The Calamondin Tree: A Symbol of Prosperity and Good Luck for Chinese New Year

When it comes to celebrating Chinese New Year, symbolism plays a central role. From the colors red and gold to the dishes served, everything is steeped in tradition and meaning. Among the many cherished symbols of this festive season is the calamondin tree, a beautiful and fruitful plant that carries deep cultural significance. Known as the “Citrus of Abundance,” the calamondin tree represents wealth, prosperity, and good fortune, making it a perfect gift and decoration for this time of year.

Why the Calamondin Tree is the Star of Chinese New Year

Symbolism: The Citrus of Abundance

The calamondin tree, a hybrid between a kumquat and a mandarin orange, has earned its reputation as a harbinger of prosperity. Its evergreen foliage signifies longevity and vitality, while its small, vibrant fruits symbolize abundance and success. The tree’s ability to produce fruit year-round is viewed as a metaphor for consistent wealth and opportunities throughout the year.
In Chinese culture, the orange hues of the calamondin fruit are especially significant. Orange is associated with gold, a timeless symbol of wealth and financial prosperity. The fruits are also round, representing wholeness and unity, key themes during Chinese New Year celebrations.

Calamondin Trees as Gifts: A Thoughtful Gesture

A Wish for Health, Wealth, and Happiness

The tradition of giving a calamondin tree as a gift during Chinese New Year is deeply rooted in the values of goodwill and generosity. Gifting a calamondin tree is a way of imparting best wishes for health, wealth, and happiness to friends, family, and business associates. It’s a gift that not only carries symbolic value but also offers practical benefits. The tree’s fragrant blossoms and tart fruits can be used in cooking, cleaning, and even skincare.

Perfect for Every Setting

Whether presented to a close family member or a professional colleague, the calamondin tree conveys a universal message of hope and positivity. It’s a meaningful gift that keeps on giving, as recipients can enjoy its beauty and benefits long after the celebrations are over.

The Calamondin Tree in Festive Decorations

Bringing Fortune Into Your Home

During Chinese New Year, homes and businesses are adorned with symbols that attract good fortune, and the calamondin tree is a favorite choice. Often placed at the entrance of homes or offices, the tree is believed to invite positive energy and prosperity into the space. Its bright fruit contrasts beautifully against its lush green leaves, adding a vibrant and festive touch to any decor.

A Centerpiece of Tradition

In many households, the calamondin tree takes center stage as a decorative focal point. Families may add red envelopes (ang pao), gold coins, and other traditional ornaments to its branches to amplify its auspicious qualities. The combination of red, gold, and green reflects the harmonious balance of elements thought to bring good fortune.

Caring for Your Calamondin Tree

While the calamondin tree is relatively low-maintenance, a little care goes a long way in ensuring it thrives and continues to bring symbolic and practical benefits. Here are some tips for keeping your calamondin tree healthy:

• Lighting: Place the tree in a location with bright, indirect sunlight.
• Watering: Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. Allow the top inch of soil to dry out between waterings.
• Fertilization: Use a citrus-specific fertilizer during the growing season to encourage healthy foliage and fruit production.
• Pruning: Trim dead or overgrown branches to maintain its shape and vitality.

A well-cared-for calamondin tree can live for years, serving as a perennial reminder of good fortune and prosperity.

The Calamondin Tree’s Broader Appeal

While its significance during Chinese New Year is well-documented, the calamondin tree’s appeal goes beyond its cultural symbolism. It’s a versatile plant that can enhance any garden or indoor space. Its small size makes it ideal for patios, balconies, or even tabletops, and its fragrant blooms provide a delightful sensory experience.

In addition to its decorative value, the calamondin fruit is highly versatile. Its tangy juice can be used to flavor dishes, make refreshing beverages, or even act as a natural cleaning agent. The fruit’s rich vitamin C content also makes it a popular ingredient in skincare products.

A Timeless Symbol of Prosperity

The calamondin tree is more than just a plant—it’s a timeless symbol of prosperity, good fortune, and the hope for abundance. Whether given as a gift or used as a decoration, this “Citrus of Abundance” holds a special place in Chinese New Year traditions and continues to capture the hearts of those who celebrate.

As you prepare for Chinese New Year, consider adding a calamondin tree to your festivities. It’s a beautiful way to honor tradition, share goodwill, and invite prosperity into your life. After all, who wouldn’t want a little extra luck and abundance to kick off the year?

>>Shop Calamondin (Calamansi) Trees

The post Add Some Luck to Your Yarden this Chinese New Year! appeared first on Yarden.

Grapefruit is a nutritious fruit that’s easy to add to your diet because it doesn’t require much preparation time or special cooking tactics. Here are some ways to make it even easier to add grapefruit to your routine.

Plan

It can feel daunting to eat healthy when our world is always on the go.  At the end of a long and busy day, it’s sometimes hard to muster the mental energy to decide what to make for dinner, let alone actually make it.  If you aren’t an early bird, mornings might be a mad dash to get out the door and to work on time, leaving no time for breakfast.

Making a meal plan ahead of time can take the pressure off you during the week and help you stick to a schedule.  Meal planning doesn’t have to be time-consuming.  Set aside an hour or two during your days off to go through your fridge and pantry to see what you have on hand.  Use this inventory to plan your meals for the week, making a grocery list of additional items needed as you go. You can find what works for you and your tastes, but try to incorporate grapefruit into at least one meal or snack a day.  You don’t have to reinvent the wheel either; if you find a recipe that works, repeat it as often as you like each week!  It can even be something fun, like having a Paloma on a Saturday night out or grapefruit mimosas with Sunday brunch.

Prep

Planning your meals is sure to help you stick to your grapefruit routine, but you can take it one step further by doing weekly meal prep as well.  Again, set aside a block of time on a day off (after you’ve made your meal plan and grocery shopped!) to prep food that will make your daily meals quick and easy.  For example, if you are topping your lunch salads with grapefruit, cut and section enough grapefruit for each day. Cut grapefruit can be kept in the fridge for about 3–4 days, or until it begins to become soft, so you can do two smaller batches of prepping during the week or freeze half of the prepped batch and pull them out to thaw as needed. Store them in individually sized airtight containers so you can easily pack one in your lunchbox each day.  Frozen grapefruit segments are also great for tossing in smoothies or as cocktail garnishes.  Try freezing freshly squeezed grapefruit juice in ice trays.  Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container and you’ll have them on hand to add to water, cocktails, juice, smoothies, sorbets, and more!

Find Recipes Fit for You

The most important thing about incorporating grapefruit into your routine is making sure your choices are fit for your routine. If you don’t like eating plain grapefruit and plan to eat plain grapefruit for a snack every day, you are not going to look forward to it and it can become a roadblock for you.  If you don’t have the time to cook an elaborate breakfast that features grapefruit every morning, putting those recipes in your meal plan is unrealistic and will be discouraging when you cannot keep up.  You can find recipes to try on the Yarden blog or sites like Pinterest.  Try out different recipes to find not only what tastes good, but ones that are easy and manageable for you to make.  You want to make it as enjoyable as possible when adding more grapefruit to your diet!

