Midknight Valencia Orange Tree
Citrus sinensis 'Midknight Valencia'
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Your order is protected by our compliance system that:
- Prevents restricted plants from shipping to your state
- Ensures plants meet your state's agricultural requirements
- Protects gardens from invasive pests and diseases
Delivery and Shipping
Delivery and Shipping
Delivery and Shipping
Fast, Safe Plant Delivery
Ships in 3-4 business days • Tracking provided • Weather protected
| Under $50 | $9.99 |
| $50 - $99.99 | $14.99 |
| $100 - $149.99 | $16.99 |
| $150 - $198.99 | $24.99 |
| $199+ | FREE |
✓ Zone-specific timing • ✓ Professional packaging • ✓ Health guarantee
Understanding Plant Options
Nature Hills offers plants in two main formats:
- Container Plants: Grown in pots with soil, sized by container volume and plant age
- Bare Root Plants: Dormant plants without soil, sized by height measurements
Container Plant Sizes
Container sizes indicate plant age and growing capacity rather than liquid volume equivalents. Our containers follow industry-standard nursery "trade gallon" specifications, which differ from standard liquid gallon measurements.
Young Plants (6 months to 18 months old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 2" x 2" x 3" | 0.18 - 0.21 dry quarts | 0.20 - 0.23 dry liters |
| 4" Container | 0.31 - 0.87 dry quarts | 0.35 - 0.96 dry liters |
| 4.5" Container | 0.65 dry quarts | 0.72 dry liters |
| 6" Container | 1.4 dry quarts | 1.59 dry liters |
| 1 Quart | 1 dry quart | 1.1 dry liters |
| 5.5" Container | 1.89 dry quarts | 2.08 dry liters |
Established Plants (18 months to 2.5 years old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Quart | 2 dry quarts | 2.2 dry liters |
| #1 Container | 2.26 - 3.73 dry quarts | 2.49 - 4.11 dry liters |
| 5" x 5" x 12" | 3.5 - 4.3 dry quarts | 3.85 - 4.74 dry liters |
Mature Plants (2-4 years old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| #2 Container | 1.19 - 1.76 dry gallons | 5.24 - 7.75 dry liters |
| #3 Container | 2.15 - 2.76 dry gallons | 8.14 - 12.16 dry liters |
Large Plants (3-5 years old)
| Container Size | Actual Volume | Metric Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| #5 Container | 2.92 - 4.62 dry gallons | 12.86 - 20.35 dry liters |
| #6 Container | 5.25 - 6.01 dry gallons | 23.12 - 26.42 dry liters |
| #7 Container | 5.98 - 6.53 dry gallons | 26.34 - 28.76 dry liters |
Bare Root Plants
Bare root plants are sold by height from the root system to the top of the plant. Plants may exceed minimum height requirements.
Common Sizes:
- Trees: 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, 4 feet, 5 feet, 6 feet
- Shrubs & Perennials: 1 foot, 18 inches, 2 feet
Important Notes
Container Volume Specifications
- Trade Gallon Standard: Our containers follow industry-standard "trade gallon" specifications established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z60.1) for nursery stock
- Volume Variations: Actual soil volume may vary due to plant root systems and growing medium settlement
- Age Indicators: Container size primarily indicates plant age and maturity rather than liquid volume equivalents
Growing Conditions
- Plant size can vary based on variety and growing conditions
- Container size helps indicate plant maturity and establishment level
- Larger containers generally mean more established root systems and faster landscape establishment
Seasonal Availability
- Bare root plants are available seasonally when dormant
- Container plants are available throughout the growing season
- Specific varieties may have limited availability in certain sizes
Questions?
For questions about specific plant sizes or availability, please contact our plant experts who can help you choose the right size for your landscape needs.
Plant Sentry™ Protected
Your order is protected by our compliance system that:
- Prevents restricted plants from shipping to your state
- Ensures plants meet your state's agricultural requirements
- Protects gardens from invasive pests and diseases
Plant Profile & Growing Essentials
Evergreen, Flowering, Self-pollinating, Edible, Fragrant, Heat Tolerant, and Container Friendly
Specifications
Specifications
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Botanical Name
-
Height
-
Width
-
Growing Zones
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Sunlight
-
Growth RateModerate
-
Flower Color
-
Leaf Color
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Pollinator FriendlyYes
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Pollinator Required
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Bloom PeriodLate Spring
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FragrantYes
Planting & Care Instructions
Planting & Care Instructions
Growing Zones 9 - 10 (patio 4 - 10)
Like a knight in shining armor, Midknight Valencia Orange Tree (Citrus sinensis 'Midknight Valencia') is an early fruiting Valencia that will sweep you off your feet. It produces larger fruit than Valencia, but it's just as sweet and virtually seedless. Midknight is a hardy, upright tree with wonderfully sweet fruit. This tree would be just as happy in the yard or in the house making it a great choice in any growing zone.
