How to Plant Orange Seeds Like a Pro – and Grow an Orange Tree!

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Growing citrus trees from seed continues to amaze me. My latest obsession is trying to grow a Valencia orange tree because we all liked the juice so much. Discover how to plant orange seeds and try growing an orange tree along with me!

Now, first things first, we live in PA Zone 6b and an orange tree would not be able to survive living outside all year. All of the citrus trees we grow have to come indoors for the late fall to early spring. Germinating orange seeds is only the beginning of the journey. If you live in a colder climate like us, you must then ensure your baby orange tree survives the winter and gets enough sunlight.

Still, to me, it’s worth it!

I am excited to try growing an orange tree from seed. So far we’ve had successful orange seed germination, so I’m really looking forward to the rest of the experience.

How long does it take for orange seeds to sprout?

Orange seeds can sprout in as little as a week or less, depending on their quality and condition. The orange seeds I germinated took about 4 days to begin germinating.

How long does it take to grow an orange tree?

Citrus trees can take some time to grow from seed. Some folks say they will never produce fruit while others share success stories. Research suggests that seed-grown orange trees can bear fruit within 15 years of planting.

If you are impatiently awaiting fruit, you may wish to buy a more mature orange tree!

Some fruit-bearing orange trees to consider:

• Blood Orange Tree
• Valencia Orange Tree (4-5 feet)
• Owari Satsuma Mandarin Tree
• Calamondin Orange Tree (3-4 feet)

I often see Calamondin orange trees for sale at garden centers. Stay tuned, as I may pick one up one of these days. I also hope to experiment with grafting citrus trees and see if I can get lemons, limes, and oranges all blooming on the same root stock!

What are some different types of orange trees?

Valencia orange trees grow wonderful juicing oranges. Navel orange trees produce popular slicing oranges for fresh snacking. Some other orange tree varieties include car acara navel oranges, calamondin oranges, blood oranges, and Jaffa oranges, to name a few. By way of classification, you can find sweet oranges and bitter oranges.

How to Germinate Orange Seeds

Learning how to grow orange seeds is very similar to my other post, how to germinate lemon seeds.

If you wish to learn how to grow an orange tree from a seed, you might as well try lemons, too!

At any rate, you can follow these steps for germinating orange seeds and planting them.

Materials

To complete this gardening task, you will need plastic zip-seal baggies, paper towels, water, a permanent marker, and fresh oranges with seeds. You’ll also need a knife and a cutting board.

Best Tools to Slay at Growing Orange Trees from Seeds:

• Cute Vintage Orange Planter Pot
• Citrus Soil
• Gardening Spray Bottles

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DIY: How to Plant Orange Seeds

Proceed with these instructions to try growing an orange tree from the seeds of an orange.

Harvesting Orange Seeds

Finding an orange with seeds is your first goal in this gardening experiment. Sometimes you’ll find a rogue seed in an orange unexpectedly. Other times your store-bought oranges may be seedless. When you do find oranges with seeds, get to work harvesting and germinating them!

1. First, shallow-cut an orange in half. Use care not to cut too deeply.
   
2. Remove any visible seeds and set them aside.
   
3. Cut wedges for eating or juice the orange for fresh orange juice.
   
4. Remove any additional seeds you may find.

Germinating Orange Seeds

Germinating orange seeds is so easy, just like the process with lemon seeds or lime seeds! Follow these simple steps to germinate seeds from oranges.

1. Use your thumbnail to gently separate and peel away the rough outer coating of the orange seed.
   
2. Fold a paper towel in half and wet it with a small amount of water.
   
3. Place the orange seeds on the towel, spaced out so they are not touching.
   
4. Add more water if needed to ensure a damp, but not soaking, paper towel.
   
5. Fold the paper towel to cover all the orange seeds.
   
6. Place the folded towel into a zip-top sandwich bag.
   
7. Use the permanent marker to write the type of seeds and the date.
   
8. Place the seeds out of the way for a few days to a week. I place mine on top of the microwave.
   
9. After 5 days to a week, check on the seeds to see if any germination took place. You may see the root radicle emerging from the seeds. This is a sign of successful citrus seed germination!

Transplanting Sprouted Orange Seeds to Pots

After successfully germinating orange seeds, you can move the seedlings to little pots.

1. Prepare a small flower pot. Place a coffee filter inside to help filter and catch the soil. Fill with damp potting mix.
   
2. Create a small indentation in the center for the sprouted orange seed.
   
3. Place the seed in the hole and bury it up to the surface level. It will continue to grow as intended.
   
4. Lightly water and place the baby orange tree in a sunny window.

The process is pretty easy actually! For tips, check out the University of Minnesota Extension’s tips on growing citrus as houseplants.

I am so excited to try and grow a baby Valencia orange tree. I will be sure to report back with updated pictures as the young orange tree grows.

Mistakes I Made Planting Orange Seeds

Whenever I plant seeds, I always mess up something and the key is not to have so much guilt that you give up altogether. I do feel bad but I keep moving forward. Here are some mistakes I made when I tried growing an orange tree from seeds.

• Planting too many orange seeds – I got so excited that I planted more orange seeds than I could care for. Growing citrus in a cool climate creates extra work and I certainly bit off more than I could chew with the orange seed germination piece of this experience.
  
• Getting too busy or forgetting – At the end of the day, this still goes back to point 1 above, but I absolutely created more work for myself when I was already busy. As a mom of two kids, a dog, and with numerous sports and activities our family has all the time, gardening doesn’t always get the proper amount of time and effort. I always have good intentions though! 🙂
  
• Not trying again yet – While my first orange tree planting experience didn’t go as planned, I have high hopes for the future. It may not be a true mistake that I haven’t planted new orange seeds yet, but I am keeping it on this list as a reminder that in gardening and often in life, we can always TRY AGAIN!

I share these gardening mistakes not to shame myself but to help you! Please feel free to comment if you have anything to add or any citrus stories to share.

By the way, if you enjoyed this post, you might also like my post on growing a clementine tree from seed! You can also try growing a lime tree from seed or planting grapefruit seeds!

Are you growing any orange trees from seed? Would you like to try growing them along with me?! Hit me up in the comments with any questions or stories you may have.

Happy Gardening!

Updates:

11.03.22 – Updated to add photos of orange seeds germinated. Also created Google Webstory – https://www.bunnysgarden.com/web-stories/germinating-orange-seeds/.

03.17.26 – Updated to add section on mistakes when planting orange seeds and replaced Amazon links to fix broken urls.