As a closing bonus, adding a grapefruit tree to your Yarden or indoor plant collection is an easy way to have fresh grapefruit literally at your fingertips!

The post Easy Ways to Eat More Grapefruit appeared first on Yarden.

Any deck, balcony, or patio, big or small, can be transformed by a potted tree. A tree planted in a container can act as a focal point for your patio or garden, while multiple container trees can provide privacy screening or turn a hot, exposed area into a leafy bower. A potted tree can make a statement no annuals could ever match. And when you choose to keep a Meyer Lemon Tree in a pot on your patio, you get the added benefit of deep-green color year-round (citrus trees are evergreen), fragrant white flowers in the springtime, and – best of all – delicious, gourmet fruit grown right in your own backyard. A hybrid of a true lemon and a mandarin orange, Meyer Lemons are smaller than their conventional cousins, sweeter, and much coveted in recipes of all kinds from sweet to savory. They can also be used in any recipe that calls for lemons, and you’ll love using your own homegrown fruits instead of having to make a grocery store run!

If you’re already moving on because you believe you don’t live in a climate conducive to growing a lemon tree, hang on – the improved Meyer Lemon is the hardiest of lemon trees, and trees kept in pots can be brought indoors to overwinter when the weather turns cold.

When it comes to lemon tree care, Meyer Lemon trees are easier to look after than other citrus plants. This doesn’t mean you can just stick your tree in a pot and give it some water now and then and expect it to thrive. But with the right information and a little effort, your potted Meyer Lemon Tree can brighten your patio and kitchen for years to come.

Care Tips for Potted Meyer Lemon Trees

Meyer lemon trees can be planted in the ground in USDA Hardiness Zones 8-11 (the southern coastal regions and deep southern half of the United States), where its maximum height (about ten feet tall) makes it ideal for smaller gardens. Even in tropical climates, however, your Meyer Lemon Tree will need help when the thermometer dips below freezing, but since Meyer Lemons love temperatures between 50°F and 80°F, most will do quite well in colder growing zones if they’re kept in containers that can be overwintered.

Here’s what you’ll need to do to keep your Meyer Lemon Tree healthy:

• Choose a sunny location for your Meyer Lemon Tree. This is the most important thing to remember: full sun exposure, at least eight hours a day. (This is true in the winter, as well, so keep that in mind when planning on getting a Meyer Lemon to keep in a pot.) Not enough sun means little to no fruit.

• Pick the right pot and soil for your Meyer Lemon Tree. The pot you keep your Meyer Lemon Tree in should be at least 12″-17″ in diameter and have plenty of drainage holes. The soil should be sandy and well-draining.

• Don’t overwater your Meyer Lemon Tree. Depending on the season and the local climate, you should only need to water your Meyer Lemon once every one or two weeks. Newly repotted trees might need a bit more during the first few weeks after, but stick your finger up to the second knuckle to make sure the soil feels dry before you do it…overwatering your lemon tree lead to waterlogging the soil and causing infection in the roots.

• Fertilize your Meyer Lemon Tree regularly. To ensure your citrus tree grows well, stays healthy, and puts out lots of blossoms and fruit, fertilize three times during the growing season – once in early spring, once during the summer, and once in the fall. There are high-nitrogen or slow-release fertilizers formulated specifically for citrus trees that are suitable.

• Prune your Meyer Lemon Tree with caution. A citrus tree’s shape doesn’t impact its ability to bear fruit, so you shouldn’t need to prune your Meyer Lemon unless you want to shape it. If you do choose to prune, wait until the tree is at least three feet tall and do it in the wintertime, after the fruit has ripened and been harvested. Work up from the base, removing dead, dying, or fragile limbs, limbs that limit the flow of air to the center of the tree, and work from there to shape the tree the way you like.

Troubleshooting

When you buy Lemon Trees from Yarden you know you’re starting with a strong, healthy tree, and Meyer Lemons are relatively easy-care and especially resistant to disease. There are some common issues you may run into that will need to be addressed, however…here’s what to look for:

• Yellowing leaves. This is a fairly easy fix – if you see some of the leaves on your Meyer Lemon Tree are turning yellow, you are very likely overwatering the tree. Let the soil dry out completely before watering it again, and keep your watering schedule to once every one or two weeks going forward.

• Drooping leaves. Leaf droop (the abnormal sagging or downward bending of a plant’s foliage) is usually a sign of sudden stress. A change in environment could be the culprit…if you’ve recently moved your tree outdoors for the summer, watch to be sure the sudden light exposure doesn’t scorch the leaves. If you’ve moved your tree indoors for the winter, be sure the temperature is over 50°F and the tree is getting enough sunlight. Check for overwatering, underwatering, and be sure to fertilize your tree regularly so it gets the nutrients it needs.

• Leaf damage. Meyer Lemon Trees are typical targets for a variety of pests, including whiteflies, rust mites, mealybugs, aphids, and scale. While established adult trees usually can withstand an infestation or two, smaller, more vulnerable trees can be decimated by any one of these issues. Signs of pest issues will typically appear on the undersides of leaves or on the fruit…to control and eliminate pests issues, prune away any dead, unhealthy, or infected areas of the plant, then spray it with diluted neem oil regularly until all signs of the infestation have vanished.

The post Tips on Caring for a Meyer Lemon Tree  appeared first on Yarden.

Thanks to a lack of harmful pesticides and a purported improvement in overall quality, many people want to grow citrus trees that are organic. However, it’s important to fully understand what organic means before you start growing. Organic is not about the kind of citrus fruit that you grow, but rather how you grow it.

What is Organic Citrus?

Organic ultimately means natural. It means using only natural fertilizers and pest control methods. Some people opt for using chemicals to help give their plants an advantage when growing or keeping rid of parasites. However, others would rather go a more natural or organic route when growing their citrus.

Keeping everything to an organic standard with citrus trees can be hard, though. This is because using only natural methods makes some processes for fertilizing and pest control harder or more complicated.

How is Organic Citrus Different?

Since the methods used for growing it are a little bit different, you will find that an organic grove of citrus trees and their fruit will look a little different from large commercial farms that employ chemicals in growing their fruit.

In a commercial grove, you may notice that everything looks cookie cutter and uniform. This is not really how a grove of organically grown citrus trees will look. In fact, you might find an organic grove of citrus trees to look almost chaotic or like they just grew there naturally. This does not, however, mean they are not maintained.

In fact, an organic grove may take more time and effort to maintain in many ways than a commercial one does. For example, one of the best pest and parasite control methods for the organic grower is the natural underbrush of the trees. These ground covers and weeds actually work to attract beneficial insects that are the natural predators of insects that can damage the trees.

Another reason for keeping all of this underbrush is because it provides a type of natural mulch for the roots of the trees, helping to keep the correct levels of moisture and insulating the roots against any small cold snap that might cause damage to the trees.

Even the fertilizer used in an organic grove of citrus trees is going to look a little bit different. Again, you won’t see the same chemicals that are mixed into commercial soils here. When working with organic citrus trees, fertilizers are usually combinations of potting solid, hay, compost, and other types of natural materials.

Organic Citrus Fruit

Organic citrus fruit is grown using all-natural methods; many people swear by it and are willing to pay top dollar too. A lot of people feel that organic fruit is not only safer to consume but that it tastes better too. However, commercial citrus trees seem to produce consistent and visually perfect fruit.

