Do Oranges Grow Well From Cuttings?

Rapid Growth

• Orange trees grown from seedlings grow more rapidly than orange trees grown from cuttings. However, the new trees take longer to bear fruit if you grown them from seedlings. Thus, if you want to get fruit more quickly -- within two years instead of six to eight years after planting -- you should grow your oranges from cuttings.

Clones

• If you cut a portion of an orange tree, the new tree you create from the cutting will be an exact clone of the old tree. Thus, if you want all the fruit in your orchard to be the same, you should grow your orange trees from cuttings rather than seedlings. If you grow your trees from seedlings, there will be more genetic variety and thus the fruit will be different from each tree.

Consideration

• Although orange trees grown from seedlings grow more quickly, the seedlings emphasize growth over quality of fruit, according to Texas Citrus. Seedlings grow long branches that have thorns, while trees grown from cuttings do not have thorns. Trees grown from cuttings may grow more slowly, but will mature and begin bearing fruit more quickly.

Procedure

• Cutting works best if you use a tree that has matured recently. Cut just below the leaf buds and take about four inches from the tree. Remove half the leaves from your cutting and dip the cutting in root hormone solution before planting. For best results, keep your cutting in a location that has a lot of humidity and keep the soil moist. Cuttings take about four weeks to root.