How to PLANT an Orange Tree

1. Understand the problems with growing from a seed. It is possible to grow a tree this way,

but it will be more vulnerable to disease and other problems. The tree could also take between four and fifteen years to bear fruit for the first time.[1] A young tree purchased from the nursery is actually a combination of two plants: one tree bred for healthy roots and other attributes, plus branches of another tree grafted onto the first. These branches come from a tree that produces high quality fruit, and because they are already mature, the tree should produce fruit within a year or two after purchase. All that explained, feel free to continue with these steps if you're up for a challenge.

2. Select seeds before they have dried out. Cut open an orange carefully without breaking the

seeds inside, or simply use the seeds that aren't damaged by the knife. Pick out seeds without any dents or discolorations. Seeds that appear withered and dry, usually after they've been left out of the fruit for too long, have a lower chance of growing. Note that some varieties of orange are seedless. Ask a fruit seller for a variety with seeds.

3. Wash the seeds. Hold the seeds under running water and gently rub off any pulp or other

material that has gathered onto the seeds. Be careful not to damage the seeds, especially if some are already beginning to sprout. There is no need to dry the seeds afterwards. Keeping them moist will make them more likely to sprout.

4. Get the seeds to sprout faster by keeping them moist. Assuming you're using seeds that

haven't yet begun to germinate (sprout), you can shorten the time it takes to reach that point by keeping them in a moist environment. You could keep damp seeds in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 30 days before planting, or simply keep the soil they're planted in moist, but not soggy.[2]

5. Plant each seed in a small pot of well-draining potting mix or soil. Plant them about 1/2

inch (1.2cm) beneath the surface. Remember to put a plate or other object underneath the pot to catch the draining water.If the soil is poor at draining, mix in hardwood bark chips. This makes the soil less compact, which lets water drain through faster.[9]

6. Keep the soil in full sunlight. Whether indoors or outdoors, the soil does best at

temperatures between 75º and 85ºF (24º–29ºC).[10] Sunlight is the best way to warm your soil to the correct level, since a radiator could dry out the soil too quickly. If you live in a cold or low-sun region, you may need to keep your orange tree in a heated greenhouse or conservatory, even before it's germinated.

7. Add a balanced fertilizer once every two weeks (optional). If you'd like to speed up the

tree's growth, adding a small amount of fertilizer to the soil every 10–14 days will help.[11] To get the best results, you would need to tailor your choice of fertilizer to the level of nutrients in your soil, which should be on the label of the potting soil if you purchased it. Otherwise, choose a balanced fertilizer with relatively even amounts of nutrients.

8. Remove the weakest of the three sprouts when the seeds sprout. Citrus seeds have the

unusual ability to produce exact clones of the mother plant, called nu-cellar seedlings.[12] These are typically the two fastest-growing sprouts, while a third "genetic" offspring tends to be smaller and slower-growing. Cut off this weak third sprout in order to produce a tree with the consistent quality the parent was bred for.