Overview

Experience the joy of growing your own exotic fruit with this exceptional blood orange citrus tree. This live plant, standing at an impressive 3ft, is a grafted specimen, ensuring robust growth and earlier fruit production. Blood orange citrus trees are renowned for their distinctive, crimson-fleshed fruit, which offers a unique balance of sweetness and tartness, along with a beautiful visual appeal. Perfect for home gardeners looking to add a touch of the Mediterranean to their landscape or patio, this tree promises a rewarding cultivation experience. It’s an excellent choice for those interested in growing blood oranges and enjoying fresh, vitamin-rich fruit straight from their garden.

Originating from the Mediterranean region, blood oranges are a beloved citrus variety, and this grafted tree provides a head start on harvesting. Grafting combines the desired fruit-producing characteristics of the blood orange with the vigor and disease resistance of a hardy rootstock. This means you’ll enjoy a healthier plant and more bountiful harvests sooner. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just starting your citrus journey, this live blood orange plant offers an exciting and delicious addition to your edible garden.

Key Benefits

Adding a blood orange citrus tree to your garden brings a multitude of benefits, from aesthetic appeal to culinary delight. These trees are not only producers of delicious fruit but also provide year-round greenery and a pleasant aroma.

• Unique Fruit Production: Enjoy harvesting your own blood oranges, celebrated for their deep red interior, sweet-tart flavor, and high antioxidant content. This grafted blood orange tree ensures reliable fruiting.
• Decorative Appeal: With its glossy evergreen foliage and fragrant white blossoms, the blood orange citrus tree makes a beautiful ornamental addition to any garden, patio, or large container.
• Culinary Versatility: The vibrant fruit can be used in a variety of dishes, from fresh juices and salads to desserts and cocktails, adding a gourmet touch to your home cooking.
• Health Benefits: Blood oranges are packed with Vitamin C, anthocyanins (which give them their red color), and other beneficial antioxidants, contributing to a healthy diet.
• Evergreen Foliage: Provides continuous greenery throughout the year, maintaining visual interest even when not in fruit or flower.
• Fragrant Blooms: The tree produces lovely, aromatic white flowers, adding a delightful scent to your outdoor living space, often signaling the promise of future fruit.
• Long-Lived Investment: A well-cared-for live blood orange plant can provide decades of delicious fruit and beauty, becoming a cherished part of your landscape.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper citrus tree care is essential for a thriving and productive blood orange citrus tree. This tropical plant requires specific conditions to flourish, ensuring a bountiful harvest of its unique fruit. First and foremost, sunlight is critical. Your tree needs at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. Choose a location in your garden that receives full sun, or if growing in a container, place it in the sunniest spot on your patio or balcony. For watering, consistency is key. Blood orange trees prefer consistently moist, but not waterlogged, soil. Water deeply when the top 2-3 inches of soil feel dry to the touch, and ensure good drainage to prevent root rot. During hotter months or active growth periods, more frequent watering may be necessary.

The ideal soil for a grafted blood orange tree is well-draining, slightly acidic, and rich in organic matter. A high-quality potting mix formulated for citrus plants is recommended for container growing. Fertilize your tree regularly with a specialized citrus fertilizer, following the product’s instructions, typically every 1-3 months during the growing season (spring through fall). These trees are tropical and thrive in USDA Zones 9-11, where temperatures rarely drop below freezing. If you live in a colder climate, it’s best to grow your live blood orange plant in a container so it can be moved indoors during winter. Protect the tree from strong winds and frost, which can damage the foliage and fruit. Pruning should be done to maintain shape, remove dead or diseased branches, and encourage air circulation within the canopy, usually after the main harvest.

Size & Details

This blood orange citrus tree is a live, grafted specimen, typically measuring approximately 3 feet in height upon arrival. Grafting ensures that the tree will produce fruit true to the blood orange variety and often results in earlier fruiting compared to seed-grown trees. The tree is grown as an outdoor plant in tropical and subtropical climates, but can be successfully cultivated in containers in cooler regions, allowing it to be brought indoors during colder months. The mature size of a blood orange citrus tree can vary depending on whether it’s planted in the ground or in a container, and whether it’s a standard or semi-dwarf variety. In optimal conditions, these trees can reach heights of 10-15 feet in the ground, while container-grown trees typically remain smaller, around 5-8 feet, making them manageable for patios and smaller spaces. Expect the tree to arrive with healthy, vibrant green foliage, ready to establish itself in its new home. With proper citrus tree care, you can anticipate fragrant blooms and the eventual development of delicious blood oranges.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big will this blood orange citrus tree get? A: This 3ft grafted tree can grow to 10-15 feet when planted in the ground. If kept in a container, it will typically remain a more manageable 5-8 feet tall, depending on pruning and pot size.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This blood orange citrus tree is primarily an outdoor plant for USDA Zones 9-11. In colder climates, it can be grown outdoors in a container during warm months and brought indoors for winter protection.
• Q: How much sunlight does a blood orange tree need? A: Your grafted blood orange tree requires at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day to produce fruit and thrive. Choose a sunny location for planting or placement.
• Q: Is this blood orange variety easy to care for? A: With consistent watering, proper fertilization, and adequate sunlight, growing blood oranges can be a rewarding experience. It’s considered moderately easy for those familiar with citrus tree care.
• Q: What condition will the tree arrive in? A: The live blood orange plant will arrive as a healthy, 3ft grafted tree, carefully packaged to ensure its safe journey. It will be ready for planting or repotting upon arrival.
• Q: How long until this tree produces fruit? A: As this is a grafted tree, it will typically begin producing fruit sooner than seed-grown trees. You may see fruit within 1-3 years of planting, with increasing yields as the tree matures.
• Q: What type of soil is best for a blood orange citrus tree? A: A well-draining, slightly acidic soil rich in organic matter is ideal. For container growing, use a high-quality potting mix specifically formulated for citrus plants.
• Q: Can I use the fruit from this tree for juicing? A: Absolutely! Blood oranges are highly prized for their juice, which has a distinctive flavor and a beautiful deep red color, making them perfect for fresh juices and cocktails.
• Q: Will this tree survive winter in my area? A: This blood orange citrus tree is cold-sensitive and best suited for USDA Zones 9-11. If you live in a colder zone, you will need to protect it from frost or grow it in a container to move indoors during winter.
• Q: What is the recommended watering schedule for this citrus tree? A: Water deeply when the top 2-3 inches of soil feel dry to the touch. Ensure proper drainage to prevent root rot. Watering frequency will depend on climate, pot size, and season.