Hi Suzi, I am relatively new to harvesting Moros here in Northern California. Last year my Moros developed internal color in December (Dec 2013). This year they are later; about 1/2 internally colored and starting to sweeten up right now. I think that they need more time.

BTW: The tree is still young (4 years) so i can't say if its still too young or an effect of temperature? ... i am suspicious that the Dec. 2013 freeze sped up the coloration.

- Let us know what your taste buds say in a couple of weeks or more! - George

Thank you, George. One tree has 4 oranges left and the other has three. I will let you know how they are in a couple weeks. We bought two Midnight Valencias also, but they didn't have any fruit. Fingers crossed for lots of blossoms and fruit next year. We have many citrus trees starting to blossom, so hoping there will be lots of pollination happening!

You can pick a Moro anytime between Jan and Feb and sometimes even early December. It's a early variety. I pick mine in late to mid January zone 10A.

In UCR, it ripens in Jan.

Suzi, I leave my Moros on until March. It's a bit tricky with Moros, as they can get a little off-tasting to some folks, if left on the tree too long. Usually, the more mature the tree, the earlier you can pick (within their ripeness time). I'm getting ready to pick mine right now. My trees are still a bit young, so for me right now, later assures enough sweetness. And remember, pollination is not necessary for citrus fruit set in nearly all citrus cultivars :-)

These were 4' tall, pretty healthy trees last Spring, so I imagine they are still pretty young. We'll try again (since the trial one was a bit sour) in a couple weeks. I love spacing the varieties for lots of fruit. Our navel was amazing this year, and we wish it was bigger with more fruit. Valencias take their time to ripen (our plain old Valencia is still not ripe), and I'm hoping the two Midnight Valencias will bear in a different month than the Moros. Thanks for the info! We'll probably be able to pick much earlier in a few years, but for now, March it is.

This year my Moro is much later in ripening, as well. I tested one the first week of February, and the fruit was still quite acidic....although the fruit was nicely pigmented. Perhaps I'll pull one today and see how the flavor has advanced.

Josh

My Moros are still not ready as of the past weekend.

On the flip side.... my Tangos are dancin' !!!!! :-) - George