Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Cara Cara Navel Orange
Cara Cara is a navel orange with pink to red flesh, close in color to a red grapefruit. The fruit is seedless, peels like a navel and has a sweet, low-acid flavor with a hint of berry. It ripens in winter, starting around December. Fragrant white blossoms open in spring on an evergreen tree much like a Washington navel.
Best for: seedless winter oranges for fresh eating, colorful fruit for salads, spring blossom scent, and an evergreen backyard fruit tree.
Cara Cara is a seedless navel with pink to red flesh and a sweet, low-acid flavor with a hint of berry. It peels and sections easily, so it is made for eating out of hand.
The crimson segments look good in salads and on a fruit plate. Fruit is ready in winter, starting around December, at about the same time as a Washington navel.
It grows like a Washington navel, about 10 to 15 feet tall, with fragrant white blossoms in spring that bees visit. Give it about 15 to 20 feet from other trees.
Like other navels, it drops many small fruit in late spring, more in hot, dry springs. Bare trunks sunburn in the Valley, and young trees need frost cloth on freezing nights.
- Row of trees with canopies meetingAbout 15 ft apart
- Single yard treeAbout 20 ft from other trees
A newly planted Cara Cara tree needs water every few days in its first months, more often in summer. Water out past the edge of the canopy, not right at the trunk.
Soak the soil 2 to 3 feet deep about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter. Let the top of the soil dry between waterings, and never water shallow and daily.
Feed with a citrus fertilizer three times a year. Apply one feeding in January or February, one in March or April, and one in May or June.
Prune lightly from late winter into spring, never in summer. Leave the low branches that shade the trunk, and paint any bare, sun-hit bark with white latex paint.
Sweet orange trees are rated to about 24°F, but the fruit is more tender than the tree. Cover young trees with frost cloth to the ground on freezing nights, and water the day before.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
What is a Cara Cara orange?
Cara Cara is a red-fleshed navel orange. It started in 1976 in Venezuela as a natural change on a Washington navel tree, so the tree and peel look much like a regular navel.
Why is a Cara Cara orange pink inside?
The pink to red color comes from lycopene, the same pigment that colors red grapefruit. The outside of the fruit shows little or no blush, so you only see the color when you cut it.
Cara Cara vs blood orange: what is the difference?
Cara Cara is a navel colored by the same pigment as red grapefruit. Blood oranges get a darker red color that needs cold winter nights to develop. Cara Cara flesh is pink to crimson, while blood oranges run deep red to purple.
What does a Cara Cara orange taste like?
It is sweet and lower in acid than a regular navel, with a more complex flavor. Many describe a hint of cranberry or blackberry.
When are Cara Cara oranges ripe?
Harvest starts around December, at about the same time as a Washington navel. Oranges do not ripen after picking, so taste one to check.
Does it have seeds, and is it easy to peel?
It is a navel, so the fruit is seedless or nearly so. It peels and sections easily, and the crimson segments look good in salads.
Why does my Cara Cara have striped or white-streaked leaves?
Cara Cara trees sometimes grow twigs with variegated leaves. Fruit on those twigs can have a striped peel. It is a known trait of this variety.
Why is my Cara Cara dropping small fruit in spring?
Navels are sensitive to heat during bloom and fruit set, and many small fruit drop in late spring. Hot, dry weather in April and May makes it worse. Steady, deep spring watering helps reduce the drop.
How big does a Cara Cara tree get, and how far apart should I plant it?
Expect about 10 to 15 feet tall, with width listed from about 5 to 15 feet. Plant about 15 feet apart for canopies that meet, or about 20 feet for a single tree.
How often should I water a Cara Cara orange?
Water deeply, out past the edge of the canopy, 2 to 3 feet down. Established trees need water about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter. Young trees need water every few days at first.
How cold can a Cara Cara orange take?
Sweet orange trees, navels included, are rated to about 24°F. The fruit is more tender than the tree. Cover young trees with frost cloth to the ground on freezing nights, and water the day before.
Is a Cara Cara orange tree toxic to dogs and cats?
Yes. Orange trees are listed as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Chewing the peel, leaves or stems can cause vomiting, diarrhea and depression, so keep pets from chewing on the tree.
Cara Cara Navel Orange for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Cara Cara is a pink-fleshed navel orange for Valley backyards. It brings seedless winter fruit with a rich, berry-like flavor, fragrant spring blossoms and evergreen leaves. Below are the questions homeowners ask most, from why the flesh is pink to harvest time, size, spacing, watering and frost.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
What is a Cara Cara navel orange?
Cara Cara is a red-fleshed navel that started as a natural change on a Washington navel tree in Venezuela in 1976. It looks like a regular navel outside, with pink to crimson flesh inside.
Why are Cara Cara oranges pink?
The color comes from lycopene, the same pigment that colors red grapefruit. It is a different pigment from the cold-triggered red of blood oranges.
Cara Cara vs Washington navel
Both are seedless navels that ripen around the same time on similar trees. Cara Cara has pink flesh and a sweeter, lower-acid flavor with a berry note.
When are Cara Cara oranges ripe in Arizona?
Fruit is ready in winter, starting around December. Oranges keep sweetening on the tree and do not ripen after picking, so taste one to tell.
How big does a Cara Cara orange tree get?
Plan for about 10 to 15 feet tall, with width listed from about 5 to 15 feet. It stays evergreen all year.
How far apart do you plant Cara Cara orange trees?
Plant about 15 feet apart center to center for canopies that meet. Give a single tree about 20 feet. The spacing calculator can count trees for a row.
Watering and feeding a Cara Cara orange in Phoenix
Water deeply, 2 to 3 feet down, about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter. Feed in January or February, March or April, and May or June.
Spring fruit drop on navel oranges
Navels, Cara Cara included, drop many small fruit in late spring. Heat and dry soil during bloom make it worse, so keep spring watering steady and deep.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.