Author Topic: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?  (Read 6899 times)

Dylan SB

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When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« on: February 04, 2018, 05:50:40 PM »
I'm trying to figure out when would be the best time to pick Moro Blood orange fruit.  The tree has never produced much and the quality was not very good on the previous fruits.  I think I may have picked them at the wrong time.  I only have about 20 fruit and don't want to waste them picking them too early or too late.  I am in Santa Barbara, CA.  I have an unknown navel orange that is nice and sweet now.

Thanks,

Dylan

Tom

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2018, 11:50:39 PM »
I had three Cara Cara navel on a small potted plant that I just picked. They had great taste and lots of color. Not blood red but very red for a navel in central Alabama !

Mark in Texas

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2018, 08:23:02 AM »
On Jan. 18 I had a hard freeze, greenhouse failure, that nailed almost everything but the citrus, so, I harvested stuff like my Moro blood orange. Juiced, gave it away, made marmalade yada yada.  Citrus trees are leafless now.  For me the Moro gets really rich, sweet, and dark come mid to late Feb.  Recently we tried one still hanging and for the first time this particular orange had a VERY spicy flavor, a bit removed from the typical orange flavor.

The skin should show some red and if you have the cold temps the meat should be burgundy at its prime.  Moro is a great orange, don't give up on it.  It took about 5 years for mine to really shine and I wouldn't give it up for any other variety.





Tree is the second one from the left.  I bet we pulled more than 100 from this little tree.




Millet

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2018, 10:17:06 AM »
Mark sorry for the damage to your plants,   Keep an eye on the trees, as there is a good chance that they will come back.  Do no do any pruning at this time, there is plenty of time to do that .

Mark in Texas

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2018, 12:22:06 PM »
Mark sorry for the damage to your plants,   Keep an eye on the trees, as there is a good chance that they will come back.  Do no do any pruning at this time, there is plenty of time to do that .

Thanks for the encouragement Millet.  Citrus made it, even the key lime stocky tree with the 3 t-bud varieties I grafted last July look OK with the scratch test.  It's the mangos and avocados I'm worried about.   Am really sick because I think my Sweet Tart and Zill cocktail mango tree are toast.  Had a "priceless" Frankencado with 4 Cali types.  Check out this Holiday which would have been bigger and ready come Sept.



Have spent hours on an alarm system and they're either short range (need 500'), text alert only or outrageously expensive.  Best system is by Monnit but it's $309.  It transmits thru walls up to 3,000'.

"Mother nature is a cruel mistress".

« Last Edit: February 12, 2018, 12:26:14 PM by Mark in Texas »

Dylan SB

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2018, 08:28:19 PM »
Thanks for the replies guys.  I went ahead and picked one fruit a couple of days ago.  We have had a very mild winter so far so the coloring was not as nice as it could have been.  As for flavor it was not very sweet.  I will try picking another in a month or so and for now will eat the satsumas while they last and the navel oranges.

Picture of fruit:


Mark what kind of temperatures did your trees see?  Hopefully you will have some sprouts from above your rootstock.

snek

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2018, 09:51:31 PM »
At my place  (Zone 6b/7a). The most delicious will come to me the first half of January. Although not yet fully colored.

2013-10-27


2016-01-02


2016-02-07


2016-03-01



2017-03-05


Johnny Eat Fruit

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #7 on: February 21, 2018, 11:48:41 AM »
I had a Beautiful mature Moro blood orange tree at my house about 10 years ago but I removed it. The problem is at my coastal location the Moro blood orange tree requires more inland heat to ripen and the fruit never fully sweeten up or ripened properly even with a long growing season. Also if the fruit are left on the tree too long they get a unpleasant fermented musty after taste. The overall fruit quality was sub par hence the removal. The Washington Navel tree that replaced it produced excellent quality fruit from a early age and was a much better match at my area.

Johnny
« Last Edit: February 21, 2018, 11:56:23 AM by Johnny Eat Fruit »

fyliu

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #8 on: February 21, 2018, 02:03:59 PM »
Does moro ever get sweet? The ones I've tried are all really tart and the data I've seen say 10% brix and >1% acid.

