Orange County’s Legacy : Right in Your Own Back Yard
It’s springtime, and the sultry aroma of orange blossoms perfumes the air. The scent is a promise of all that the season will bring--to your neighbors. It’s their trees you smell. And the only thing you can count on is watching them pick and eat oranges fresh from the branch.
If you’ve ever wanted an orange tree of your own, it’s a good time to plant one. But first, there is a lot to consider: Which is the best orange tree? Where do you plant it? How deep do you dig the hole? How do you keep it healthy?
With the declining number of commercial orange groves in the county, homeowners may be the last chance for the area to bear the fruit of its name. So get ready to pick your own oranges and help the county keep in touch with its roots. Choosing the Best Tree Citrus trees are grafted onto strong, disease-resistant root balls. Choose a healthy tree, regardless of size. What to look for: * No leaf or trunk damage * Uniformly moist soil; no cracking in dirt * Trunk has sturdy connection to root * Moist, pliable roots; new, white roots indicate tree growth * Roots spread in all directions; roots don’t overlap or grow above-ground * Tree stands on its own without stake support * Signs of growth: new stems, leaves, blossoms Dwarf Versus Standard Dwarfs * Good for small yards * Grow to 10 feet * Take up half the space of a standard tree * Produce considerable quantity of fruit Standards * Grow to 25 feet * Leaves densely packed; good for screening for privacy * Need trimming to keep size manageable * Prolific orange-producers Two Top Trees Because of their complementary fruit-bearing seasons, many homeowners plant both Washington navel and Valencia varieties. Both can produce fruit for up to 50 years. Washington Navel * Top pick of county homeowners * Ripe fruit from December through April * Large fruit with thick peel * Segments pull apart easily * Seedless * Superior flavor for eating Valencia * Top pick of county commercial growers * Season from May through November * Small fruit keeps well on tree for months * Thin peel; segments difficult to pull apart * Seedless * Excellent juicing orange
Orange Anatomy The orange is a type of berry called a hesperidium Flavedo: Peel; produces strong spicy oil Albedo: White, spongy layer Flesh: 10-15 segments containing thousands of juice sacs
Where to Plant * Choose a spot that gets at least six hours of sun every day * Plant where limbs won’t cross fences, hit power lines or interfere with other tree growth * Before digging, check for underground wires or pipes * Avoid closed-in spaces next to walls or in corners
Steps to Planting 1) Dig hole twice as deep and twice as wide as roots; pile topsoil and subsoil separately 2) Insert supporting stake 3) Place tree in hole; spread roots apart, then cover with topsoil 4) Use subsoil to fill in rest of the hole 5) Leave a slight depression, or berm, around base of tree for watering 6) As tree grows, use an irrigator to water roots directly
Pruning and Care Standard orange trees do not require pruning to enhance fruit production. However, you still need to keep the tree healthy and manageable in size. Prune in early spring and before new growth begins. * Working outside to inside, clear out dead limbs * Pull away--do not cut--secondary shoots, called suckers, as close to limb as possible * Water often; fertilize and mulch as needed * Never prop up limbs overburdened with fruit, this only weakens the limb * Fruit improves in flavor the longer it hangs on the tree; once picked, it will not improve
Most Common Disorders Sooty Mold Symptoms: Leaves covered with black, sootlike deposits; young leaves feel sticky Treatment: Usually indicates scale infestation; treat affected areas with malathion or insecticidal soap Bark Splitting Symptoms: Bark cracks open Treatment: Remove deadwood and loose bark until split is clean; coat with wound-sealing paint Scale Symptoms: Round or flat insects on leaves Treatment: Spray with insecticidal soap or malathion Blue or Green Fungi Symptoms: Fruit is covered with wounds and infested with mold Treatment: Caused by wet weather; thin out fruit and clear out dead limbs; remove mulch until ground dries
When the County was Orange In the late 1800s, when the county was named, there were more grapevines than orange trees. In fact, the Valencia orange wasn’t even developed. According to local historian Jim Sleeper, real estate agents thought the word orange evoked a very salable Mediterranean flavor that they hoped would lure land-buying Easterners to the area.
Once the orange industry took off in the early 1900s, the Bastanchury family built its Fullerton site into the world’s largest orange grove. Over the decades, increasing land values have made real estate development more profitable than citrus production, pushing the orange growing and packing industry into serious decline. Production Plummets The high point for orange tree acreage was in 1948, when it reached 65,472 acres. Since then the number of commercial production acres has declined by nearly 93%. Production acres 1930 44,449 1940 62,584 1950 56,070 1960 28,220 1970 14,793 1980 5,489 1990 3,283 1991 3,238
Nurseries’ Oranges Grow The number of wholesale orange trees* sold to retail nurseries, which then sell to the public is climbing. 1980 25,500 1990 52,000 1991 54,000 1992 58,500 1993 61,200** *estimated **projected Sources: Orange County Agricultural Commissioner, Nurseryland, Reader’s Digest’s “Illustrated Guide to Gardening,” Encyclopaedia Britannica; Researched by APRIL JACKSON / Los Angeles Times
