Help with growing an orange tree named Bailey
Hi there,
I started growing an orange tree from the seed of a blood orange, I just wondered if it was possible one day and it did in fact germinate. My kitchen has a glass roof and it gets quite hot so thought it'd be a good environment.
I'm not very experienced but have kept her (Bailey, yeah we named her, lol) watered, I think a bit too much occasionally as the soil has gone a bit white on top in the past but I've removed it, I once repotted her into a big pot but I think it was way too big and she was later put back into a more suitable sized container.
I've added a couple of picture (hopefully they attach) she's 2 years old, it's almost like she's turning into a bonsai as she's quite dense... Also she has dead branches that stick up, they don't fall and are pretty solidly attached. I've never pruned her.
Can you advise on anything to encourage her growth, I thought about putting her in a terranium but I read somewhere that it'd be too humid for an orange tree.
Many thanks in advance.
Posts
She looks a very happy 2yr old and she's obviously quite happy and healthy.
The dead stems are a bit unsightly and you'll need some sharp secateurs to clip them off, they'll be quite tough.
In the last pic it looks like the new compost level is a bit on the low side - there appears to be a mark on the stem where there was compost and I can just see a little bit of root, top that up asap if poss. with some fresh.
I'm no citrus expert, but like you I sowed a grapefruit seed (in 1968!) and kept that going for 15ish years, the scent of the blossom was wonderful and I even got some grape-sized grapefruit
I know there are proper feeds etc for citrus and hopefully a citrus grower will be along to advise, but Bailey's a good looking girl to me
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
THE WHITE STUFF ON THE COMPOST IS OK. IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
ORANGES GROW IN PLACES LIKE SPAIN AND MOROCCO. HOT AND DRY. THEY WILL EVEN TAKE A VERY SLIGHT FROST FOR A SHORT TIME BUT NOT WHEN THE FLOWER BUDS ARE FORMING.
LOOKS GOOD TO ME.
If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
She looks super to me ..... when my children were young we grew lots of orange, lemon and grapefruit pips - the perfume from the flowers was wonderful in our shaded conservatory. They always had white stuff on the surface of the compost. I wouldn't worry about it. I didn't and they all grew just fine.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Oh thank you all, that makes me very happy! As Pete8 says I'll top up the compost and just keep doing as I've been doing, how many years do you reckon until they normally start flowering? I suspect she'd have to grow a bit more as she's only 6 inches at the momen, in 2 years I would've expected her to be a bit taller, but then again, I don't know a lot. :-)
Thanks again for the responses!
Jason.
Mine flowered at that size ... and once they get going they flower throughout most of the year
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Oh excellent, I'll keep an eye on it, thank you ☺??
Last edited: 27 April 2017 21:13:57
Looks great!! I've got a three month old lemon seedling and satsuma seedling
. They're both doing really well! Both seeds came from shop bought fruit. It's fun doing it that way :-D
Yeah, really gives you a sense of achievement and I feel quite attached to her, almost like Jean Reno in Leon (if you've seen it) :-)
Based on advice here I've give the dead branches a trim and topped up the soil, any idea why some branches just appear to grow dead but everything around it is healthy? But either was she's looking even better now!