This is because preservatives chemically protect commercially grown citrus and in some cases, it is even coated with a special wax coating to keep it from being potentially damaged by changes in weather or parasites.

Even though citrus fruit grown without the use of chemicals and harmful pesticides is far better for you and usually tastes better, commercial growers make more money from fruit that has a guaranteed harvest and visual perfection. Unfortunately, most people shop and eat with their eyes first without digging deeper into the actual health benefits and taste of the fruit they buy.

Does Citrus Fruit Need to Be Organic?

Citrus fruit does not have to be organic. Whether or not you choose to grow organic citrus trees or use artificial chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers is up to you. However, if you want to harvest citrus fruit without these harmful chemicals, organic home gardening is not wildly difficult, and on a small scale, isn’t even that much more expensive.

When you grow organic citrus, the main thing is you are guaranteed an all-natural product that will likely give you a more authentic flavor when you eat it. Also, if you’re concerned about the chemicals that food is being grown with these days, organic citrus trees will be a much more appealing prospect for you.

What Citrus is Healthiest?

If you are concerned with adding the healthiest fruit to your diet, grapefruit is the healthiest of all the citrus fruits. Grapefruit has fiber, potassium, beta carotene, and vitamin C, making it one of the healthiest fruit choices available.

However, grapefruit is just one option. Oranges and lemons also come packed with vitamins and have tons of benefits for your body and overall health as well. In addition, you might find these fruits more to your liking because they have a wide variety of uses.

In fact, there aren’t too many dishes you can’t enhance with a little lemon juice. Lemon juice can even help to keep other fruits fresh in a salad or dish.

Should You Eat Citrus Every Day?

Eating citrus daily can be a great way to keep your diet healthy. Citrus fruits offer many vitamins and minerals, not to mention they taste really good.

One of the best things about adding citrus to your diet is that there are so many options within the citrus category that you can eat citrus every day and not feel like you are eating the same thing repeatedly.

The best part of adding citrus to your diet is that you can grow it yourself and be sure of what you are eating and how it was grown. Check out Citrus.com to see what kind of amazing citrus tree might be right for you and your home!

The post Understanding Organic Citrus appeared first on Yarden.

There are a lot of choices when it comes to buying citrus fruit and citrus fruit gifts. But not all citrus fruit companies are created equal. Ordering fresh oranges, grapefruit, and specialty fruits directly from the grove is a great way to get the best quality fruit. Just make sure that you are ordering from one of the best citrus companies so that you can be sure you will get great fruit, great service, and a great price. The companies listed here are the best citrus fruit companies for fruit baskets, fruit assortments, fruit towers and other fruit gifts. You can also order fruit assortments for your family or for holiday decorations and be sure that you are getting great quality fruit at a great price.

Hale Groves

When it comes to great tasting Florida citrus it doesn’t get any better than fruit from Hale Groves!

This small, independently owned grove has been shipping out some of the best Florida citrus fruit for 75 years. Located in Florida’s famous, Indian River fruit district (Indian River citrus fruit is by far the best-tasting!), Hale Groves started as a roadside fruit stand in 1947. Hale Groves has grown a lot over the years, but when it comes to picking fine fruit, sorting it for size and quality, and packing it for perfect arrival, the company’s values have remained the same. Hale Groves’ reputation for freshness comes from the fact that they don’t start picking their customers’ fruit until their order comes in. That means every navel orange, tangerines fruit and grapefruit has never seen cold storage.

You can find a huge selection of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and even specialty fruit like Honeybells and Clementines at Hale Groves. Just be sure that you order early. A lot of the most popular holiday gifts sell out quickly each year. Hale Grove also offers a lot of budget friendly citrus gift choices.

Pittman & Davis

In addition to the Ruby Red Grapefruit that first made them famous over 90 years ago, Pittman & Davis offers an incredible assortment of gourmet gifts, such as King Comice pears, smoked meats, cheeses, pastries, candies and many other specialty-gift items.

Pittman & Davis is meticulous when it comes to fruit, raising them to perfection and taking the extra step of allowing them to ripen fully on the tree. This results in extraordinary, sugar-sweet fruit like you won’t find in any grocery store.

Grown in the Indian River district in Florida and the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, Pittman & Davis sweet grapefruit is a holiday tradition for many of their customers.

Along with Ruby Red Grapefruit, Pittman & Davis offers Honeybell citrus fruit gifts and other fruit baskets that contain fresh Florida citrus, as well as Pittman & Davis pears, apples, and other treats. You can order these treats easily online, but Honeybell gifts often sell out months ahead of time so if you want Honeybell gifts you need to order early.

What’s more, each of the Pittman & Davis gift food selections are meticulously prepared to assure the finest quality possible. The smoked meats are all the premium grade selections that are slowly and naturally smoked the old time-honored way. The premium baked goods and pastries are personally baked in small batches and shipped bakery fresh.

The post The Best Citrus Companies to Buy Fruit From appeared first on Yarden.

At Citrus.com, we advocate growing citrus trees at home for the delicious fruit they provide as well as the beauty they add to your surroundings. But it’s not just the fruit that benefits your health and mindset – in addition to adding color and vibrancy to your home, growing citrus trees indoors can also improve your mental and physical well-being in ways you probably didn’t even realize

Professional and amateur horticulturists alike have been aware of how keeping and tending to houseplants can change physical aspects of the environment in pleasant ways. Here are just a few reasons way:

1. Houseplants Help with Allergy Relief

   Do you suffer from a nagging cough, burning eyes, sinus headaches or unexplained sneezing? If your doctor tells you allergens are the culprit, it may surprise you to learn that adding plants around your house may help. Studies show that rooms containing plants have less dust and mold than rooms that don’t. That’s because leaves and other parts of the plants act as natural filters to catch allergens and other airborne particles. This means that growing a grapefruit tree indoors will help boost your immunity even before it produces delicious, high-in-vitamin-C fruit!

2. Houseplants Make us Happy

   Plants not only can brighten up your surroundings, but they can lift your mood. Studies show that those who have plants at home tend to feel calmer and worry less. Plants with bright colors in particular are a good pick-me-up. So, liven up your surroundings by growing kumquats indoors, and see if the sight (and later, the flavor) of the bright, jewel-like fruit improves your outlook!

3. Houseplants put Moisture Back in the Air

   Rooms that are artificially cooled or heated may be more comfortable temperature-wise, but they can be hard on your sinuses and skin. That’s because furnaces and air conditioners can sap humidity from the air, particularly during the winter. That not only makes you uncomfortable, with dry, itchy sinuses and skin – it also leaves you more vulnerable to catching a cold or other virus. That good news is that houseplants add much-needed moisture back into the air you breathe! Growing an indoor citrus tree can be especially helpful because you’ll want to add extra moisture to them to help them thrive (this can be as easy as resting the pot your plant lives in on top of a shallow tray of pebbles with a little water at the bottom).

