How long does it take an orange tree (3 yrs old) to bare fruit?

My mother has an orange tree with thorns, (in Eastern PA) did not know that they had thorns. The tree came from Florida. Is doing very well inside the house in the winter and then my mom puts it outside in the summer.

How long does it take an orange tree (3 yrs old) to bare fruit?
Yes citrus has thorns. I'm not sure what type of citrus tree you mom has because all citrus looks pretty much the same. That being said, Trees that bare fruit are all grafted, meaning that there is or should be a ruff knot thing near the base of the trunk of the tree. If its there (and I suspect it isn't) the tree should bare fruit the very first year. The grafted limb which becomes the tree is taken from a halt tree and then grafted to a root stock that comes from a wild lemon tree. These weed trees are the root stock of almost all the citrus trees


Good Luck
Reply:It typically takes 3-5 years for a citrus to bear fruit. I have an orange and a grapefruit tree planted in my yard in Phoenix, and even if you buy the tree with fruit on it, it will still take 3-5 years once you plant it for it to bear fruit again. Citrus have on and off years as well, 1 year will be a bumper crop and the next hardly any.