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Latest Update 29th November 2014.
Dwarf Orange
Details
- Binomial Name: Citrus × sinensis.
- Family: Rutaceae.
- Garden bed type: Fruit Tree Ecobed.
- Recommended soil pH: 6.0 - 8.0.
- Plant Spacings (centres): 1500mm.
- Pollination: Self Pollinating.
- Good Companions: Lavender.
- Climate: Warm Temperate.
- Geography: Southern Hemisphere.
- This food is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium.
- It is also a good source of Thiamin, Folate and Calcium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin C.
- More from nutrition data.self.com.
- I built a much larger Ecobed this winter to accommodate my dwarf Hamlin orange tree which outgrew its previous home in a small Ecobin. The new bed is 900 x 900 x 600mm and is equipped with the integrated overflow system now installed in all my Ecobins and Ecobeds.
- Full sun.
- Minimise soil disturbances to maintain a natural soil structure.
- Oranges prefer well-drained soil, but must not be allowed to dry out completely.
- Remove mulch, dead leaves and fallen branches from the previous year in September and dispose of it in your compost heap.
- Drench the soil with aerated compost extract and apply a top dressing of home made compost at a rate of 60 litres /M2.
- Cover with straw mulch, but keep it clear of the tree's trunk to prevent collar rot.
- Cover the mulch with heavy shadecloth to stop birds from digging for worms.
- Maintain the soil's worm population by surface feeding (under the mulch) them every week.
- Propagate oranges by taking soft wood cuttings and grafting them onto a suitable root stock.
- Prune lightly in late spring to maintain the shape of the canopy and remove diseased, dead, weak or old growth. If needed, remove crossed over branches and open up the tree canopy to improve light and air penetration.
- Thin out the oranges in November to increase the size of your fruit., and spray the foliage especially the newly set fruit with aerated compost tea.
- Leave the oranges on the tree until late Autumn. Citrus do not ripen off the tree as other fruits do. Wait until they reach their full orange colour before removing them.
- We only have one dwarf orange tree so we dont have a lot of surplus fruit to contend with.
- We use our oranges straight off the tree when peeled and eaten fresh. Its best to leave them for 2 weeks after harvesting if you want to juice them.
- If you need to store some for later use, extract the juice and store it in re-sealable bags in your freezer.
- Citrus scab
- Citrus scab is a soil borne disease and can be avoided by keeping lower branches trimmed so they do not come in contact with the soil.
- Citrus Gall Wasp
- After mating the female gall wasp implants her eggs in the soft tissue of a young branch. As the larvae grows it causes the tree to react by producing galls or large lumps in the branch of the tree where the larvae is feeding. These become noticable in Summer and as soon as you find them, cut them out and place them in your rubbish bin in a sealed plastic bag.
- Slugs and snails.
- Lettuce needs protection against slugs and snails, so use self adhesive copper tape around the base of the Ecobed to keep them out.
- Greenhouse whitefly.
- Aerated compost tea foliar spray toughens foliage against whitefly damage.
- Control any serious infestations by spray your crop thoroughly with organic horticultural oil as early in their life cycle as possible. Spray again in a few days to ensure second generation whitefly do not survive.
- Aphids (greenfly).
- Use the same method described above for whitefly.
- General:
- Regular applications of aerated compost tea boost the natural defences of oranges by colonising the leaf surfaces with beneficial microbes. They defend the plant against airborne pests and diseases.
- Similarly, proper soil preparation including regular applications of home made compost boosts the community of beneficial microbes, which defend the tree's roots against plant pathogens.
- Keep the soil cleared of rotting fruit and decaying vegetation.