4. Houseplants Improve Air Quality

   Carpets, paint, cleaners, printer toners and inks, and many other indoor objects give off pollutants called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They can build up in the air and irritate your eyes and skin, worsen your asthma, or make it hard for you to breathe. Houseplants can soak up VOCs. Keeping some indoor citrus plants is a great way to naturally scrub the air in your home clean.

5. Houseplants Help Reduce Stress Levels

   Feeling the weight of daily pressures? See if finding an indoor olive tree for sale to add to your décor helps you relax! Being around plants has a calming effect on people, and this Mediterranean vegetation may even add an exotic, getting-away-from-it-all feel to your surroundings. Studies measuring people’s blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels (a stress hormone) while under mental stress showed a beneficial effect when the subjects were performing tasks in rooms containing plants.

6. Houseplants Help You Pay Attention Better

   As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, at-home learning days have been a challenge for students. Studies have shown that students learning in classrooms that contained several potted plants tended to perm better in spelling, math, reading and other subjects than students studying in rooms that didn’t contain plants. By adding potted plants to your home environment, the whole family may find it easier to concentrate on tasks and retain facts better.

The post 6 Benefits of Indoor Plants appeared first on Yarden.

There’s something so exciting and satisfying about eating fruits and vegetables that come from your own home garden! The best part is, you don’t even need that much space in order to enjoy this feeling…many an amateur gardener has produced prize-winning tomatoes on a small balcony or savory herbs on a kitchen windowsill.

But you don’t have to stop there – many edible plants do well in small spaces, and even in indoor spaces. And that includes fruit trees – thanks to the many dwarf varieties available and with proper care, growing citrus trees on your patio or in your sunroom is easily within your reach.

Citrus Trees in the Small Garden

When grown outdoors, small fruit trees produce enough fruit for a small family throughout the harvest season, but make sure you live in a climate that doesn’t experience frigid temperatures before you plant a citrus tree in the ground.

Keeping potted dwarf citrus trees can be especially intriguing for citrus lovers who dwell in colder climates as they can be kept indoors part of the time and still produce fruit.

Dwarf Citrus Tree Varieties

It might surprise you to learn that most of your favorite citrus comes in a dwarf variety. In fact, – most standard varieties have been grafted onto dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstocks.

Grown using dwarf rootstock, such trees can be kept to as little as six feet tall while still producing full-size fruit. When kept in a suitable container, dwarf citrus trees can live in a sunny spot indoors full-time or be moved to a patio during the warmer months.

You can find popular varieties of the following dwarf citrus trees at Citrus.com. The varieties of the citrus below all grow about 8-11 feet when planted in the ground, and 4-11 feet when kept in a container:

• Dwarf Orange Trees. Citrus.com offers a variety of options for growing fresh, full-size oranges at home, from Dwarf Valencia Orange Trees (known for producing the world’s best juicing oranges) to Dwarf Washington Navel Orange Trees (which produce the classic navel everyone loves so much). You don’t need to live in Florida to enjoy homegrown oranges anymore!
  
• Dwarf Lime Trees. The limes grown on a dwarf lime tree can be used for juice, cooking, zest, or any recipe that requires fresh lime. Imagine making Key Lime Pie with your own limes whenever you like! If you’re looking for lime flavor similar to what you’d find in the grocery store, go with a Persian ( Bearrs) Lime Trees. Love cooking ethnic dishes? The Kaffir Lime Tree produces a spicier fruit.
  
• Dwarf Lemon Trees. Dwarf lemon trees are easy to grow, making them a great choice for small or indoor gardens. They’re also a great choice for smaller families who love to cook or make drinks from fresh lemons, but don’t want to buy a whole back at the grocery store. Meyer Lemon Trees produce year-round, while Eureka Lemon Trees are less sweet like the lemons you find in stores. Both make delicious lemonade!
  
• Dwarf Kumquat Trees. Have you ever tried a kumquat? If you haven’t, you should – these easy-to-eat fruits are small and don’t even need to be peeled – just pop them whole into your mouth like a grape!
  
• Dwarf Mandarin Trees. If you’re a fan of small, sweet, easy-to-peel tangerines, Clementines, Satsumas and other mandarin varieties, a dwarf mandarin tree is a great choice. The tree may be small, but the fruit it will put out is the same that’s been pleasing kids for ages!
  
• Dwarf Grapefruit Trees. Do you love a half of delicious, sweet red grapefruit for breakfast, or a glass of refreshing, healthy grapefruit juice? Dwarf grapefruit trees may be small, but they produce full-size versions of the nutritional powerhouse fruit just like their larger cousins!
  
• Dwarf Lemon Lime Tree. Also known as cocktail trees, Dwarf Lemon Lime Trees let you grow two fruits where you might normally grow one! Even more space-saving than other dwarf citrus trees, cocktail trees are grafted to grow lemons and limes on the same tree.

Citrus.com also offers several varieties of dwarf citrus trees that can be kept in hanging baskets (though these will likely be more ornamental than fruit-bearing)!

Caring For Dwarf Citrus Trees

Once you’ve bought your tree and planted it in a large pot with specially formulated citrus soil and plenty of drainage, select a spot for it to live that will get at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight, away from a dry air vent.

When grown in a container, citrus trees prefer periodic deep watering over frequent, light doses. Deep watering promotes deeper root growth and strengthens your tree. Allowing a few to several days between watering lets the soil drain properly. It’s fine to allow the top of the soil to dry out.

Applying a fertilizer helps to replenish the nutrients your growing tree leaches from its soil over time. To ensure you get a good crop of fruit, be sure to use a specially formulated fertilizer for citrus trees in pots. You can find the best fertilizer for citrus trees in containers from Citrus.com – in fact, our All-in-One Kits include everything you need to ensure your tree’s optimum health.

To keep your tree healthy and productive, remove all suckers after harvest and prune away any dead tree branches or branches that cross one another. If the upper canopy becomes thick to the point that the lower branches don’t get enough light, you’ll probably want to thin it.

The post How Tall do Citrus Dwarf Trees Grow? appeared first on Yarden.

Have you ever wished you could make fresh-squeezed orange juice from oranges you grew yourself? Or that you could enjoy fragrant lemon trees that produced fruit you could add to your favorite recipes and drinks? You may have thought it wasn’t in the cards for you because you don’t live in a climate that supports growing citrus trees. Well, take heart – buying a dwarf citrus tree can change all that!

Dwarf citrus trees include the many varieties of citrus that are grown using dwarf rootstock. This process creates trees that reach sizes of between six and twelve feet tall. A dwarf citrus tree will produce normal-sized fruit for its variety, and can be grown either in the ground, or in a suitable container. By keeping dwarf citrus trees in containers, you can move them indoors when the weather gets cold.

Read on to learn more about five dwarf citrus trees you didn’t know could be grown indoors!

1. Dwarf Lemon Trees. If you’ve never grown a fruit tree indoors, your best bet is to buy dwarf lemon tree varieties to start with. You really can’t go wrong with a Dwarf Improved Meyer Lemon Tree from Citrus.com…this variety is one of the easiest indoor lemon trees to grow, and the dwarf Meyer lemon tree size tops out to less than six feet tall depending on the size of the pot you keep it in. Plus, the fruit is tasty and very versatile…Meyer lemons (which can be difficult if not impossible to find in some stores) are a hybrid of a true lemon and a mandarin orange, so the fruit is rounder than a true lemon and sweet as well as tangy. Meyer Lemons make excellent lemonade, and are great in recipes and cocktails, too.

