Do you like oranges? If so, and if you also have a garden or a patio (or maybe a balcony) you have a tree of the species that produces them, right?
And it is that this fruit tree, apart from allowing us to savor its fruits, is also very decorative because in spring its small, aromatic and precious white flowers sprout, and as if that were not enough, it gives a very pleasant shade.
Orange harvest calendar
Not to mention that it is a plant whose leaves have a super pleasant smell which can perfectly improve the environment depending on the size or quantity of orange plants.
If you want to expand your knowledge about the care of fruit trees, you can visit our complete guide to fruit trees.
But the question that surely haunts your head is: When are oranges really harvested? In supermarkets, greengrocers and others there is every day of the year for sale: is it that this fruit tree is producing fruit for the twelve months of the year?
The truth is that no. Each variety of orange tree (Washington Navel, Navel, Navel Lane Late and Navel Late are the most sold in Spain) and its fruits finish maturing in different months of the year.
Thus, the collection schedule in this country is as follows:
- Washington Navel: it is used both for juice and to consume fresh. It is harvested from December to March.
- Navel: it is used for fresh consumption. It is harvested from February to May.
- Navel Lane Late and Navel Late: they are mainly used for fresh consumption, but they are also valid for making juices. They are collected from March / April to June / July.
And the rest of the year? Oranges that are sold the rest of the year, that is, from more or less August / September to January They can come from a greenhouse or, at least, from highly controlled areas.
That does not mean that they are not as good as the seasonal ones.It is simply that human beings have done everything in their power to ensure a constant supply of oranges to the market.
But at a private level, this is at a domestic level, it is interesting to respect the cycles of the tree and take care of it so that when your time comes, you can produce all the oranges you have to produce.
.
But come on, surely this information at the moment is not entirely useful, or at least too complete.
We have thought about that and that is why we will be even more specific in this regard, because we know that you possibly want to harvest oranges without damaging the plant.
Because even if you don't believe it, removing fruit from an orange tree on the wrong day or time of year can create a disturbance in the plant to the point of producing the same amount of oranges.
If you want to learn how to take better care of your tree and its production, you may be interested in our complete growing guide.
When should oranges be picked?
As you can understand, You cannot have an orange tree and go and take the fruits from it just like that. There are factors that you have to consider and take into account when removing fruits.
An example of this is the climate and the area where you are, although this is not a big problem most of the time. On the other hand, if your intention is to collect oranges for sale, you have to take the following into account:
If you want your harvested oranges to taste amazing and not be like those oranges that taste very acidic, you have to be guided mainly by the color of the orange that you are going to remove from the plant.
Of course, this advice may not be true many times, since if you go by a yellowish color, you may not get what you want.
It happens that depending on the species, it is feasible to remove the fruit once it has acquired a good size and that to the touch, it is soft with the fingers pressed against it.
That is why a yellowish or orange color is not always the best option, since there are oranges whose skin is green and inside they are completely ripe. So you have to be aware of that.
The other fact that yes It is completely reliable when making a collection, it is thanks to the taste. The vast majority of the time that oranges are picked, some people instantly eat them.
Most likely when they do this, the taste is not what they expected. This may be due to the fact that the orange has not yet fully ripened and the only way to obtain that ripening after having removed it from the branches is to take just one of them, peel or cut it and then taste it.
If when you taste it, you notice that the taste is pleasant and bittersweet, it means that most of the oranges found on the plant are at the same ripeness point as the one you just picked.
Keys to an effective orange picking
What you read until a few moments ago were some general information that you may or may not take into account. But if you want something more specific and do the collection as if it were a professional, then you have to read these keys that we have prepared for you. There are only 5 keys that will help you in this regard and avoid removing the oranges that have not yet ripened from the plant.
Avoid collecting fruits that are wet or damp
It seems like something that doesn't make much sense to many, but In the case of oranges this is vitalThe reason is that it is a "dry" fruit, or at least the outside has to be dry so that it can be harvested without any problems. So The main thing is to make sure that the orange peel you are going to remove has no traces of water or moisture..
Therefore, you have to avoid picking oranges after it has rained or during rainy seasons. In these times there is usually a lot of humidity in the environment and possibly the orange acquires part of it.
Now, in this aspect you have to verify that the lower part of the orange is dry. If so, you can proceed to the collection. Although the best and most advisable thing is to harvest the fruits that are further up the plant or at least, those that are further outwards.
Use pliers or similar cutting tool
In the process of harvesting oranges there is a process or term that is known as tiling the oranges. This means that You have to cut the branches that the orange that you are going to remove from the plant hasEither you use a pruning shears or a special pliers used for citrus plants.
Now, you may be wondering why you have to do this. Know that it is essential to do so and although the collection by pull is the most common. But this is not recommended, since it ends up damaging part of the physical integrity of the plant and the least you want is for it to suffer damage and the orange tree to dry out.
It happens that when pulling an orange, without knowing it, a weak point is created in the plant which can turn into a start of rot, not to mention the fact that the appearance of fungi is very likely.
So the best and most recommended is to cut just the branch or the part where the fruit to be collected is located.
Do not pick oranges that are on the ground
All harvesting must be done directly from the plant, so do not wait for the orange to be fully ripe and for it to fall to the ground because it is not recommended.
The reason behind this is that when falling from the tree, the fruit receives a great impact that can cause physical damage. In the same way, You have to avoid as much as possible having to collect oranges that for some reason have been eaten or physically altered by animals.
So it is good to first inspect the fruit and then after giving the go-ahead, remove it from the plant.
Avoid injuring the fruit during harvesting
This is one of the problems that result from implementing orange pull harvesting. Not only is there a high possibility of weakening the plant itself, but the skin of the fruit can also be damaged.
Although it may seem nonsensical and despite the fact that the skin is quite thick, a wound on the fruit can lead to fluid loss, which can lead to the orange rotting more easily and quickly.
Do not collect small fruits
Although this may seem obvious, we must remind the person and especially you who is reading us, that regardless of whether the orange has an intense yellow color or that it seems to have ripened to the touch, avoid removing it from the plant as much as possible.
Although this is a factor that It depends a lot on the type of orange tree that is being treated. But it is best to wait long enough for the fruit to reach a considerable size and can be harvested.
