I'm thinking of giving one a shot planted in the ground. I'm in 9a with hot summers to get the sweetness and I think they're hardy enough for my location. I've read that it's not really easy to get the dark red color.
Anyone have this growing outside and getting good results?
Anyone have experience growing a blood orange?
I have grown a variety of citrus but not the blood oranges. I found some information for you that may help you decide whether to get one and which variety. You may want to contact your Cooperative Extension agent for recommendations. Blood oranges seem to need cool nights to color up well.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/Citrus/oranges.htm
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/orange.html
Thanks for the links. Our Cooperative extension is useless unless your your growing a commerical crop. Talked to them before and they simply give you a list of fruit trees the commerical guys grow around here. Bring in a bug or something and they can help you out but they or him in this case has nothing to say about anything exotic. Blood oranges not really exotic but not common in the South East by any means.
coreHHI
I have a friend who has a blood orange that is several years old and it does very well in Zone 9. Nice beautiful fruit with very vivid red color inside but it is not on my favorite list. This is just my opinion but it does not compare in taste to a Hamlin or Washington navel.
Oldude
Most of the bloods arent nearly as sweet as a standard sweet orange (you should try an Arizona Sweet if you like a good orange. Beats all others hands down in my opinion). However, the taste IS very good, and just a little bit different. They make for an AWESOME margarita mixer....but I digress.....
Here in AZ, where citrus is a dime a dozen (literally the streets in my neighborhood are lined with citrus, though mostly of the bitter orange variety), blood oranges are still a bit of a novelty. There are several varieties, and their need for a cool period to make the appropriate colors (through one of a couple of possible metabolic pathways) varies substantially. Sanguinelli and Morro have different pathways, and those differ from that used by Ruby. Moro does not color up as regularly here in PHX as Ruby does, as it needs quite a cool spell to color up. You may be fine in zone 9, but in my piece of 9B, Ruby is the preferred variety.
Check with local nurseries. You have to be persistent, most local nurseries are staffed by people who dont know and dont care, especially about more exotic stuff. Ask questions, and be persistent. If there are local garden clubs, ask one of the members to refer you to the local citrus expert.
Most importantly: do NOT import cuttings, trees, seeds or soil from Florida. You dont want to be the one responsible for introducing any one of the several pathogens that now infest much of Floridas citrus. Greening and canker are very serious diseases that you will not be able to control.
DD
I already grow pink navel oranges, tangerines, madrin oranges, harvey lemons, grapefruit, plums, peaches, apples and pomegranites. Tangerines being my favorite. I want a blood orange for the color and just to have something out of the ordinary. None of my citrus came from Fla. and I am aware of the problems they're having. As far as local sources I'm on my own. No one here seems to have ever tried to grow a blood orange.
CoreHHi
Stan McKenzie over in Scranton SC has a lot of citrus. He may be able to help you if you haven’t already called him. I believe he is listed as Stan McKenzie Farms.
That's where my grape fruit, tangerines and mandrin orange came from.
core, i have a blood orange tree at my house in louisanna. i have had it about 5 years and it is beautiful, but has never had oranges, so i'm not much help.
kathy
i love miss beckie
I grow a" Maltese blood " orange it gets a few frosts each winter (mild ) and has hot summers ...it gives me a good crop of fruit always, a taste of raspberry and orange mixed together ...fantastic for juice and jams ...the cold is what blood oranges need for the colour ...a couple of mild frosts bring the best flavour.We fight over ours :)
chrissy
My temps hit aboput 95 degrees or so durning the summer with nights in the 70's. Once I hit winter I get a few frosts with day temps in the 50's and night in the low 40's and average. I can count on a few nights down in the 20's every year but it's only for a few hours. This was a cold year for us I can only remember about 4 nights of frost.
I think the blood orange idea will work for me. I was thinking of a Moro blood orange becuase I can actually buy one. Anyone have a comment whether a moro is the way to go or not? I found someone who has moro blood oranges on flying dragon root stock which is a good root stock for around here. Other than that I can't really find any where to buy a blood orange tree. No local sources. I can ask a nursrey but I'm sure they would want something like $200 for one. They charge you an arm a leg around here if you have them order somehing.
Four Winds Growers in Fremont, CA has them
https://ssl4.westserver.net/fourwindsgrowers.com/secure/consumer/
Acorn Springs Farms here in Texas sells them also.
http://www.acornsprings.com/index.php?search=Moro+orange&submit=Quick+Search&mod=search