• Dwarf Lime Trees. Growing an indoor lime tree is easier than you think! There are several popular varieties. If you choose to keep a Dwarf Bearss Lime Tree in container, you’ll be able to grow traditional, “true” limes such as you’d find in local grocery stores. Another option is a to grow a Dwarf Key Lime Tree. Key lime trees produce those lovely, sweet little limes that give the famous pie its name.

• Dwarf Mandarin/Tangerine Trees. If you’re a fan of fresh-squeezed orange juice, you’ll definitely want to get a Dwarf Orange Tree or variety of a variety of Dwarf Mandarin Tree! If you think you’d like a Dwarf Tangerine Tree (tangerines and satsuma are varieties of mandarin), Brown Select Satsuma and Owari Satsuma dwarf trees from Citrus.com produce fruit that’s sure to be a hit with the lunchbox set – sweet, easy-to-peel, and just right for smaller hands. For true oranges, the Dwarf Washington Navel Orange tree is one of the most popular citrus trees available because they are so easy to grow. The Dwarf Moro Blood Orange produces medium-sized sweet, juicy, blood-colored oranges with little to no seeds, while the Dwarf Valencia Orange Tree produces oranges with a thin, golden rind and flesh that is remarkably sweet, juicy and tender when ripe.

• Dwarf Grapefruit Trees. “Diet” might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of grapefruit, but don’t let it’s weight loss reputation fool you – in addition to being super low-calorie and super healthy, grapefruit is delicious. And the red varieties (like our Rio Red and Ruby Red varieties) are way sweeter than the white varieties you may have sampled in the past – in fact, we doubt you’ll ever feel the need to add sugar to them!. We promise, these pretty, sweet fruits that will be a healthy, refreshing addition to your breakfast.

• Dwarf Kumquat Trees. Some of the most unique citrus varieties available, kumquats are a fabulous snack you can just pop in your mouth and eat whole, peel and all! With regular pruning, kumquat trees can be maintained at heights around five and six feet, and a potted Dwarf Kumquat Tree can be kept even smaller. Our Nagami Sour Tree and Meiwa Sweet Tree each produce small fruits with excellent flavor. They make attractive additions to your indoor garden, too!

Before you buy a dwarf citrus tree of your own, do a bit of research on Citrus.com to make sure you know what you’ll need. Different trees have different needs, and we’re sure to help you find the one that’s right for you.

The post 5 Fruit Trees That Can be Grown Indoors appeared first on Yarden.

They’re called a “superfood” for a reason. Tiny-but-mighty blueberries pack a powerful punch of healthy vitamins and minerals. They’re delicious and so easy to snack on, and they’re super versatile in cooking and baking, too. Best of all, they add flavor and sweetness to your healthy diet without adding to your waistline. Read on for a list of just some of this fruit’s health benefits:

Blueberries are full of antioxidants.

The beautiful color of blueberries? That comes from anthocyanins, which are antioxidants that help protect your body from free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage your cells and contribute to premature aging and can also increase the risk of certain cancers. The antioxidants in blueberries may also help maintain healthy brain function and improve memory.

Blueberries contain fiber.

Fiber is important for the health of the digestive system and for lowering cholesterol. According to the American Heart Association, we all need about 25-30 grams of fiber per day, and many foods contain fiber, like apples, oranges, vegetables, lentils, peas, and oats. One cup of blueberries has 4 grams of fiber, which is a small portion of the daily amount, but they’re a such a tasty way to supplement your fiber intake from other sources.

Blueberries contain vitamin C.

One cup of blueberries contains 24 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. Vitamin C is proven to help protect against immune system deficiencies, eye disease, cardiovascular disease, and even wrinkles.

Blueberries contain vitamin K.

One cup of blueberries contains a whopping 36 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin K, which is needed by the body to produce prothrombin. This is an essential protein that helps regulate blood calcium levels, helps promote blood clotting, and helps support strong bones.

Blueberries contain manganese.

One cup of blueberries contains one-fourth of the daily recommended allowance of manganese. This is a mineral that the body needs in small amounts to help the brain function normally and to protect the nervous system.

Blueberries can help lower blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease. In one eight-week study, obese people who had a high risk of heart disease were found to have a reduction in blood pressure after eating just 2 ounces of blueberries per day—that’s only one-fourth of a cup!

Blueberries may help fight UTIs.

It makes sense, since blueberries are related to cranberries. Both berries (and huckleberries, too) contain substances called anti-adhesives. These substances help prevent harmful bacteria like E. coli from adhering to the bladder wall.

All of these benefits… and blueberries are also low-cal!

That’s right—all of these health benefits come with a low-cal price tag. One cup of blueberries contains just 84 calories, so munch away!

The post What Are the Health Benefits of Blueberries? appeared first on Yarden.

Blueberries are amazing little wonders. Often called a superfood, they get their intense blue color and their health benefits from anthocyanins. These are antioxidants that can help to lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation, protect against heart disease, and more. They also contain essential fiber and vitamin C. Blueberries are low-calorie, super tasty, versatile in in cooking and baking, and pleasantly sweet.

Well, most blueberries are sweet. We’ve all had that experience when we pop a blueberry into our mouth expecting a sweet taste but end up wincing at the tartness instead. It’s hard to tell whether a blueberry will be sweet just by looking at its size, but make note of the color—in general, the darker and bluer a blueberry is, the sweeter it should taste.

The most common cause of sour blueberries is over-production on your blueberry plant. Some experts suggest removing all blossoms for the first year or two as you let the plant’s root system fully establish itself. This should lead to bigger and sweeter blueberries in later years.

When you’re ready to harvest your blueberries from your edible plant, try sampling a few berries first. This is the best way to test for sweetness, although keep in mind that the berries could be ripening at different times on the same bush. You may end up with some sweet and some sour blueberries from the same harvest.

If the blueberries you’re tasting seem too tart, let them continue ripening on the plant a little longer. Blueberries can remain on the bush for around 10 days after they begin to ripen, during which time they become plumper and sweeter. Keep an eye on them and keep sampling!

If you find that you’re stuck with a batch of sour blueberries, though, don’t worry. Although sour blueberries will remain sour after they’re picked, they aren’t wasted. There are plenty of ways to make use of blueberries that aren’t quite as sweet as you hoped:

Bake with them. Blueberries hold up well in baked goods like pies, muffins, and cobblers. To prevent blueberries from sinking in your muffins, spoon half the batter into the cups, add the blueberries, and cover with more batter. You can also lightly coat your blueberries in flour or cornstarch before stirring them gently into the batter.

Cook with them. Blueberries aren’t just for desserts! Cooking blueberries will intensify the sweetness but won’t destroy the antioxidant benefits. Blueberries that taste slightly sour or tart are ideal for savory dressings and sauces.

Sweeten them. Adding honey, maple syrup, sugar, or other sweeteners to your sour blueberries won’t completely take away the tartness, but they’ll counteract it nicely. Eat your sweetened blueberries plain or toss them into smoothies, yogurt, or cereal.

