How are navel oranges grown if they are seedless?
Seedless navel oranges, as well as all other varieties of citrus fruits, are reproduced by “budding”. Seeds are planted to grow rootstock known to be disease resistant. When they are about two or three years old, the seedlings are budded with a slip from a mature tree that produces the very best fruit. The bud is grafted into the bark of the seedling. The bud takes hold and becomes a new tree, producing the variety of fruit that was budded into the rootstock.
