The Valencia Orange Tree is an evergreen, flowering citrus tree. Valencia Orange Trees produce fragrant, large, white blooms in spring that are a great contrast against the dark-green foliage.. Valencia oranges are medium-sized orange with very few seeds and excellent taste. It is considered the top juice orange.
The Valencia Orange is a late-season sweet summer orange that is widely used for its brightly-colored, sweet-tart juice. Although named after the city of Valencia, Spain which is popular for its numerous orange trees and citrus trees grown, the majority of Valencia Oranges are actually grown in the United States. It was first hybridized by American-born turned Mexican citizen William Wolfskill, a land developer and pioneer American agronomist, on his farm in Santa Ana, southern California in the mid-19th century.
The Valencia Orange Tree is an evergreen, flowering tree species Citrus x sinensis of the family Rutaceae. This citrus tree is a cold tolerant, disease resistant fruit tree that is best planted and grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant USDA hardiness zones 8 through 11, although various conditions can influence and affect its growth. The Valencia Orange Tree when planted in the ground can reach the height of 8’-12’ upon reaching maturity or remain smaller when planted in a container indoor in USDA growing zones 4 to 7.
Valencia Orange Trees produce fragrant, large, white blooms in spring that are a great contrast against the dark-green foliage and look incredible amid dormant winter plants. Once successfully pollinated, the blooms would be replaced by small green oranges that mature into medium-sized orange with few seeds and excellent taste with brightly colored flesh and juice. The Valencia orange is great for eating and the top orange for juicing.
It is quite easy to plant and care for a Valencia Orange tree so you won’t be required to give your new tree too much time and energy. Just keep in mind some of the tips we have prepared and you are assured to have a healthy, prolific fruit tree in no time.
Outdoor Planting – Highly recommended in USDA growing zones 8 through 11 since this orange tree loves basking in full sunlight. Choose a spot with well-draining soil and free of grass that can compete with water and nutrients your growing tree
Dig a hole in the ground about two times the size of the root ball then place the orange tree in the hole you just made leaving 1 inch of the root ball uncovered.
Deeply water after replanting and apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around the tree, 6 inches away from the trunk.
Container Planting – Recommended in USDA growing zones 4 to 7 that experience colder temperatures during winter season.
Choose a 20-gallon pot or a large barrel with adequate draining holes for replanting. Furthermore, since your Valencia Orange Tree fruit will be heavy as it matures, use a pot with casters so you can easily move the tree inside the house when the weather does not permit it to stay outdoors.
To ensure proper draining you can place a layer of rocks at the bottom of your replanting pot, add soil then place the Valencia orange tree in the pot; just make sure that the tree is planted upright and vertically.
Bring your citrus tree inside when the temperature drops below 28º F.
Watering – Both grafted citrus trees and trees grown from seed need to be watered properly. Overwatering can cause root rot and other diseases while under-watering may cause leaves to curl and dry out. Depending on the humidity in your area, you may need to deeply water your growing orange trees once a week. Do not water if the soil is still wet and wait until the top 2 inches of soil for container grown citrus trees or 5 inches of soil for in ground planted citrus trees has dried out before watering again.
Fertilization – Growing citrus trees are voracious eaters and even more so during the blooming and fruiting seasons. When you first notice a fruit on your fruit trees you need to start applying the first round of citrus fertilizer as per package directions according to your orange trees’ Additional doses of fertilizer for citrus trees are required for a month or two during harvest season, and two applications during dormant season. As your citrus trees mature you can cut-back on citrus fertilizer during the harvest season and skip it entirely during dormant season.
Fruit & Harvesting
Fruit
Valencia orange trees produce medium-sized oranges that turn golden when fully ripe. Valencia oranges have a thin, smooth and finely-textured rind. Technically a berry, the Valencia orange is comprised of easy to separate sections with each containing a few seeds and numerous juice cells inside delicious section. The bright orange interior is full of sweet-tart juice making it the most desired juicing orange.
