Orange
bitter orange
Citrus x aurantium
Last edited by shiny on November 12, 2026. View history
Orange
Also known as
sweet orange (EN)
Valencia orange (EN)
oranger (EN)
oranger doux (EN)
birtukan (EN)
Apfelsine (EN)
jeruk manis (EN)
arancio (EN)
laranja doce (EN)
laranja vulgar (EN)
laranja-pera (EN)
naranja (EN)
limau manis (EN)
chula (EN)
choreng (EN)
sava orens (EN)
kahel (EN)
tung-chin-thi (EN)
krooch poosat (EN)
kiengz (EN)
somkliang (EN)
somtra (EN)
makhun (EN)
cam (EN)
mitha nimbu (EN)
moli 'aina (EN)
moli kai (EN)
Molilecau (EN)
Moliunumi (EN)
Molinitaiti (EN)
Molitaiti (EN)
Mol (EN)
Swit muli (EN)
How to sow orange: Transplant grafted sapling
Sun requirement for orange: Plant in Full Sun
The Orange is a tropical evergreen tree that produces round orange fruits, also known as "Oranges." Many species are self-pollinating, but having multiple trees for cross pollination can improve fruit size. Trees need temperatures between 21-32° C to grow properly and produce fruit. Oranges can usually withstand winter temperatures down to -6.1° C without experiencing damage to their leaves or trunk. Trees will bear fruit 2-3 years after transplanting.8
- 9
- plantings
- 2
- harvests
- 0
- seed packets
Orange facts
Lifespan
Perennial
living more than two years
First harvest expected
254
weeks after planting
Height × spread
365cm × 300cmRow Spacing
350cmGrown for
fruit harvested 2 times
Optimal temperature
20–30 °C
Absolute temperature
13–38 °C
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal rainfall
1200–2000 mm/year
Absolute rainfall
450–2700 mm/year
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal soil pH
5–6
Absolute soil pH
4–8.3
FAO EcoCrop
Crop cycle
180–365 days
FAO EcoCrop
Max altitude
2100 m
FAO EcoCrop
Optimal light
very bright
FAO EcoCrop
What are growing degree days?
A plant grows with warmth, not with days. A growing degree day is one day's worth of useful warmth: how many degrees the day's average temperature is above the lowest temperature the crop grows at. Add them up from planting and you know how far along the crop is, whatever the calendar says.
Say that lowest temperature is 10°C. A day averaging 17°C gives 7 growing degree days. A day averaging 8°C gives none, as it is too cold for the crop to grow. That is why the same lettuce takes about 50 days in a summer and 90 in an autumn: it needs the same total warmth either way.
For orange, the FAO EcoCrop database gives a lowest growing temperature of 13°C and a shortest growing cycle of 180 days at its best temperature, about 2160 growing degree days to a first harvest.
Where you've told us where your garden is, we use this and the weather there to predict when your orange will be ready to harvest. We don't use it for how long a plant lives or when it finishes: we go by what members have logged for that.
How members grow oranges
Sunniness
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Planted from
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Harvested for
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Varieties of orange
blood orange
Citrus sinensis
dekopon
Citrus X shiranui
mexican orange
Choisya ternata Kunth
trifoliate orange
Poncirus trifoliata
Plant oranges with
Photos
Photos
Orange crops
Orange plantings
Video
Where oranges grow
Only plantings by members who have set their locations are shown.
What people are saying about oranges
Nobody has posted about oranges yet.
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Who's planted oranges
- Hopeman15 Garden · Potsdam, Germany
- corvi trifoliate orange Containers on the deck · salt spring island
- Doveoscar bitter orange Patio greenhouse · Wing,...
- shiny The Deck · Wellington, NZ
- pwithnall Indoors · Cambridge, UK
Orange harvests
-
fe2h2o harvested 11.
over 7 years ago
-
fe2h2o harvested 3, weighing 1 kg.
over 8 years ago
fe2h2o harvested 11.
Find orange seeds
There are no seeds available to trade on Growstuff right now.
- Purchase seeds via Ebay
- Sign in or sign up to list your seeds to trade.
Time to harvest
If sown now, expect a first harvest in about 180 to 365 days.
From the growing cycle in the FAO EcoCrop database, which is the same wherever it is grown.
Ecological requirements
Data from the FAO EcoCrop database for Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck
| Family / Taxonomy | Magnoliopsida Rosidae Sapindales Rutaceae |
|---|---|
| Killing temperature | growth: 0 °C, rest: -10 °C |
| Life form | tree |
| Life span | perennial |
| Habit | erect |
| Optimal soil depth | deep (>>150 cm) |
| Optimal soil texture | medium, light |
| Optimal soil fertility | moderate |
| Optimal soil drainage | well (dry spells) |
| Optimal soil salinity | low (<4 dS/m) |
| Photoperiod | short day (<12 hours), neutral day (12-14 hours), long day (>14 hours) |
Learn more about oranges
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