The Midknight Valencia Orange produces large, high-quality fruit. It has a nice round shape and very smooth skin. Its high sugar and juice content in addition to its low acid content creates an excellent orange for snacking or juicing!
The swarms of bees and butterflies that come to pollinate the fragrant white blossoms! During fruiting, it appears to produce a smaller crop than Valencia. The yield is similar; however, the much larger fruit makes it seem less productive. You'll enjoy the larger fruit and the flavor because nothing beats homegrown produce!
Planting and Application:
These smaller evergreen trees are highly ornamental blooming trees that are fantastic accent trees and focal points for both front and back yard edible landscaping! For pinpoint shade over seating areas, around pools and adorning your front entry with a definite conversation starter!
It is slower growing than Valencia making it a wonderful container plant in colder climates. Plant this hardy tree in a decorative container and enjoy its fragrant flowers and fruit on your patio, deck or balcony during the warmer months. Move it indoors before the first frost and you can enjoy fresh home-grown oranges even in the coldest regions.
Protecting Container Citrus From Cold
Although it's famous for growing in warmer regions, it can also thrive in colder areas as long as the tree is brought indoors prior to the first frost of winter.
If you're growing these tropical trees in the ground in the lowest of their favored growing zones, they need to be planted in a sheltered spot to avoid the worst of the chill. If a spot like that is unavailable, then you are better off planting in a large, deep container.
In borderline growing zones, begin slowly acclimating your tree indoors or into a protected location, eventually moving your tree inside in bright indirect sun for the winter if the temperatures in your area ever dip below that 40°F range. In spring, reverse this process and begin acclimating your tree to again be back out in the full sun all summer. This reduces stress and leaf drop.
- Fall Harvest
- Large, Sweet & Virtually Seedless Orange
- Healthy Snack
- Indoors or Out
- Specimen, Accent & Container Gardening
#ProPlantTips for Care:
Citrus trees need full sun to do their best. Provide a very well-drained site that dries out a bit between waterings. Containers and planters need excellent drainage. Regular fertility and soil on the slightly acidic side will keep your tree healthy.
So don’t wait for your knight, buy the delicious and seedless Midknight Valencia Orange Tree today from NatureHills.com for space-saving and easy-to-grow goodness!
Seedless Fruit Found a Place in the Home Garden
The Midknight Valencia was first found as a part of a budded collection done by A. P. Knight of Summerville, Aldo in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Unfortunately, the buds used were from an unknown source, but developed Valencia type fruits. In about 1927, it was noticed that a few of the budded selections were seedless and a selection was made in 1930.
The selection was found to be a slower grower than the standard Valencia and did not perform well on the typical Citrus rootstocks used in South Africa. The fruit's seedless quality, early ripening time (earlier than standard Valencia), high juice content, and perfect size kept the Midknight Valencia a top variety of interest until the ideal rootstocks were determined.
By the 1970s, news of the seedless Valencia variety from South Africa had spread. Not as productive as the standard-seeded Valencia, commercial growers had chosen to grow it more as a novelty in South Africa. With all the aforementioned qualities, interest began to pick up after 1970.
Budwood arrived from South Africa to the UC Riverside Citrus collection in January of 1985. It was cited on the UC Riverside Citrus Variety Collection site that the budwood was put directly into thermotherapy, a heat treatment used to destroy any potentially harmful viruses. Once cleaned up and certified virus-free, the trees were found to grow faster and get to be better sized, though still a small tree.
Ripening March to July, similar to the standard Valencia, the Midknight Valencia was slow to take off commercially, but the virtues were quickly recognized by the home garden market. In the early 1980's, seedless varieties were fast becoming preferred by the consumer and as many varieties of seedless citrus were introduced, they quickly became popular with the growers that supplied the home garden market.
In the 1990s, the Four Winds Growers, the nation's largest grower of Citrus for the home garden market, introduces the Midknight Valencia. Since that time, it has grown in popularity within the home garden market as a high-quality, seedless alternative to the traditional Valencia Orange.
