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Index : Citrus and Other Fruits
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- 2. Fall is Citrus Planting Time - Top
- Fall is the ideal time to plant citrus trees. With cooler air temperatures, newly planted trees are less prone to stress. In addition still warm soil temperatures are conducive to new root growth and tree establishment before the onset of colder winter weather.
There are many types of citrus to choose from and a good selection is now available at area garden centers. Oranges are the most popular among home gardeners. If you want an orange for eating, Arizona Sweets are hard to beat! They ripen December through February and can be used to make fresh-squeezed juice as well. But if you’re mainly interested in juicing your oranges, far and away the best is the Valencia orange. It’s a late season variety that ripens February through May.
Grapefruit are also popular and a good choice for colder spots around Tucson. But you might want to try an alternative to grapefruit called Oroblanco. It’s a grapefruit crossed with a pummelo that creates a juicy sweet grapefruit-sized fruit, but without the bitterness of grapefruit!
This year, for the first time in a long time, it’s once again legal for garden centers in Arizona to sell Myer and Improved Myer lemons in Arizona. Thought to be the best of all lemons by most home gardeners, Myer is actually a cross between a true lemon and an orange. The rind of Myer lemons is orange-yellow and it’s deep yellow flesh is decidedly sweeter than a lemon but still has plenty of tang!
Still, if you have only enough for one citrus tree in your yard, that citrus should be a Mineolla tangelo. A cross between a Dancy mandarin and a Duncan grapefruit, Mineolla is arguably the sweetest and juiciest of all the citrus fruits with a unique mandarin-orange flavor. Its deep orange-red fruits are easy to peel and are great for eating fresh or juicing.
When purchasing a citrus tree, choose one that has lots of dark green leaves and a sturdy trunk. The best size citrus trees to buy are ones in 5, 7 or 15 gallon containers. They’re easier to handle and establish faster after planting than do larger boxed citrus trees
Most citrus require a space of 10 feet by 10 feet to grow and should be planted a minimum of 6 feet from house or property walls or fences. The hole dug to plant your tree should be shallow and wide, no deeper than the depth of the root ball and about two to three times wider. When set in the planting hole, the top of the root ball should be flush with the surrounding soil. Citrus planted too deep will struggle and likely die!
Fill in around the root ball with the soil dug from the hole. Do not mix compost, manure or other organic amendments into the backfill soil! This creates a pot-in-the-ground effect that
will prevent the roots from growing out in the surrounding soil. Contrary to popular belief, citrus trees will grow just fine in our desert soils as long as there is adequate drainage.
After filling the planting hole with soil, minus any large rocks, thoroughly water to settle the soil and moisten the root ball. Water two or three times weekly through the end of November. Then reduce watering to once weekly through the winter months.
If you would like our free University of Arizona “Citrus Varieties” publication covering all the types of citrus that can be grown in the southern Arizona, send a self-addressed envelope to: Citrus, 4210 N. Campbell Ave, Tucson Az. 85719
Written by John Begeman, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Arizona,
520-626-5161. - Updated: October 16, 2005
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