Johnny Eat Fruit

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #9 on: February 21, 2018, 02:45:25 PM »
I can not recall eating a sweet moro blood orange. It did have some berry flavors but the fruit never reached the sweetness of a good Mandarin (it was always tart) or did it ever have the balance flavor of the Washington Navel Orange. Fruit production for the Moro was Fair to Fair+ at best even when fully grown. Perhaps other that have grown the Moro at a warmer location than I have had better luck but that tree was a looser for coastal Orange County.

Johnny
« Last Edit: February 21, 2018, 02:56:26 PM by Johnny Eat Fruit »

Millet

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #10 on: February 21, 2018, 03:33:13 PM »
Moro oranges do not turn red in harm locations.

Mark in Texas

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2018, 09:07:35 AM »
Does moro ever get sweet? The ones I've tried are all really tart and the data I've seen say 10% brix and >1% acid.

My Moro gets real sweet and takes on a fine complex spiciness.  It was not very good until the tree got some age so be patient.  Also I let mine have a lot of hang time.  Come March and they're prime.

laidbackdood

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #12 on: February 26, 2018, 01:10:46 PM »
I grew a solitary tangelo on my tree last year...it was the first time i had let it fruit and i just grew that one.......I looked up the tree and found out its fruiting time and that it could be left on the tree a long time...........from what i have read.....these things will happen
1.....If you pick too early.........wont be sweet
2...if you pick too late......the tree begins re absorbing nutrients from the fruit.....and moisture and the fruit becomes dry.
   You get this in the shop when the mandarins are at the end of their season.......
    I let my tangello go as orange as possible and i also sprinkled epsom salts around as it was ripening.....that is supposed to make citrus go sweeter.......I picked it on my mothers birthday and it was delicious......
   The other thing to bear in mind,.......is citrus need 10C or below to change acid to sugars in the fruits.......so if your having a cold night.....you know your citrus are becoming sweeter for you.....that why they are no good in the tropics for most of them.
    Often the first years of fruiting can be sub standard as well and the tree will produce better after 3 or more years........so the combination of mild nights......and a young tree means you dont get such sweet and ripened fruit.........I live in western australia and we get 30 to 40 C in summer and we go below that 10C in winter.......often 5/6/7/8  ....the hot weather encourages growth with good feeding and watering and the cold winters help the fruit ripen and become sweeter and that is why Calaifornia produces the best Washington Navels in the world......The aussie ones are getting better too.....I have a book that states the the picking times......there was a three month window on my tangelo minnelo.......not even supposed to be that sweet but i picked mine near the end....I will have a look for your tree......only problem is.....it shows the window where i am but you need to know about your tree......its window ......and how long fruit can hold on the tree.....some dont like being on very long once they reach maturity and some dont give a toss.......But i always make sure all fruit are off ....2 to 3 weeks at least before spring flush......to give the tree a rest before i feed it for spring....Hope this helps mate. p.s I like what Mark says as well.....we have cara cara /arnold blood but i have heard of them being really sweet over here.
« Last Edit: February 26, 2018, 01:21:20 PM by laidbackdood »

Mark in Texas

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #13 on: February 27, 2018, 09:20:15 AM »
Had a Orlando tangelo at a previous house.  One of the finest citrus ever.   

Galka

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2018, 12:18:07 PM »
My Moro didn't have fruits last year by some reason and now it's the only tree that is not flowering.  :( Is it too early to say? Will it flower a little later? It skipped a year previously, so I was sure it will fruit this spring. It's putting on new growth but not a single flower bud.

Millet

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #15 on: February 28, 2018, 09:02:43 PM »
In most cultivars, the previous year's spring flush is the most productive at producing approximately 60% of the bloom the following year.  Did your tree have a good foliage flush last year?

