Orange Tree Recommendations

16 years ago

Hello! Ive been lurking around these forums and have been finding great info so thanks everyone =)

Recently my brother bought a house and I want to get him an Orange tree for his Birthday. I have a bit of a green thumb but have never grown any citrus trees myself. I was hoping to get some recommendations on what type of orange to get - we live in Los Angeles. Im looking for something very sweet and good for juicing. I was thinking Valencia but was hoping some of the members here would chime in with their opinions. Im also not opposed to clementine/tangerine varieties.

Thank You!!

Featured Answer

cebury

16 years ago

Kind of going off topic, but since the OP is listening to your comments about Trovita, I'll reply.

Yeah Navel orange can be juiced but the "soon after" turns bitter for me is "less than 2 hours". I also like Trovita, but Wash Navel is a step above IMO -- but they are both good choices. I was excited for my first large crop off my in-ground Trovita tree, b/c I wanted BOTH fresh and juicing oranges. I grew up w/oranges and can peel them by hand in less than 3 seconds (I'll gorge a small one down in the same time if I'm hungry ;-) But alas Trovita DO also experience the same bitterness when juiced. In less than 4 hours my Trovita juice starts to turn, by the next day it is worthless. It being labeled for "eating fresh and juice" is a lie if you ask me.

Eric,

Honestly, the best gifted citrus tree is the one the recipient loves to eat. Like gifted animals (for pets), how much one is willing to care for it is dependent on their own preferences for that particular variety. Our advice is limited to our preferences.

For oranges, "very sweet and good for juicing" as you've requested is pretty much Valencia. If he likes a hint of berry flavor, you can look at the blood oranges. Some people hate the idea. Or better yet go with Mandarins -- Tango (newer seedless version W.Murcott), Page, and Gold Nugget are very sweet and seedless (mostly). Any of those three mandarins would be sweet like oranges are. Or even better try a cocktail tree mixing some of the above.

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Comments (7)

greendesert
16 years ago
LA should be pretty easy for citrus. Personally I have a favorite, Trovita. but that's just me, there are lots of good varieties.
greendesert
16 years ago
The bigger question that you need to figure out before you decide on a variety is the rootstock.
Does he prefer a dwarf, semi-dwarf or standard tree? I know that the latest fad is for dwarf trees, but that's not necessarily always the best decision either. Larger ones can grow into awesome evergreen privacy screens and a dwarf one might not produce enough for some people (definitely not for my kind of family) Also the different rootstocks have implications on vigor, resistance to diseases, and can sometimes even influence the fruit. So think along two lines: What rootstock, and what variety. It is possible to combine almost any citrus rootstock with any variety by grafting. So select both a rootstock that does well in the local type of soil and a variety that they might like and might do well in that climate. An excellent resource for this is a book that you should be able to find at the library, if not on Amazon.com. It has very good descriptions of varieties and how they do in the different areas in US.
http://www.amazon.com/Citrus-Sunset-Gardening/dp/0376031042
I wish I had a sibling interested in buying me a tree. that's very thoughtful.
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ericpowell_9
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you the advice! I was thinking of going with the semi-dwarf valencia if I can find one, maybe ill include that book when I get the tree! Im also going to look into the tree you recommended.

Thanks again!
ashleysf
16 years ago
Oranges come in 3 categories in my opinion. For Fresh eating (WAshington Navel and its relatives including the pink Cara Cara navels - they cannot be juiced because the juice turns bitter on storage), for Juicing - Trovita and Valencia, Pigmented - moro, sanguinelli and tarocco - these 3 can be eaten fresh or juiced.
All the pigmented oranges are very healthy as well as delicious.
The Valencia is a good choice for both juicing and eating if you have enough heat to ripen it properly - if you got a seedless Valenica tree, it is good for eating fresh.
I have a very productive Washington navel tree.
Mandarins are a totally different fruit - I love all of them :)
I usually go shopping for one citrus and come home with several :)
Good luck, it is fun to shop for them!
ericpowell_9
Original Author
16 years ago
Great thank you for the info Ashley! Im going to do a little more research - definitely going to look into the pigmented types you listed.
kcdeadeye13
16 years ago
I juice naval oranges from about March 1st through the end of May. They can be juiced. The juice just must be consumed soon after the fruit is juiced. Naval orange juice is hard to beat. I live in the central valley near Turlock. Kern