Satsuma orange

How to grow Satsuma orange growing and care:

Well-drained soil, better loamy soil, moist soil in the fruits season and better to put mulch

How to care:
Design for easy to pick the fruits (when there are thorns it’s important but not all cultivars have thorns), add to the soil, organic matter, humus and fertilizer, in location with hot summer sun that the main trunk is expose to the sun better to better to whitewash (lime paint)

What is the best way to start growing:
Plant / Seed / Cutting / Air layering

Is it necessary to graft or cutting?
Yes, necessary to ensure the existent of the fruits and quality of the fruits and better to graft more than one cultivar or more than on citrus.

Cutting need to use for the base of the tree for: disease-free, base that fit for different soils, resistance for drought, base that won’t resist for grafting.

Difficulties/Problems with growing:
When the tree young very sensitive to citrus leaf miner, thorns

Planting season:
Spring to summer in hardiness zone 9-10a, spring or autumn hardiness zone 10b-11a, possible also in summer and winter the main problem it’s hot and cold days that might cause future problem and even kill the plant, hardiness zone 11b+ planted all year

Pests and diseases:
Citrus leaf miner, aphids, citrus foot rot, ant, citrus gummosis

Pruning season:
End of the winter, beginning of the spring

How to prune:
Dead branch, cross branch, density branch grown

Size of the plant?
3-6 m, 10-20 feet

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Medium growing to slow growing

Water requirement:
Average amount of water, usually the plant need more water in the fruits season, but usually it’s when there are rains and if raining season delay need to increase the amount of water that the fruits won’t be dry and won’t explode.

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Sun and possible to grow in half shade in the right care but will produce less fruits

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
No, but possible to grow next to window with sun that possible, grow it as dwarf tree and will take more time to get fruits

Growing is also possible in a pot, planter, flowerpot or containers:
Yes, when grow in container need to choose the desirable container if it’s small plant it directly if it’s a big container bigger than 100% than the root ball consider start to grow with small container, better to switch the soil once in few years, when start to grow check that the graft of the tree not too much high and choose plant that can grow as dwarf tree or to grow it as bonsai.

Blooming information

When does flowers bloom?
Spring / winter

General information about the flower
Flowers are white with yellow stamen

Thinning / Deadheading of the blossom:
The first years should thinning the flowers,

Pollination is done by:
Bees, own pollination

Edible fruits

When does it yield:
Autumn / Winter

Pests or diseases in Satsuma oranges fruit:
Citrus stubborn disease, citrus black spot, Alternaria, fruit explode (lace of water)

What can be done with big quantities of Satsuma oranges fruit?
Eat, juice, the rind used fragrant, fruit leather, sugary rind

Work requirements on the fruit:
Pick up (sometimes cut branches that grow into the fruit)

How long does it take to bear fruit?
2-3 years

Ripening of fruit
Possible to pick up the fruit before and let them ripening them in the house

Scientific name:

Citrus unshiu