Orange is an all-time favorite fruit and a great source of vitamin C. The fruit itself is great for recipes and beverage. The tangy scent and citrusy flavor give off refreshing feeling for almost anyone. However, growing the tree itself is yet a different story. In planting it, one must muster the skills and patience he (or she) needs in order to let it grow.
Directions
- Read the basics about oranges—from variety of seeds, the problems in growing the seeds and how to identify a healthy seedling.
- Select your seeds whether from the fruit itself or from a market selling seeds. Discard damaged or dry seeds as the former can’t grow and the latter will be difficult to grow. .
- Wash the seeds to have the necessary moist in order to help them sprout.
- Plant the seeds in a clay pot with rich soil. Poke the soil with your fingers, making ½ inch deep holes. Make at least three holes and put one seed as per hole.
- Keep the pot exposed in sunlight with temperature of 75º-85ºF (or 24º–29ºC).
- When there are already orange sprouts, take off the weakest of the three sprouts. This will help your plant to be healthier.
- As your plant grows bigger, place it in a bigger pot or a wider space that is still exposed to the sun but still protected from harsh winds.
- Water the plant twice a week but water it heavily.
- Monitor your plant closely from ants or aphids as these are most likely to attack your plant.
- Increase the acid levels of the soil by applying acidic fertilizers. You will know that the soil is not acidic enough through the leaves of your orange plant. If its leaves turn yellowish, this is the sign that the soil loses its acidic components.
