I have two orange trees in the back yard . Why do the oranges always stay green?

Question

I moved here in June and the oranges have been on the tree ever since. When are they good to eat?

Thanks for all of the great info. I am in Florida. Some of the oranges are falling off of the tree and the skin is soft, so I wasn't sure.

Answer 1

Oranges are not always orange. In some countries where the temperatures never cool off, oranges remain green, even when mature. It is the cool temperatures which promote the release of the orange pigments (carotenes). If the temperature fluctuates, the fruits may alternate from one colour to the other. To overcome this problem, oranges are often treated with ethylene, which promotes the development of a uniformly "orange" appearance. Depending on the variety, oranges can also be yellow or mottled with red. Their size also varies from being as large as a football to as small as a cherry. The flavours range from sweet to intensely sour.

Oranges look the most appealing when they are a deep, vibrant orange colour; but, on the tree, a mature orange is usually green-skinned. It will turn orange only if the cold temperature destroys the green chlorophyll pigments, allowing the yellow carotenoids underneath to show through. In warmer climates, oranges are always green; but, in the US, oranges are green only if they are picked in the fall before the first cold snap or if they are picked early in the spring when the tree is flooded with chlorophyll to nourish the coming new growth. Green oranges will also change colour if they are exposed to ethylene gas which, like the cold, breaks down the chlorophyll in the skin. Oranges are often dyed to attain the orange colour that consumers demand.

Answer 2

my friend, most of your replies were pretty good, but having a small orchard of 2 acres for my back yard - in can tell you this-- if you moved there in june some of those oranges should be ready to go or pretty close, i test mine by first squeezing them, this lets u know how much juice is in it, a mature orange should be firm but not hard, if its hard then its still green or not ripe -- when u squeeze your oranges it shouldn't take much pressure for you to push in on it -- depending on the type of citrus you have you could also have two crops on your tree, this happens when your trees bloom in early spring to late spring and then again right before summer or mine did anyway-- worse case scenario you can pull one of the oranges and eat it - its not going to hurt you, unless you're allergic to bitterness -- look at your tree and pull what you think is the most ripe on the tree and go for it -- if its hard, still green inside and really bitter give them another 4-6 weeks month -- if its orangeish and not to bad tasting but still a little tangy give them another 2-4 weeks and you'll be in business - most of the citrus tends to get ripe around Thanksgiving but no later than Christmas anything on the trees after that is just money going to waste

Answer 3

Well they should turn yellower before they go bad, but you have to realize that the ones you get in the store have been dyed and the ones on the tree won't ever get that color. You don't say where you are, so its hard to determine the season for you...below is the link for the University of Florida talking about orange varieties and ripening times.

Answer 4

Our oranges usually turn the right color during December or January. :)

The flowers bloom in the summer.

Answer 5

That's a very good question. I've listened to that song about 3,000 times and I still have no idea what it means!

Answer 6

oranges are usually harvestable in december and january. get ready for bags of citrus from your neighbors for christmas.

Answer 7

Oranges are ripe in January, patience friend.....

Answer 8

When they are ripe enough they will be orange!

Answer 9

wait and they will be orange. whats the hurry.

Answer 10

Sounds like they do not get enough sunshine.