The Flying Dragon Cold Hardy Orange is a very unique type of orange for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s cold hardy (done to Zone 5/6) which is highly unusual for any type of citrus. Because of this unique attribute, it has been bred with a number of other types of citrus to create cold hardy hybrids.
It’s kind of funny how uncommon cold hardy citrus plants are even though they’ve been around for decades. People tend to love citrus fruits. However, there are two main problems with the cold hardy orange. First, it’s nicknamed “Flying Dragon Orange” because the plant has very large thorns. This can make picking the fruit a little cumbersome. Secondly, the fruit is edible but very seedy. It is also not as sweet as many of the varieties that people are typically familiar with.
The Pros outweigh the Cons
For me, neither of those drawbacks are enough of a deterrent for me to not grow the flying dragon orange. I already have a tangelo tree and two Valencia orange trees growing inside my house. It seems they may have to stay there for a few years until they get big enough to be a bit more cold hardy. Or, the climate continues to change and my growing zone is increased (again). My growing zone was recently changed from Zone 7b to 8a. However, we still had days this winter that fell below the supposed minimum temperature of 20°F for Zone 8a. So, I’m glad I’ve kept my citrus trees inside.
Even though it’s likely that climate change will continue to increase the heat, there is still a possibility. The collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) current could cause a major decrease in temperatures. Less heat will be transferred from the south to the north. So, by adding some cold hardy orange trees to my homestead, I’m trying to improve the chances of survival of at least one type of citrus. Hopefully, I can create some cold hardy hybrids with the other citrus trees that I have. It seems like a far-off problem, but I’d rather take action to be prepared than be caught totally off guard.
Growing Cold Hardy Oranges From Seed
Cold hardy orange seeds require cold stratification for 30 days. So, I’ve decided to try the winter sowing method for these seeds the same way I did for native plants that require cold stratification. I used a clear plastic 1 pound strawberry container and filled it halfway with potting soil. Then, I added seed starting soil on top. The potting soil has too many woodchips that can prevent the little roots from getting to the nutrients they need. Seed starting soil is much finer and also less likely to have pathogens that could infect the plant or cause mold.
I got my seeds from seedvilleusa.com, and it was around 3 dollars for 5 seeds. Hopefully they work out.