Citrus Seedlings

Citrus is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae that produces citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruit, pomelo and limes, bitter orange, citron, clementine, tangerine, sweet lemon and several others which differs in color, taste, shape and sizes.

citrus can be cultivated using the citrus seed for commercial purpose, citrus can be eaten fresh, the liquid can be used for citrus drinks or juice production, it also serves several culinary and medicinal purposes.

What you need to know about sweet orange farming

• Acquire your seedlings from reputable farms, preferably at the onset of rains.
• If not acquired at the onset of rains, ensure you adequately provide irrigation to the seedlings.
• Prepare the field and dig planting holes
• During planting, use well-rotted manure with topsoil.
• Generally, trees need a wider spacing at sea level than those transplanted at higher altitudes.
• It is very important to ensure that seedlings are not transplanted too deep.
• After planting, the seedlings ought to be at the same height or preferably, somewhat higher than in the nursery.
• Keep the trees free of weeds.
• Maintain a single stem up to a height of 80-100 cm.
• Remove all side branches/rootstock suckers.
• Pinch or break the top branch at a height of 100 cm to encourage side branching.

Requirements for planting sweet orange seedlings

• Oranges grow over a wide range of soils but light, well-drained (sandy) soils are most ideal.
• For good productivity, oranges require well-distributed rainfall or supplementary irrigation throughout the year. A good source of water is therefore essential in orange farming.
• Water requirements vary according to weather conditions, but the ideal range is between 450mm – 2,700mm per year.
• Oranges can be grown from as low as sea level to 200m above sea level. Areas of low humidity are most ideal.
• Such a climate is important for reduced disease intensity and for acquiring good orange colour.
• A dry hot day, cool at night climate also favours good colour development.
• The optimum temperature for propagation is 25⁰C-35⁰C. Extremely high temperatures may be harmful especially during flowering or if cool temperatures are followed by a hot period.
• Winds of high speeds will scar fruits and cause fruit drop. Where winds are a problem, windbreak shelters should be planted.