Starting an orange grove

[Digger]

I'm considering starting an orange grove where I live in Florida. I will probably start small just to help mitigate the financial risk. Is something like this doable for a citrus tree newbie? How soon could the operation expect to break even?

 

[Nora]

I've looked into that myself, though I don't live in Florida. Orange trees seem to have a ton of diseases and pests that attack it which put me off.

 

[Chris T]

An orange grove requires a high degree of preparation and planning. A lot goes into preparing the site, selecting varieties, tree spacing, and so on. Have you identified a reputable nursery?

 

[Digger]

Have you identified a reputable nursery?

Not yet. I'm not sure that I'll go for it yet. Do you have any nursery recommendations or an idea of whom I should avoid? Since I live in Florida it feels like a no-brainer to start an orange grove. We all love oranges in this family. My neighbors don't have a grove and I don't know anyone to ask so figured I'd post here about it. A grove might be too risky for us to start though.

 

[greg]

There are numerous orange groves in Florida, and it may be a good idea to find out shippers, stores, and other citrus-related attractions. If you check online, you'll find nurseries with excellent reviews.

 

[Jack L]

I would think the main concern to get started would be the pesticides needed. And the spacing. I don't know what their root systems are like, but I'm sure they need a good deal of room.

 

[RanchHouse]

An orange grove requires a high degree of preparation and planning. A lot goes into preparing the site, selecting varieties, tree spacing, and so on. Have you identified a reputable nursery?

I agree that identifying a reputable registered nursery is the surest path to getting uniform, healthy, true-to-type, and high-quality trees. I have also heard that you should plant your orange tree in a mixture of clay, sand, and organic matter.