How to grow Blood Orange in Australia

Difficulty: Intermediate
Sun: Full sun
Water: 18 litres a week, watered every 3 days
Spacing: 400 cm
Time to harvest: 730 days (about 2 years)
Time to germinate: 1 days
Soil pH: 6 to 7.5
Frost tolerance: Half hardy

Needs cool nights in winter to colour up, so the red is stronger in the southern states than the subtropics. Arnold and Ruby are common.

At a glance

Region	When to sow	Regional note
South East Queensland	March to September
Northern Rivers NSW	March to September
Sydney & Coastal NSW	March to September
Melbourne & Victoria	September to November	Plant Sep to Nov after frost. Cold Melbourne nights colour the flesh a deep red.
Adelaide & SA	March and April, September and October	Plant Mar to Apr or Sep to Oct. Cool winter nights colour the flesh well.
Perth & WA	March to September
Tasmania	October and November	Marginal. Plant Oct to Nov on the warmest wall. Cold nights give great colour but the fruit ripens slowly.
Canberra & ACT	November	Marginal. Cold nights colour the flesh deeply, but plant in November after the last frost and cover young trees in winter.
North Queensland	May to September	The tree grows, but without cool nights the flesh stays orange. Plant May to Sep in the dry, or choose a navel.
Darwin & Top End	May to August	Without cool nights the flesh stays orange. Plant May to Aug in the dry if you still want one, or choose a navel.