Grafting of an orange at homesold in specialized stores, the look quickly snatches neat trees with glossy leathery foliage and a mass of bright, fragrant fruits. If you have patience and make a little effort, you can grow an orange tree from the stone and at home, all the more so as a seed from a ripe fruit bought at the store can be used as planting material. How to grow an orange from bones at home?
The orange bone is covered with a rather dense, hard skinned, on the one hand, which keeps the germ from all sorts of damage, and on the other hand, it prevents its germination. If the seed dries up, it is very difficult to make it slip, therefore only fresh seeds are used for planting.
Orange Bone:
- washed in warm water;
- is soaked for 8–12 hours;
- is planted in loose soil or peat to a depth of 1 cm under the film.
Until the moment of germination, which will come in a month and a half, the container with the seeds remains in a shaded warm place. A mini-greenhouse must be periodically moisturized and ventilated. And only after the emergence of germs, future orange trees are brought to light.
Since in countries where oranges grow in nature, trees generously receive both heat and light, it is possible to provide seedlings with the longest possible daylight hours by planting seeds at the end of winter or in March. But in this case, young orange trees respond well to the extension of daylight hours using special lamps.
Orange transplanting at home
The sprout pick is performed at the stage when two true leaves are revealed on the orange, it is important to take into account that the plant reacts extremely painfully to all manipulations associated with transplantation and possible root damage. It is unacceptable that the root neck of an orange should be when transplanted under the ground.
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The best way to transplant a tree is to transfer the plant in spring, together with the earthy lump, until the active growth of the shoots begins and the buds appear. An orange grown at home will have to be regularly subjected to such a procedure, each time choosing a container with a diameter of 1-3 cm more than the old pot:
- The growing root system of a young plant once a year requires an expansion of "living space."
- Adult fruiting trees transplant every 2-3 years.
For seedlings with 4–6 leaves, a pot with a diameter of about 10 cm and a soil mixture of two parts of sod land, one part of deciduous humus, the same volume of peat and sand will be suitable. Already at the next transshipment, the share of sod land in the ground is increased and a small amount of clay is added. The orange tree, which is grown from the stone at home, is sure to provide good drainage and watering, which does not allow the roots to rot.
Optimal growth conditions for an orange at home
Like all residents of the subtropical zone, orange trees do not tolerate drafts, but they are very fond of light and demanding of air humidity and soil. With a lack of lighting, citrus fruits can hurt or refuse to bear fruit, so it is better to grow them on the sunny side, but protecting them from burning direct rays, especially in summer. In autumn and winter, when the duration of daylight falls, the orange grown from the stone is highlighted.
Humidity in the room where the tree is located should not be below 40%, otherwise the plant starts to quickly drop the leaves and may die. Especially often this happens in winter, during the heating season, or when the pot is close to the heater. In this case, it is necessary to artificially humidify the air, spray the plant and make sure that the soil does not dry out under it.
The danger of drying out of the soil also exists in the summertime, so daily watering, moisturizing the whole earthen clod, but not causing moisture stagnation, is essential for an orange.
Orange trees at home can die if water for irrigation contains chlorine. Therefore, they use rain, thawed or separated water for at least 24 hours, which is heated to 25–30 ° C.
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Caring for an orange tree at homegrow oranges in nature: - In the summer, a tree can be carried out into the air, protecting it from the scorching sun.
- In the spring, when budding begins and the ovary is expected, orange trees should be kept at 15–18 ° C.
- In winter, watering reduces and arranges a warm wintering at a temperature above +12 ° C, not forgetting the lighting of the plant.
When transferring from room to room, changes in temperature, humidity and other growing conditions, including turning the pot, the orange tree, as in the photo, at home, can shed its leaves, turn yellow and wither. Therefore, turning the plant so that its shoots grow more evenly, it is advised to approximately 10 ° every 10 days.
A vigorously growing orange every 7–14 days needs a complex fertilizer with citrus fertilizers or a composition based on 10 liters of water and:
- 20 grams of ammonium nitrate;
- 25 grams of superphosphate;
- 15 grams of potassium salts.
Caring for an orange tree at home implies that vitriol is introduced into fertilizing four times a year, and to maintain the rich color of the foliage, the orange is sprinkled with a solution of potassium permanganate every month.
Grafting an orange from the bone
If you take care of a tree, it quickly grows and develops. However, not everyone is able to wait for flowering and the ovary, and if the fruits appear, they are small and bitter. The fact is that oranges grown from the stone may not bear parental signs and simply be wild plants. Recognize such a wild can be at the age of one year on solid green spikes on the trunk.
How to grow oranges at home, as sweet and large as store fruits? In this case, you can choose one of the following methods:
- Carry out a classic graft of a tree, using a seedling as a stock for a varietal cutting obtained from a fruiting plant.
- Plant an orange by budding, implanting the bud of a cultivated plant with a small layer of bark and wood. For reliability, you can use up to three eyes at the same time, grafting them from different sides of the trunk.
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The second method is less laborious and painful for a tree. If the seedling after vaccination remains only as a stock, it is better to perform the operation on a tree at the age of 1 - 3 years, when the diameter of the stem does not exceed 6 mm.
In an adult orange tree, in the photo, various citrus crops can be planted, as the plant practically does not reject related species.
Formation of orange crown at home
Fruiting the orange tree at home can begin 6–10 years after seed germination, and only if the plant has a properly formed crown. Buds, and then the ovary, still plants appear on the developed branches of the fourth order. Therefore, to obtain early harvest, crown formation begins during the period when the tree reaches a height of 25–30 cm:
- In spring, the main shoot is pinned to 18–25 cm.
- Three or four of the strongest are left from the side shoots, which are cut off, forcing.
- In the next season, two branches of the second order are left from the increase. They will subsequently give from 3 to 5 shoots of the third order.
- And only then will horizontal fruiting branches begin to develop.
- Further monitor the density of the crown and the timely replacement of branches.
On young trees, the first flowers and ovaries should be removed. The first harvest can be only 2-3 oranges, so that the plant does not lose too much strength when they mature.
It is possible to speed up the entry of a tree at the time of fruiting by arranging a hibernation for an orange at a temperature of 2 to 5 ° C, limiting watering and not feeding for three months. When in a room where oranges grow, the temperature rises to 15–18 ° C, the set of buds begins and the formation of the ovary begins. A home-received orange at home can live for up to 50–70 years, regularly rejoicing at the appearance of white flowers and bright fragrant fruits.
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