Unfortunately I can't answer any of your questions but with a zone of 8B on Mars you must be on the equator. Maybe Endeavor will send back photos of it. That way others with a lot more answers than me could take a look and give you feed back. I can tell you this much with it being in ground it will do much better than us in pots.

Steve

I'm in zone 8B South Carolina.

Could you post some pictures.

My goodness, so many questions:

1. How do I know when my tree is going to bare fruit? After it blooms it may bear fruit.

2. What is the taste of the fruit? Like a mix of orange juice and berry flavor.

3. How tall does it get? In the ground, maybe up to 15 to 20 feet after many years.

4. It is my first time growing a blood orange so patience. Yes, you will need patience.

5. I planted some beans around it so it could get some nitrogen. Um, OK, but not necessary.

6. It has not grown lately so is it fine? It should start growing with longer days and warmer temps. Also see answer to number 4.

7. It is about three feet tall at the moment. No comment

8. It just survived winter (winters here in SC are mild). You may need to protect it some winters.

9. The lowest it got here this winter was 26. I didn't have to cover it and it still survived. It has been a mild winter on the East coast. It will be tested another year.

10. When is the harvest time? After fruit are colored up, but you may have to sample one to see. If too sour, wait a few weeks and sample another.

11. So its hardy. See #9, During the winter it barely grew (like most plants) it only grew a few leaves here and there. See number 4. Citrus usually bloom in spring and grow best when it's the warm season.

12. Does the tree host any other species of butterfly other than Giant Swallowtails? I'm sure it could. It also can host Saddleback caterpillar, scale, aphids, white fly.

Planting beans to supply nitrogen is a bad idea. Fertilizer is a good idea. Planting beans = no growth. Fertilizer = growth.

@Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A thank you for answering the questions!

@Silica I also added fertilizer. Miracle Gro Citrus Fertilizer.

Oh and I and said beans, i meant cow peas.

The cow peas already died. I left the roots in for a few weeks then plucked them out.

Every now and then I add fertilizer. Also last fall put all the dead leaves to the tree.

Since your tree is in ground you can leave the pea roots in the ground They release nitrogen as they rot.

Sadly, i already plucked the roots a few weeks ago.

I planted some beans around it so it could get some nitrogen.

Growing green manure crops, be it beans, cowpeas, clover, buckwheat, alfalfa etc. or mix of them, is always a god idea. They increase soil fertility and structure, help to keep water in the soil, prevent leaching of nutrients. They should be cut down shortly before flowering and left on the soil surface as mulch, unless you want them to reseed. The roots belong to the soil and should be always left there. After cutting the cover crop you can sow another one there immediately. When growing a good crop of green manures, you will not need any synthetic fertilizers.

Alfalfa? I didn't know that works the same as peas or beans.

Maybe I should plant it. I do know that it is very medicinal.

I have experience with citrus in 8b of SC and just a few years ago, there was snow (several inches) in Charleston SC on the normally sandy beaches. And the polar vortex a few years prior to that, definitely killed back citrus in SC/8b. Unless you're in a microclimate beyond the normal 8b, your Moro will need protection every few years.

I don't plant anything near my fruit trees. They compete for nutrients. Clear and mulch to the the foliage edge/feeder root area. Get a soil test and check your pH, you may need to add sulfur to improved nutrient uptake if your soil isn't in zone.

Okay! Thanks for the advice!

I did here about that big winter storm that came here a few years ago in 2017.

Alfalfa? I didn't know that works the same as peas or beans.

Yes, similar. But there are also other green manure crops that work differently. Have a look at this Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_manure and follow the links describing the most commonly grown green manure crops.

As for your another question How do I know when my tree is going to bare fruit? Assuming your tree is grafted it will need two or three years to start bearing fruit, if grown from seed will most likely need seven years.

The starting harvest date for oranges is usually sometime in either November or December. It can last for a month or more. Sometimes the first years fruit will not taste very well, almost inedible. The roots have to become better established and then you will get good tasting fruit. You will need winter protection some years. Just ask anyone in south and central Texas. Been a bad year for citrus in my area.