Galka

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #16 on: March 01, 2018, 06:24:28 PM »
Millet, it had and now it looks healthy green with lots of new baby leaves. I hope it will set flower buds soon. I like the fruits it produces, even though they don't get dark red inside, they are tasty.

Tom

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #17 on: March 02, 2018, 12:58:00 AM »
You briefly mentioned Cara Cara. I have a very small tree and I was very impressed with the flavor for such a small fruit on a small tree. It was much better than most navels. I bought some huge Cara Cara at Sam’s and they were excellent too. I’ve been disappointed by regular navels for many years. They seem more dried out then when I was a child. The Cara Cara is much better to me.

Tom

Millet

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #18 on: March 02, 2018, 11:51:01 AM »
Galka, all commercial groves spray low biuret urea a month or so before expected bloom.  Doing so greatly helps the tree's blooming.  I know it is late in the year for you but be sure to do it the next blooming season.

Galka

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #19 on: March 02, 2018, 12:17:41 PM »
Galka, all commercial groves spray low biuret urea a month or so before expected bloom.  Doing so greatly helps the tree's blooming.  I know it is late in the year for you but be sure to do it the next blooming season.

Thank you, Millet. Maybe I am speaking a little early and the tree will start pushing buds. My Tarocco didn't have any too but today I found one flower bud. 

containerman

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #20 on: March 04, 2018, 11:00:05 AM »
I was at a citrus tasting yesterday at my local nursery and tried a moro orange for the first time. It was sweet, berrylike flavor and just a little acidic. It was the best tasting orange I've ever eaten so I bought a tree and I wasn't even looking to purchase one lol. So now I have 2 orange trees and 5 mandarins.

Yorgos

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #21 on: March 05, 2018, 12:48:30 PM »
I have an 8 yr old moro. (rather 8 years since I planted this nursery bought tree)   In the past, my fruit will start to fall on their own by early Feb or late January.  They certainly would not stay on the tree 'till March.  It is a in-ground tree so perhaps cold weather may be the cause of this.  Or maybe as the tree matures its ability to hold fruit will improve.

Millet, would applying biuret to this tree in January counter the alternate bearing tendency of this variety? It is highly alternate bearing.  This year, based on flowers, will be a good year.
Thanks all.  I love this forum!
Near NRG Stadium, Houston Texas. USDA zone 9a

Millet

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #22 on: March 05, 2018, 10:13:01 PM »
Yourgos, the low floral intensity of the return bloom after an on crop year in an alternate bearing tree is attributed to the low carbohydrate reserves in the tree after it has produced a heavy crop.  Similarly, after an off crop year, trees have a larger carbohydrate reserve that supports a large number of ilnflorescences and the stetting of an on crop.  Tree nitrogen status and reserves of other essential mineral nutrient follow the same patter, plus the hormones IAA, ABA & cytokines are also involved. Fruit thinning during the on crop year has shown a great potential for increasing both the size of fruit in the on crop year, and also increasing a greater fruit yield the following year.  As seen above, the nitrogen reserves and essential mineral nutrients are also depleted during the heavy on crop year  Applying  low biuret urea as a foliar spray would be helpful replenishing the nitrate reserve of the tree.  However, I still believe that  crop thinning should also be done.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2018, 12:14:10 PM by Millet »

Dylan SB

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #23 on: March 05, 2018, 10:24:29 PM »
I picked another fruit yesterday and tried it today.  We have had a couple of weeks of below normal temperatures and even one night down to 30F.  There seems to be some more pigmentation in this fruit and the fruits flavor and sweetness has improved.  Maybe in April the flavor will be even better.  Citrus fruits here tend to hang on the tree for quite a while.  I still have some Owari Satsuma on the tree but the quality has been decreasing.  The naval oranges will hold onto the tree at least until June, and sometimes a few will last even longer. 

Here is a picture of the fruit:




Millet

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Re: When to Pick Moro Blood Orange?
« Reply #24 on: March 06, 2018, 12:17:04 PM »
Dylan, the coloration of the Moro shown above has pretty good color for a California grown blood orange.