Cultivating an orange tree in a normal room all year round very often fails; this is usually due to incorrect care and/or too little sunlight. Like all citrus plants, an orange tree is not necessarily suitable as a houseplant, as it should be on the balcony or in the garden at least in the summer months and needs to be kept cool in the winter.
How to care for an orange tree in the apartment?
An orange tree as a houseplant requires a bright, airy location, sufficient space, high humidity, regular watering and fertilization as well as a cool winter storage. An additional plant lamp can support growth.
All year round indoor culture
It is not advisable to cultivate indoors all year round, as this will sooner or later harm your orange tree. A home-grown young plant should, at least in the first few years, be placed in the sunniest place on the south window and slowly get used to the summer fresh air culture. Keeping it indoors is problematic for three reasons:
1. Light intensity is not sufficient indoors
Even if it seems very bright to us humans, the lighting conditions in many living rooms make an orange feel like it is in the dead of winter. The sunlight is heavily filtered by the modern multiple glazing and is therefore simply not sufficiently intense. Outside, however, the orange tree can - of course if you get used to it - stand in the blazing sun for hours and thus soak up a lot of light and warmth.
2. Winter quarters are too warm
For light reasons, oranges need a cool winter break in a cool, but frost-free and bright room. Oranges that are kept as houseplants shed their leaves towards the end of winter due to lack of strength. In addition, the weakened plants are often attacked by pests, especially spider mites.
What you should pay attention to when it comes to pure indoor culture
If you still want to keep an orange tree indoors all year round, you should keep the following things in mind:
- Provide a light, airy space.
- Avoid drafts.
- Provide your orange tree with enough space - the plant grows quickly up to a height of two meters.
- Do not rotate or move the pot too often.
- Ensure high humidity using a spray bottle - this will keep the spider mites away.
- Water and fertilize the tree regularly.
- Air the tree out on an open window on warm, calm days.
- Ensure a cool winter.
- If necessary, provide an additional light source, such as one or more plant lamps (€89.00 on Amazon).
The plant lamps can burn for up to nine hours a day and thus stimulate an optimal day and night rhythm.
Tips & Tricks
If you don't have the opportunity to overwinter your orange tree, you can also take it to your favorite nursery. These often offer a professional overwintering service for tropical plants.