Freeze them. If you end up with lots of blueberries—whether they’re sour or sweet—you can always freeze them to use later. They freeze individually and won’t clump together into a big mess. If you want to rinse your blueberries first, dry them completely with paper towels before putting them in freezer containers or resealable plastic bags. Toss frozen blueberries right into smoothies. For other uses, thaw first, and rinse them off if you didn’t rinse them before putting them in the freezer.

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Starting a home food garden – even a very small one – became one of the more popular spring/summer pandemic activities. It’s no wonder…not only is gardening a productive use of time that results in delicious fresh fruits and vegetables (something especially welcome during a time when supplies were limited and trips to the store undesirable), it’s a healthy activity, too.

The benefits of gardening go far beyond what you grow. Many studies have shown a great number of physical and mental health benefits come from food gardening…gardening has therapeutic power for many people to increase overall health and wellness.

Are you interested in harvesting more than just delicious, all-natural fruits, herbs and veggies? Here are five great reasons for you to get growing right now:

1. Gardening is good for your physical health. There are many reasons why gardening is good for your physical health:
   1. Gardening for exercise. Gardening is a physical activity, and as such contributes to your overall physical fitness in a practical way. While mostly low-impact, the repetitive motions of weeding and hoeing help strengthen your muscles and refine your fine motor skills.
   2. Gardening is good for your bones and helps fight cancer. In recent decades we’ve learned the importance of shielding our skin from the sun, but we do need some sun exposure to increase our levels of the all-important vitamin D. Sunshine is our primary vitamin D recourse, and spending just half an hour in the garden can get you what you need.
   3. The healing power of gardening. We’re more like plants than we realize! Spending time in the outdoors – especially green spaces – has been found to speed up the healing process for physical wounds.
   4. Gardening can help you lose weight. Studies show that when you garden, you increase your consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables. Combined with the physical activity gardening calls for, starting a garden can make it easier for you to reach and maintain a healthy weight.
2. Gardening is good for your mental health. It wasn’t just our physical health we’ve had to worry about in the midst of the pandemic – the world’s overall mental health took a heavy hit, too. According to some studies, feelings of depression and anxiety were up by at least 25%, and insomnia became rampant. Gardening is one way to help combat these issues, and has been shown in some cases to be as effective as antidepressants or talk therapy:
   1. Gardening can boost mood-enhancing hormones. Studies show that gardening can increase the release of serotonin, which has an anti-depressant effect, while decreasing the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
   2. Gardening eases anxiety. When people spend time in a garden, their anxiety levels drop and they feel less depressed.
   3. Gardening boosts self–esteem. Loneliness, isolation and, in some cases, job loss have been just some of the negative effects of the pandemic. But studies in the United States and abroad have found that gardening improves your mood and increases your self-esteem. Perhaps it has something to do with taking your mind off your problems for a bit, or for helping to clear your head with physical activity, or maybe it’s the fact that gardening actually produces something in the form of a harvest. Regardless, the improvements can last for months.
3. Gardening is good for your overall outlook. When times are tough, it can be hard to get contend with stress and keep negativity at bay, but gardening and spending more time outdoors have a positive impact on your mood, energy level and willingness to socialize.
   1. Gardening can help you recover from a stressful event. In a 2011 study, researchers exposed participants to a stressful activity. Then they asked half the group to spend time quietly reading and the other half to spend time gardening. When researchers tested the levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the participants’ bodies, they found that the gardening group had recovered from the stress better than the reading group.
4. Gardening is good for your brain. Did you know that gardening can help protect your memory as you get older? It’s true – gardening has been shown to increase people’s attention and cognition. Doctors have known for some time that exercise in general improves cognitive functioning in the brain, and studies have shown that, while less high-impact than some activities, gardening helps spur growth in your brain’s memory-related nerves.
   1. Researchers in Korea gave 20-minute gardening activities to people being treated for dementia in an inpatient facility. After the residents had raked and planted in vegetable gardens, researchers discovered increased amounts of some brain nerve growth factors associated with memory in both males and females.
   2. A 2014 research review found that horticultural therapy — using gardening to improve mental health — may be an effective treatment for people with dementia.
5. Gardening is good for the self-esteem. Gardening has been shown to give people a sense of accomplishment, making them better about themselves and their impact on the world.
   1. School gardens, family gardens, and community gardens are growing in popularity. This is likely due to with the opportunity for social interaction and teamwork that community gardening provides.
   2. In one study, students who participated in school gardens took photos of their work and shared what they experienced. Students reported that the skills they learned and relationships they formed gave them a sense of personal well-being and an increased appreciation for their community.
   3. Working in a garden with people of different ages, abilities, and backgrounds is a way to expand one’s personal knowledge as well as one’s cultural knowledge, understanding and experience..

With all the benefits gardening offers, what are you waiting for? Plan your garden now, and you’ll be harvesting mental, physical, social and spiritual health benefits of all kinds before you know it!

The post Growing Your Own Food: The Benefits of Gardening appeared first on Yarden.

With so much going for it, it makes sense to have more citrus on hand, and when you grow you own it’s even more satisfying (as well as more convenient). Don’t live in a tropical climate? Never fear – it is possible to grow citrus plants indoors in pots!

Choosing an Indoor Citrus Tree

For indoor growing, you will want to choose a dwarf variety, as standard citrus trees will be much too large to contain in most indoor spaces. You can find a wide variety of citrus trees for sale at Citrus.com, including dwarf citrus trees. Here are some of the most popular varieties for container growing:

• Dwarf Meyer Lemon Tree. This classic dwarf lemon is easy to grow indoors. It is a self-pollinating cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. It can flower and produce fruit throughout the year, increasing the likelihood that it will provide you with homegrown lemons that you can use in cooking or to make fresh squeezed lemonade. It can also remain outside in temperatures over 40°F.
• Dwarf Persian (Bearss) Lime Tree. This variety produces large quantities of juicy, seedless fruit. The green skins will turn yellow if left on the plant to fully ripen. This is the most cold hardy of limes.
• Dwarf Washington Navel Orange Tree. One of the most popular citrus trees available because they are easy to grow. The white flowers of this orange tree emit a citrus, sweet-smelling aroma that is wonderful in spring, and has pretty foliage all year long. The fruit is sweet, juicy and mostly seedless.
• Dwarf Rio Red Grapefruit. This heavy-yielding plant produces large pink grapefruit with an incredibly sweet flavor.

Finding the Right Pot – and Soil – For Your Citrus Tree

You will need a large pot with sufficient drainage holes. Terra cotta, unglazed ceramic, plastic, fiberglass, wood, or resin containers are all good choices – just don’t use a dark-colored plastic pot, as it will absorb and retain heat from the sun, and can cook the roots.

Fill the pot with a well-draining citrus soil blend, or use regular potting soil mixed with perlite, small gravel, pumice, or expanded shale, which will help to ensure adequate drainage. Use two-thirds potting soil to one-third inorganic material. You can also make your own using equal parts peat, sand, perlite, and bark.

Caring for Your Indoor Citrus Tree

Citrus trees are tropical plants that require lots of light, warmth, and adequate moisture in order to thrive and produce fruit.