Freshly picked Valencia oranges may be squeezed and stored in a fridge overnight, just make sure to tightly cover the juice container and refrigerate immediately.
Although the Valencia oranges main use is for juicing, it can be eaten fresh out of hand because of its supreme taste. It can also be used for cooking. You can use the zest and juice for marinade, vinaigrette dressing, syrups, cocktails, custards, or any dish requiring oranges.
Aside from having excellent flavor and many uses, Valencia oranges are also a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folate that are said to help boost the immune system and improve overall health. Other compounds and nutrients found in Valencia oranges may help minimize some illnesses.
Harvesting
Orange trees grafted onto a rootstock may take two to three years to start bearing fruit, while those grown from seeds can take up to 15 years. After transplanting a citrus treefrom the container it came in to another pot or into the ground it takes 2 to 3 years for blooms to appear on the tree. The time from flower bloom to fruit maturity is approximately 6 to 12 months.
Valencia oranges are harvested from March until October. You can determine that it is time to harvest oranges by the golden outer coloring of the fruit or when you see mature oranges falling off the citrus tree. The most efficient way to determine if your fruit has reached an acceptable ripening is by doing a taste test. Pick an orange by grabbing it with your hand and twisting until it breaks off from the stem. If the fruit is sweet and juicy then you can start harvesting the rest or keep them on the tree for until you are ready to enjoy your fresh homegrown Valencia oranges. They can stay on the tree for up to 2 months.
Growing Zones
Advice
Valencia Orange fruit trees can reach the ultimate height of 8’ to 12’ when planted in the ground but remain smaller when planted in a pot. The citrus trees usual bloom season is in the spring and usual fruit harvesting season is in summer. The fruit on these orange trees need heat to sweeten. Even though Valencia orange trees are cold and drought resistant they should be protected when the temperature dips below 28º F.
Pest and Diseases
Ants do not directly harm growing citrus trees however they have a symbiotic relationship with different arthropods like scales, aphids and mealybugs that are directly responsible to a citrus trees’ decline. The arthropods secrete honeydew that ants feed on and in return ants ward off potential predators and carry the pests up the tree in order to drop them off on the leaves and branches. These insects then feed on the plant sucking the sap and the nutrients citrus trees need to grow and produce fruit.
If you notice an ant colony in the soil right below your tree’s canopy you should destroy it. Using a small container, the size of a jar lid, pour in mountain dew and mix in 3 pinches of borax laundry detergent into it. Place the lid containing the mixture 2 to 3 feet away from the citrus tree. Do not add too much borax as it will kill the ants immediately but won’t be taken to the colony to kill all the ants.
Arthropods are pests that cause harm to citrus trees. Aside from producing honeydew that become a breeding ground to black sooty mold, they suck the nutrients out of the tree which causes dieback, curling leaves, the inability of leaves to photosynthesize and eventually death of the orange tree.
To get rid of these pests you can use neem oil, horticultural spays, make use of natural predators like ladybugs and lacewings, insecticidal soaps and pesticides.
Root Rot – early signs of root rot are moldy or blackened leaves. Fruit of the affected tree will have blemishes, decay and yellowish-brown spots. Cause of root rot is overwatering.
Root rot can be prevented by ensuring the soil is well-draining and orange tree is not overwatered. Fungus infections can also be prevented and treated with the use of liquid copper fungicide.
FAQs
What is the reason that you can not ship trees to Texas?
Because some state and federal regulations prevent shipping certain types of plants to some states, and we always abide by all state and federal regulations and laws.
Do the Valencia Orange Tree branches have thorns?
Valencia orange trees may have some small thorns, but for the most part they are not considered heavily thorny in the world of citrus trees.
Do I need to have two Valencia Orange trees for pollination?
No. The Valencia Orange Tree does not need another tree for use as a pollinator.
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