Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Moro Blood Orange
Moro is the most deeply colored blood orange, with flesh that turns dark red to almost violet. The peel is often blushed red, and the fruit has a berry-like flavor with some tartness. It is the earliest blood orange to ripen, with fruit from about December through February. Fragrant white blossoms open in spring on an evergreen tree.
Best for: dark red winter fruit for eating and juice, a colorful backyard citrus, spring blossom scent, and an evergreen fruit tree.
Moro is the most highly colored blood orange, with flesh that can turn dark red to almost violet. The color builds through winter and is strongest by about February.
It is the earliest blood orange to ripen, with fruit from about December through February. The oranges are often borne in clusters, and they have few seeds.
The tree grows about 10 to 15 feet tall with a spreading habit, and fragrant white blossoms open in spring for the bees. Give it about 15 to 20 feet from other trees.
The red color needs winter cold, so warm winters give lighter color. Fruit left too long on the tree loses flavor. Bare trunks sunburn, 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 Moro 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.
Will a Moro blood orange turn red in Phoenix?
The red color needs winter cold to develop. It starts to show in December and January and is strongest by about February. Warmer winters give lighter color, so let the fruit hang into late winter.
What does a Moro blood orange taste like?
Moro has a berry-like flavor and always keeps some tartness. It is more tart than a typical sweet orange.
When are Moro blood oranges ripe?
Moro is the earliest blood orange to ripen. Fruit is ready from about December through February in the Valley.
Moro vs Sanguinelli: what is the difference?
Moro ripens earlier and has darker, almost violet flesh with more tartness. Sanguinelli ripens a little later, has more red on the peel, and tastes sweeter with less tartness.
Can I leave Moro oranges on the tree?
Yes, for a while. The fruit holds well on the tree, but it can develop an off flavor if it hangs too long, so pick it once it tastes right.
Does it have seeds?
Moro fruit usually has few or no seeds.
How big does a Moro blood orange tree get?
Expect about 10 to 15 feet tall, with a spreading shape listed at about 5 to 10 feet wide. Plant about 15 feet apart for canopies that meet, or about 20 feet for a single tree.
How often should I water a blood orange tree?
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.
When should I fertilize it?
Use citrus fertilizer three times a year. Apply one feeding in January or February, one in March or April, and one in May or June.
How cold can a Moro blood orange take?
Sweet orange trees, blood oranges 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.
When should I prune it, and why paint the trunk?
Prune lightly in late winter or spring, not in summer. Keep the low branches, because citrus bark sunburns easily in the Valley. Paint any bare, sun-hit bark with white latex paint or whitewash.
Is a blood orange tree safe for dogs and cats?
No. 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.
Moro Blood Orange for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Moro is the blood orange Valley gardeners grow for dark red fruit in winter. It brings richly colored, berry-flavored oranges, fragrant spring blossoms and evergreen leaves. Below are the questions homeowners ask most, from how the red color develops in the Valley to harvest, 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.
Do blood oranges turn red in Arizona?
Blood orange color needs winter cold to develop. In Arizona it builds through winter and is strongest by about February. Warmer winters give lighter color.
What is a Moro blood orange?
Moro is a blood orange of Sicilian origin and the most highly colored of the blood oranges. Its flesh turns dark red to almost violet, and its peel is often blushed red.
When are Moro blood oranges ripe in Phoenix?
Moro is the earliest blood orange, with fruit from about December through February. Taste one to check, and pick before it hangs too long and loses flavor.
Moro vs Sanguinelli blood orange
Moro ripens first and has the darkest, most tart flesh. Sanguinelli ripens a little later, with a more colorful peel and a sweeter, less tart flavor.
How big does a Moro blood orange tree get?
Plan for about 10 to 15 feet tall, with a spreading habit listed at about 5 to 10 feet wide. It stays evergreen all year.
How far apart do you plant blood 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 a blood orange tree in the Valley
Water deeply, wetting the soil 2 to 3 feet down and out past the canopy edge. Established trees need water about every 7 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter.
When to fertilize blood oranges
Oranges get three feedings a year. Apply one in January or February, one in March or April, and one in May or June.
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