• Light. Look for a spot in your home where the plant will get as much bright light as possible, such as a south or southwest facing window. If your plants don’t get at least 6 hours of direct light a day (which they likely won’t in more northern climates) you’ll need to provide a supplemental light source. A tall LED grow light will replicate sunshine and also provide a little heat. Position it about 18 inches above the canopy, and don’t put it to close or it might burn the leaves.
• Temperature. Citrus does best when grown in air temperatures between 55 and 80°F. In order to flower, you tree will need about 5-10  degrees of difference between day and nighttime temperatures, so turn your thermostat down a few degrees before bed. When the weather warms up, you can move plants outdoors during the growing season to give them access to natural light.
• Water. It is important that your potted tree’s soil should remain moist without becoming waterlogged. Infrequent deep watering is better than frequent shallow watering – allow the soil dry to a couple of inches deep, then water thoroughly until water seeps out of the drainage holes in the bottom of your pot. With citrus, yellow leaves can be a sign of overwatering, as can citrus leaf curl.
• Citrus tree fertilizer. Since regular watering can leach nutrients, it is important to provide a source of citrus fertilizer for indoor plants (you can find products labeled specifically for use on citrus plants on Citrus.com). Apply fertilizer just as new growth is beginning to appear in the late winter or early spring, and continue through the summer until growth slows down in fall.
• Pruning. While pruning is not necessary for healthy growth and fruit production, it is useful to keep indoor trees compact and mobile. Trees can be pruned at any time during the year except when blooming and developing fruit, as this diverts energy away from fruit production and into new foliar growth.

Managing Pests & Citrus Tree Diseases

Contrary to what you might expect, pests can become especially troublesome with indoor growing. Since there are not many natural predators indoors to keep pests in check, populations can grow rapidly and cause significant damage.

If you can and can move your citrus plant into the bathtub or onto the porch, a strong spray of water can often be enough to remove pests, including any honeydew and accompanying mold (make sure to spray the undersides of leaves).

You can also make a homemade insecticidal soap by filling a spray bottle with water, a couple of teaspoons of mild biodegradable soap, and a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil. Spray the foliage every few days, as long as the infestation persists.

When growing citrus in containers indoors, the trees aren’t as prone to citrus disease as they are outdoors. Keeping trees healthy by watering them well and providing adequate sunlight will help to avoid stressing your plants, making them even more resistant to citrus diseases.

Enjoy Your Slice of Paradise Year-Round!

Growing citrus indoors is very rewarding and with a little extra care and attention, your plants will be provide you with fresh fruit for years to come. Enjoy!

The post Health Benefits of Eating Citrus appeared first on Yarden.

Lemon and Lime Poisoning in Dogs

Dogs do not enjoy the sour taste of fruits from lemon lime trees and are unlikely to eat a lime fruit or leaves from a Kaffir Lime tree voluntarily. However, some pets could get curious and try munching on leaves that fall on the ground or bite into low-hanging fruits on a dwarf lime tree that they might mistake for a toy. Your dog might get ill from eating any part of a lime and lemon tree – leaves, peel, or fruit – since they contain psoralens compounds and essential oils like limonene and linalool which are toxic to dogs. The level of toxicity and the danger it brings your dog depends on the amount of lemon lime tree leaves or how many fruits your dog consumed.

• Psoralen – a plant compound present in citrus trees like lemon and lime trees. It is commonly used to treat skin disorders but may induce phototoxicity or photosensitivity wherein the skin or eyes become terribly sensitive to sunlight and other forms of light.
• Limonene – All citrus fruits, including lime lemon tree fruits, produce limonene which is a terpene that is responsible for the aroma the fruits emit. It is often used as an aromatic ingredient for manufacturing cosmetic products, cleaning products, and flavoring compounds. Ingesting d-limonene is bad for your dogs because it contains insecticidal properties and will metabolize in your pet’s liver causing toxicity, poisoning, liver damage, or worse liver failure.
• Linalool – This is another terpene present in all standard and dwarf lime trees that contributes a floral scent to fruits’ citrus aroma. Aside from its fragrance, it is also used as an insecticide in soaps and lotions. If your dog ingests leaves or parts of the fruit, your dog will likely have a concentrated level of linalool and severe symptoms may last for a long time and may likely cause liver damage or liver failure. Linalool is more dangerous to puppies and younger dogs compared to adult dogs so be careful when you have young pets at home.

Symptoms of Toxicity in Dogs   

If you are worried that your dogs may have eaten leaves off your Kaffir Lime trees or fruits from any lemon/lime tree you have at home check for the symptoms we have listed below to easily determine if your dog is experiencing Lemon and Lime poisoning:

• Cold limbs
• Collapse
• Depression
• Diarrhea
• Excessive drooling
• Lethargy
• Liver failure
• Loss of coordination
• Low blood pressure
• Photosensitivity 
• Rash or skin irritation
• Tremors
• Vomiting
• Weakness

If your dogs are experiencing any of the above-mentioned symptoms after ingesting leaves from your Keffir Lime tree or fruits from your lime tree, consult a veterinarian right away so proper medical treatment may be provided.

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If you are planning on starting a diet make sure to include oranges like Hamlin LA Sweet orange, dwarf blood orange, and other orange varieties as they are low in calories and carbs, packed with nutrients, have numerous health benefits, and have high dietary fiber that promotes satiety resulting in lower food intake.

Convenience

Going to the grocery store just to buy oranges may not be convenient for some so your best option is to plant orange trees like dwarf Blood Orange tree or dwarf Navel Orange tree in your backyard. Don’t worry, they are easy to grow and care for, and they do not require a lot of your time. Furthermore, finding trees to grow like dwarf Navel Orange trees for sale or dwarf Valencia Orange tree for sale isn’t hard at all. All you have to do is contact orange fruit companies and request the best mail order orange trees be delivered right to your doorstep.

Orange Tree Varieties

Before buying orange trees to plant at home you first need to check how much space you have for the trees since they take up a lot of space. A standard Valencia Orange tree height is around 18 to 20 feet while dwarf varieties like Louisiana Sweet Orange and Blood Orange dwarf tree are only around 6 to 10 feet in height. Once you have determined where to plant your orange tree, your next step is to decide which orange tree variety to grow.

