On 8/9/2014 6:37 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:
Don't sneer; I really do not know whether I am supposed to wait until they "yield to the touch, or WHAT!

There are 3 big orange oranges on my dwarf Washington. Have been that way for, h, probably several months. Can oranges be "stored" on tree like lemons?

I'm afraid to wait too long, and afraid to pick too soon.

Any help appreciated.

So. Calif coastal.

HB


Oranges ripen in the late fall. They and other citrus can indeed be
left on the tree for an extended period without spoiling. I'm still
picking kumquats that ripened last December.

If you want to eat an orange now, pick it now. After a long period on
the tree, they will start to lose moisture.

Also, in hot weather, they might turn green again. That is merely a
color issue, not a ripeness issue. But that is why citrus is generally
not grown commercially in the tropics. No one wants to buy a dark green
orange or lemon even if it is fully ripe.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary