Growing dwarf oranges in MN. How to get them to ripen, already Oct?

28648797
by 28648797
10 fruit still green, low on daylight and warmth!
  7 answers
  • Robyn Garner Robyn Garner on Oct 06, 2017

    "The colour of an orange depends on where it grows. In more temperate climes, its green skin turns orange when the weather cools; but in countries where it's always hot, the chlorophyll is preserved and the fruit stays green." They are most likely already ripe! A ripe orange should be firm with a thin, smooth skin and no soft spots. The riper the orange, the heavier the orange should feel for its size.

    • Nora Nora on Oct 09, 2017

      My lemons don't get ripe until about Christmas. I bring then inside before the1st cold spell. Usually they bloom after I move them back out to sunshine in spring. I think it would be about the same for your oranges. I'm in Dallas/Ft worth area.

      When I lived in Fla, we had grapefruit trees, & they were so sweet at Christmas! They bloomed at the same time, so you had to be careful not to hurt the blooms picking them.

  • Jennifer Muller Jennifer Muller on Oct 07, 2017

    Never heard of "dwarf oranges", but I grew up in Florida, and something that looked like small oranges, and was more of a bush than a tree was kumquats. They are extremely sour and never get sweet, or turn orange. They were considered inedible, but I suppose you could make marmalade from them.

  • Dusty Dusty on Oct 07, 2017

    I live in Arizona they don't ripen till January, or February.

  • Ar Sayre Ar Sayre on Oct 07, 2017

    Here in California they don't ripen until January or Late December. Might try keeping them indoors near a south facing window... just for the winter. They don't like being cold.

  • Nancy Nichols Smith Nancy Nichols Smith on Oct 07, 2017

    Usual ripening here in TX is in mid to late December, since that is when we get our cold snap start. If the temperature drops below 40 F for about a week, you should have ripened fruit. But definitely don't let them freeze, or you lose flavor real fast

  • Robyn Foster Souder Robyn Foster Souder on Oct 11, 2017

    Here in sunny SoCal, my dwarf orange tree doesn't ripen until mid to late December. I also read that once the orange turns orange it should remain on the tree for at least another month to become sweet. The sooner you pick the less sweet it will be.