• Valencia Orange tree – TheValencia Orange tree comes in standard and dwarf sizes and may be planted outdoors in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 to 11, or indoors if you live in areas outside these zones. If you are worried that there is much difference between the standard and dwarf varieties, rest assured that the only difference is the space they take up. A dwarf Valencia Orange tree produces standard-size fruits that taste the same as the ones that grow from a large tree. Valencia Orange tree care includes sunlight, proper watering technique, fertilizer, and some cold protection.
• Navel Orange tree – If you like oranges in winter then the Navel Orange tree is a great option since their peak crop coincides with the Christmas holiday season. Navel Orange tree also comes in standard and dwarf sizes. Just like the dwarf Valencia tree, the dwarf Washington Navel Orange tree produces standard-size fruits. If you are interested in learning more about Navel Orange trees, read on below as we have listed some of the most commonly asked questions regarding this variety:
  • Why are Navel Oranges called Navel Oranges? – The Navel Orange got its name from the navel-like formation found on the blossom end of the fruit. This formation is a rudimentary second fruit – a mutation that naturally occurred on Navel Orange.
  • Where do Navel Oranges come from? – Navel Oranges originated from Brazil
  • Where are Navel Oranges grown? – Navel Oranges are commercially grown in California, Florida, and Arizona.
  • When do Navel Oranges bloom? – Navel Orange trees produce blooms in spring with April as its peak season.
  • How big is a Navel Orange fruit? – The typical Navel Orange fruit size is about 3 inches in diameter but may grow as big as 4.5 inches across.
• Blood Orange tree – This citrus tree produces the most exotic-colored oranges that range from pinkish red to almost violet-red. Aside from its awesome color, Blood oranges are also more aromatic and have a stronger flavor than other oranges, with a hint of raspberry notes. The Blood Orange tree is an average-sized tree that may be grown indoors and outdoors and will make a great addition to any landscape.
• Hamlin Orange tree – This orange tree is dwarfish and reaches 8 to 12 feet in height once it reaches maturity. What’s good about this tree is that it is more cold-hardy than other orange cultivars. This tree may also be used as an ornamental plant because of its beautiful glossy foliage and fragrant white flowers that cover its rounded crown. Hamlin Orange tree also produces medium to large orange fruits that boasts of rich flavor which is in season in mid-winter.

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Navel Orange Origin

It may be one of the most popular fruits in the entire American continent, but Navel Oranges did not originate from the United States. So where are Navel Oranges from? The first Navel orange was found growing in Brazil in the early 1800s as a spontaneous mutation on an orange tree. It wasn’t until in the 1870s that the first Washington Navel Orange cutting was planted in Southern California. As soon as it started bearing fruits, it became popular because it is exceptionally sweet, richly flavored and refreshingly juicy. Because of its instant popularity, it became an immediate success and soon after, thousands of acres of land in California were dedicated to growing both the standard-size and dwarf Washington Navel Orange trees.

FAQs

• Why are Navel Oranges called Navel Oranges – Navel orange got its name from the tiny second orange fruit found growing in the blossom end. This tiny rudimentary fruit creates the illusion of the fruit having a bellybutton – hence the name Navel Orange.
• Why do Navel Oranges have navels? – The navel-like formation found on the blossom end of the fruit is an undeveloped secondary fruit – these oranges are like conjoined twins with the second one not growing into maturity.
•  From where do Navel Oranges originate? – Navel Oranges were first discovered growing on an orange tree in Brazil.
• Where are Navel Oranges grown? – Commercial Navel Oranges are primarily grown in California, Arizona, and Florida.
• How are Navel Oranges grown? – Since Navel Oranges are seedless they can only be propagated by grafting a cutting from an old Navel tree to a scion of a compatible citrus tree.
• When do Navel Orange trees bloom? – Both standard-size and dwarf Navel Orange trees are in bloom in spring, with the greatest number of flowers produced in April.
• How big is a Navel Orange fruit? – The typical Navel Orange fruit size is 3-inches across, with some growing as big as 4.5 inches in diameter.
• Where can I find a Washington Navel Orange tree for sale? – You can call citrus nurseries or check online for nurseries that can deliver a standard or dwarf Navel Orange tree in your area.
• What are the health benefits of eating Navel Orange? – Navel Oranges are packed with nutrients that can help protect the body from contracting diseases, and help the body heal faster after getting damaged. It is filled with Vitamin A, C, and E – the perfect trifecta of vitamins that are known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Navel Oranges also have potassium that is good for the heart, dietary fiber that is good for the digestive system, B6 that helps boost the production of hemoglobin in the bloodstream, and calcium that promotes healthy bones. Other important nutrients found in Navel Oranges are citrates, beta-carotene, folate, and phytonutrients.  

The post Health Benefits: The Fascinating History of Navel Oranges appeared first on Yarden.

• Citrus fruits are rich in plant compounds like vitamin C which helps strengthens the immune system and helps protect us from common colds and other illnesses. It also helps keep our skin smooth and elastic, plus it fights free radicals in the body that cause cancer.
• Fresh fruits are an excellent source of dietary fiber that helps improve our digestive system, aids in losing weight and also lowers bad cholesterol. High levels of bad cholesterol can cause the development of fatty deposits in the blood vessels increasing our risk of contracting heart diseases. The soluble fiber content of fresh fruits binds with cholesterol particles in our digestive system and moves them out of our body before they get absorbed.
• Citrus fruits like the lemons and limes from the cocktail citrus tree are excellent sources of thiamin and folate. Thiamin is a type of vitamin B that plays an essential role in our metabolism, while folate is crucial for cell division and DNA synthesis.

Citrus is not just Orange

Although orange is the most popular and the world’s most favorite citrus, there are other unique citrus varieties you should try. Check out yarden.com for citrus cultivars you may be interested in growing in your backyard. To make an informed decision be sure to read the citrus.com reviews to know the quality of trees shipped out to valued customers.

One particular citrus tree that may pique your interest is the citrus fruit cocktail tree. This is a combination of the sweet Meyer Lemon and flavorful Key Lime grown on a single tree. The lemon lime citrus tree cultivar is not your typical seed grown tree. It is cultivated via a cutting and grafting method to achieve the desired results.

More about the Fruit Cocktail Tree Citrus

The fruit cocktail citrus tree is a cold-hardy, evergreen, and ever-blooming citrus tree that is best grown in citrus growing zones 9 to 11. It has a superior root structure and is highly resistant to pests and diseases. What makes it an awesome fruiting tree is that it is dwarfish and grows around 6 to 9 feet tall, plus it is a 2-in-1 tree that bears two kinds of citrus fruits on a single tree so it is an efficient space saver.

Citrus Cocktail Tree Care

Just like other citrus trees, the cocktail tree citrus needs proper care to grow healthy and bear fruits. It needs sunlight, adequate watering, cold protection, pruning, citrus tree mulch, and balanced fertilizer.

FAQs

• Should you mulch citrus trees? – Yes, you should mulch citrus trees. Mulching citrus trees is beneficial because it aids in cutting down on potential water loss, helps maintain the soil temperature, and prevents weed growth around the trees that only steal away the nutrients in the soil, which the citrus trees need to grow.
• What is the best mulch for citrus trees? – Organic mulch like wood chips and grass clippings are the best mulch around citrus trees as their slow decomposition process makes it possible for the soil to have a constant supply of nutrients.
• Where can I get a citrus cocktail tree for sale? – You may visit the citrus.com website and purchase it there.
• When to pick citrus fruit? – Citrus fruits take a few months to mature and ripen. Check the outer appearance of the fruit and see if the peel has changed color and has taken on a glossier look. The next step is to gently squeeze the fruit and see if it gives a little; if it doesn’t the fruit is most likely not ripe, if it is mushy then the fruit is most likely overripe. The last step is to take a taste test and check if the fruit is juicy and offers a satisfactory flavor. You may then harvest the rest of the fruits you need if the fruit you tested has passed all the tests you have done on it.

The post A Fruitful Diet: The Many Benefits of Fresh Citrus & Fruit appeared first on Yarden.