Overview

Bring the joy of home-grown citrus to your garden or patio with this beautiful navel orange live tree. Known for its sweet, seedless, and easy-to-peel fruit, the Navel Orange (Citrus sinensis ‘Navel’) is a popular choice among fruit tree enthusiasts. This grafted tree, currently 3-4 feet tall and housed in a 5-gallon pot, is a robust specimen ready to establish itself in its new home. Navel orange trees are celebrated not only for their delicious produce but also for their attractive foliage and fragrant blooms that can fill the air with a delightful citrus aroma, particularly in early spring to late winter. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just starting, growing a sweet orange tree can be a rewarding experience, providing fresh fruit for years to come.

This particular citrus fruit plant is a fantastic addition for anyone looking to enjoy fresh, organic oranges right from their backyard. Grafted trees typically mature faster and produce fruit sooner than trees grown from seed, meaning you won’t have to wait long to harvest your first crop. Its manageable size makes it suitable for container growing, allowing you to move it indoors during colder months if you live in a cooler climate, or to enjoy it as a focal point on your patio. The Navel Orange is a beloved variety, and having a live tree ensures a continuous supply of healthy, flavorful fruit.

Key Benefits

Owning a navel orange live tree offers a multitude of benefits, from aesthetic appeal to the sheer delight of fresh fruit. This remarkable plant provides more than just a harvest; it enhances your living space and offers a connection to nature.

• Delicious Homegrown Fruit: Enjoy the unparalleled taste of sweet, juicy, and seedless navel oranges picked fresh from your own tree. This eliminates the need for grocery store purchases and ensures you’re consuming fruit free from commercial sprays.
• Aromatic Blooms: The tree produces highly fragrant white flowers, typically in early spring to late winter, which fill the surrounding air with a delightful, refreshing citrus scent, acting as a natural air freshener.
• Beautiful Ornamental Value: With its glossy evergreen leaves and vibrant orange fruits, the tree serves as a stunning ornamental plant, adding a touch of Mediterranean charm to any garden, patio, or even indoors if grown in a container.
• Health Benefits: Fresh navel oranges are packed with Vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber, contributing to a healthy diet and boosting your immune system.
• Educational for Families: Growing a sweet orange tree is a wonderful way to teach children about where food comes from, the cycles of nature, and the responsibilities of plant care.
• Versatile Growing Options: This citrus fruit plant can be grown directly in the ground in suitable climates or maintained in a large container, offering flexibility for various garden designs or climates.
• Long-Term Investment: A well-cared-for navel orange tree can provide abundant harvests for many years, making it a sustainable and rewarding addition to your home.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper care is essential for a thriving navel orange live tree. These trees are relatively easy to care for once established, but understanding their specific needs will ensure a bountiful harvest and healthy growth. The first step in navel orange care is choosing the right location.

Sunlight: Navel orange trees thrive in full sun, requiring at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. If growing indoors, place your tree in the brightest south-facing window possible, or supplement with a high-quality grow light to ensure it receives adequate light for photosynthesis and fruit production. Insufficient light can lead to poor growth and reduced fruit yield. Watering: Water deeply until water drains from the bottom of the pot, but do not allow the tree to sit in standing water, as this can lead to root rot. Allow the top few inches of soil to dry out slightly between waterings. The frequency will depend on climate, pot size, and soil type, but generally, check the soil moisture every few days. Reduce watering in winter when the tree’s growth slows. Soil: A well-draining, nutritious soil blend with a slightly acidic pH (6.0-7.0) is ideal. Citrus-specific potting mixes are excellent choices, or you can create your own by mixing peat moss, perlite, and compost. Good drainage is crucial to prevent waterlogging.

Temperature & Hardiness: Navel orange trees are best suited for USDA Zones 9-11 for outdoor planting. They can tolerate brief dips in temperature but are not frost-hardy. If you live in a colder zone, it’s best to grow your tree in a container and bring it indoors when temperatures drop below 40°F (4°C). Fertilization: Fertilize your sweet orange tree regularly during the growing season (spring through fall) with a balanced citrus-specific fertilizer, following the product’s instructions. Citrus trees are heavy feeders and require nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients. Repotting: Repot the tree every two to three years, or when you notice roots circling the outside of the pot, into a slightly larger container. This gives the roots more room to grow and provides fresh nutrients. When considering planting orange trees, ensure ample space for future growth.

Size & Details

This navel orange live tree is a fantastic specimen for immediate enjoyment and future harvests. It arrives as a healthy, actively growing plant, typically measuring 3-4 feet in height from the base of the pot to the top of the foliage. It is potted in a standard 5-gallon nursery container, providing a robust root system ready for transplanting into a larger pot or directly into your garden. The grafted nature of this tree ensures it will begin producing fruit sooner than a seedling, with the potential for its first significant harvest within 1-2 years of proper care, depending on growing conditions.

Navel orange trees have an upright growth habit and can reach a mature height of 12-14 feet tall when planted in the ground in optimal conditions. When grown in a container, their size can be managed through regular pruning to maintain a more compact shape, making them perfect for patios, balconies, or indoor growing. The tree will arrive with established foliage and may even have developing fruit or blooms, depending on the season. This citrus fruit plant is a long-term investment that provides both beauty and delicious produce.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this navel orange live tree get? A: This tree is currently 3-4 feet tall in a 5-gallon pot. When planted in the ground, it can reach 12-14 feet tall. Its size can be managed with pruning if grown in a container.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: Navel orange live tree can be grown outdoors in USDA Zones 9-11. In colder climates, it’s best grown in a container and brought indoors during winter months to protect it from frost.
• Q: How much sunlight does a sweet orange tree need? A: A sweet orange tree requires full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth and fruit production. If indoors, place it in the brightest window or use supplemental grow lights.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, navel orange trees are relatively easy to care for, especially with proper sunlight, watering, and fertilization. They are a good choice for both experienced and novice gardeners interested in planting orange trees.
• Q: What condition will the tree arrive in? A: Your citrus fruit plant will arrive as a healthy, actively growing tree in a 5-gallon pot, with its root ball intact and protected. We take great care in packaging to ensure it arrives safely.
• Q: How long until this tree produces fruit? A: Being a grafted tree, it typically starts producing fruit within 1-2 years of planting. You may even see developing fruit or blooms upon arrival, depending on the season.
• Q: What is the best soil for navel orange care? A: For optimal navel orange care, use a well-draining, nutritious soil blend with a slightly acidic pH. Citrus-specific potting mixes are highly recommended for container growing.
• Q: Can I grow this tree on a patio? A: Absolutely! This 3-4 ft tall tree in a 5-gallon pot is perfectly sized for patio growing. Just ensure it receives plenty of direct sunlight.
• Q: What is the recommended watering schedule? A: Water deeply until water drains from the bottom, then allow the top few inches of soil to dry out between waterings. Adjust frequency based on weather and soil conditions.
• Q: What is the purpose of grafting this sweet orange tree? A: Grafting helps the tree mature and produce fruit faster, often provides disease resistance, and ensures the fruit produced is true to the desired variety, guaranteeing you a delicious sweet orange tree.