more shade-tolerant, and are more sensitive to temperature than light. The optimal growth temperature is centered at 26 degrees Celsius, and 23-34 degrees Celsius is the most appropriate.

4. Optimal growth light: Orange is a fruit with strong negative tolerance, but good sunshine is still needed for high-quality and high-yield. Generally, areas with 1200-2200 hours of sunshine per year can grow normally

Orange planting methods and precautions

1. Seedling planting: When orange seedlings are planted, the roots of the seedlings are moderately pruned and placed in the center of the planting hole. Pour enough root water to make a 1-meter tree disc around the saplings and cover them with chaff. After orange seedlings are planted, they should do a good job of deepening and expanding the hole and maturing the soil. It is forbidden to plant high-stalk plants such as corn and wheat in the garden.

2. Fertilizer and water management: Orange trees should fully meet the needs of blood oranges for various nutrients, and encourage the application of more organic fertilizers, rational application of inorganic fertilizers and formula fertilizers, and based on the results of leaf analysis, orchard soil analysis results, blood orange phenology, etc. Guide fertilization. Mainly fertilize the soil with foliar fertilization. Adopt ring furrow application, strip furrow application, hole application, and soil surface fertilizer application methods. Irrigate the soil when it is dry and drain when the water accumulates.

3. Reasonable fertilization: orange trees should be applied regularly and thinly, with nitrogen fertilizer as the mainstay, combined with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, and fertilization during spring, summer, and autumn shoot 5-6 times. Adult trees are given four times of fertilizer, namely, germination fertilizer, fruit-preserving fertilizer, strong-fruit fertilizer, and fruit-picking fertilizer, germination fertilizer 2-3 catties of chemical fertilizer, one load of manure water, fruit-preserving fertilizer 1-2 catties of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, and 1 catty of chemical fertilizer. Strong fruit fertilizer 1~2 catties of chemical fertilizer, 2 catties of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, 50~100 catties of organic fertilizer, and 2 catties of chemical fertilizer for fruit-picking fertilizer plants.

4. Pruning technique: After the extension branches of the selected category in the sapling stage and the extension branches of the main and auxiliary main branches, they are moderately or severely shortened, and each main branch is adjusted according to the degree of shortness and the direction of the cutting bud. The balance of growth between branches. In the fruiting period, continue to choose shortcuts to treat the backbone extension branches at all levels, erase the summer shoots, and promote robust autumn shoots. In autumn, flower promotion measures such as ring cutting, root cutting, and water control are adopted for the prosperous trees.

What to do if orange tree leaves turn yellow

Reasonable watering

The yellowing of orange tree leaves may be caused by too hot weather and excessive water loss. At this time, the amount of watering should be increased appropriately, you can water once in the morning and at night, and pay attention to not too much water at one time. In addition, you can spray water on the leaves or spray water around the pot to increase the humidity of the air.

Fertilize correctly

Lack of nitrogen fertilizer or boron fertilizer will make the leaves of orange trees yellow. At this time, fertilizers containing nitrogen or boron must be applied. If there is less nitrogen, you can apply farmyard manure or spray urea. If you lack boron, you can apply boric acid. In addition, a boric acid solution is also a good choice.

Change the soil quality

Orange trees are more suitable for survival in acidic soil. If the soil is too alkaline, it may cause its leaves to turn yellow or even drop their leaves. You can mix in a little beer while watering, but be careful not to mix too much. In addition, when choosing soil, choose fertile soil with better aeration. If it is soil dug from the wild, it should be exposed to the sun.

Add multiple elements

Less iron, less zinc, less manganese, etc. may cause the leaves of orange trees to turn yellow. At this time, it is necessary to supplement the lack of this element accordingly. If it is an iron deficiency, you can apply iron sulfate or a small amount of sulfur powder, which can also increase the acidity of the soil. If it is less zinc, you can spray zinc sulfate solution on the tips of the leaves, paying attention to the concentration not too high. If it is less manganese, manganese sulfate can be mixed with other fertilizers and applied to it.

Pest control

Red spiders may also cause yellowing of orange tree leaves. At this time, you can spray it with 5000 times of Mite Suspension Agent. In addition, 15bf of mites can be cleaned by 1000 times.

How to keep orange fresh

1. Garlic liquid to keep orange fresh: Take a garlic clove and mash it into a puree form, put it into 10 parts of boiling water, stir and take the liquid, cool to room temperature, and then immerse the selected orange in the garlic liquid, take it out and dry it after 10 minutes. Stored in a box or plastic bag, it can keep fresh for 3 months.

2. Keep orange fresh with soda water: Dilute 2 parts of soda and 1 part of water and stir into a liquid, soak the orange for 2 minutes, remove and dry, put it in a plastic bag, and tie the mouth of the bag tightly to keep 3 oranges fresh moon.

Pests

The aphids, these little creatures light green are seen with the naked eye under the leaves near the veins. To get rid of it organically, spray with soapy water, or a mixture of water and olive oil which will also nourish your plant.

Beware of mealybugs, those little biting and sap-sucking insects that quickly weaken the most vigorous of trees. You will easily recognize them: the insects lock themselves in a brown shell or under a white felt, on the back of the leaf against the main vein and excrete honeydew that will eventually attract fungi. To get rid of it without chemicals, three solutions:

Get its natural predator, Cryptolaemus, a black Australian ladybird with white spots; use a male trap (attracted by pheromones, these are found stuck on the trap) or a product purchased in garden centers, having an active ingredient of plant origin, and certified for use in Organic Farming.

The orange tree is not immune to a leafminer attack. These caterpillars make small brownish galleries in the leaf blade, visible on the back of the leaf. They protect themselves in a waxy cuticle, so it is difficult to get rid of them. There is no organic treatment, the best is to cut and burn the affected leaves.

The foliage of the orange tree is discolored, its green turns to silver-gray, small cobwebs are forming at the end of the leaves? Your orange tree is attacked by red spiders. These mites hate humidity, wash the plant with plenty of water. And adopt a few red ladybugs, they are very fond of these mites, like aphids which can also spread on the orange tree