Valencia Orange Tree (Naranja Valencia)

About the Valencia Orange Tree (Naranja Valencia)

Valencia is the world's great juicing orange and the backbone of Mexico's orange groves in Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León and Yucatán. The fruit is medium to large, thin-skinned and packed with sweet, well-balanced juice, with only a few seeds. It is a late-season orange: fruit ripens from late winter into summer and holds well on the tree, so you can pick fresh oranges for months. The tree is vigorous and long-lived, adapts to heat, humidity and dry interior climates alike, and rewards you with fragrant azahar blossom every spring.

How to Care for It

Plant in full sun in deep, well-drained soil; citrus hates waterlogged roots, so raise the bed on heavy clay. Water deeply once or twice a week in the dry season and let the topsoil dry between waterings. Feed with a citrus fertiliser with micronutrients (zinc, iron, magnesium) three times a year, mulch without touching the trunk, and remove shoots that sprout below the main branches.

Fresh limes for every taco and juice from your own tree. Persian, Colima and criollo limes, Valencia and navel oranges, five mandarins, grapefruit, pomelo and Yucatán's own lima de chiche, grown on our farms and shipped by DHL to most of Mexico.

Growing Profile

Botanical name

Citrus × sinensis 'Valencia'

Family

Rutaceae

Native to

Sweet oranges come from southern China; 'Valencia' was selected in California in the 19th century

Mature height

4–7 m

Plant spacing

6 m

Years to first fruit

3–4 years

Light

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Cold tolerance

down to -3 °C

Best climates

Humid tropics, Dry tropics, Subtropical, Mild highlands, Arid / desert

Grows in a pot

Yes

Ships from

Our farms in Yucatán & Chiapas