Orange is citrus and it is another type of fruit common around the world. Oranges are used in our everyday life and we come across it in different forms like drinks, smoothies or in food recipes.
Not only are oranges tasty, but they are also very nutritional to the body. They contain important compounds like fiber, sugar, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, and even calcium.
You can get oranges from any of your fruit stores and you can even plant yourself an orange tree if your soil will welcome it. There are different species of oranges and each species has its identifying feature: size, number of seeds, peel color, taste, and weight.
How much does an orange weigh? The weight of an orange ranges between 2 to 10 ounces (0.125 to 0.625 lbs). Oranges have a drastic weight range because of the different sizes that they grow.
Things to Know When Weighing Oranges
There is nothing special or difficult when weighing oranges, and there are different methods you can employ.
One thing you should have in mind when weighing is that all oranges don’t have the same weight. There is no fixed weight that an orange should have. In addition, the weight of the orange doesn’t necessarily determine if the orange is healthy or not.
Factors That Can Affect the Weight of Oranges
The major factor that will determine the weight of your orange is the size and water content.
But these factors are affected by some other conditions which include:
- Soil Nutrients: Every plant needs soil to grow because soil contains all types of compounds and microorganisms that are important to the development of trees. If the orange tree is planted in soil with sufficient nutrients like nitrogen, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and others, your orange tree will grow very well and produce proper fruits. It is possible for a tree with genes for large fruits to produce fruits with stunted growth if it lacks some of these important nutrients.
- Soil water: The soil moisture refers to the amount of water available in the soil for plant growth. Plants need water to grow and make food, the same thing applies to orange trees. If the soil doesn’t have enough water, the growth will be stunted and the fruits produced may be lesser in size than they are supposed to be. In some cases, they may be the right size but lack the appropriate amount of water content.
- Genetics: The genes refer to traits passed down from parent trees to younger generations. The genetic makeup of the tree is the major factor that determines the size, leaf shape, fruit type, and other features of the tree. It is very possible to see a very large orange and a very small one, and they will both be healthy and fully mature. the small one doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem with the fruit, it could come from a tree with genes for small fruits.
- Environment: Oranges can be found in different parts of the world, but some parts are not suitable for the growth of orange trees. If you try planting it in areas like this, the fruits produced will be stunted. As a result, if you weigh them, they’ll weigh very little and they won’t taste nice.
- Human Factor: No other living animal impacts the earth as much as we humans do. We have the power to improve it and also destroy it. Some of our activities affect plants around us like pouring waste on the ground which can contaminate the soil. In turn, any plant that grows in polluted soil could be at risk and it may even die off. If that plant or tree produces fruits, the fruits could be defective and weigh less than they are supposed to.
The major factor that determines the weight of orange is the size and the factors listed above affect the size of the oranges. If the orange tree grows in an area where the condition is not favorable it will affect its growth. One thing you should note about the weight of oranges is that the weight depends on the type of orange. Some oranges are naturally small in size while some are large.
So, if you want to use weight to determine how healthy the orange is compare it with another orange from the same tree.
Weighing Oranges
You can weigh your oranges using different scales depending on the number of oranges you want to weigh at a time. You can use your normal digital scale or other types.
- One way you can weigh your oranges is individually. You can measure the weight of a single orange with the use of a digital scale, just ensure that the scale is reading in grams it will be more accurate.
- You can also measure the weight of oranges using bags, or in groups. Pack a known number of oranges into a bag or sack and weigh it, you can use this method to get the approximate weight of each orange in the bag without having to weigh them individually.
Final Thoughts
Oranges are among the most used fruits around the world. Orange can be eaten as is, squeezed as an orange juice, or even used when cooking. Oranges also have some important nutrients that help the body like vitamin A, Vitamin C, fiber, and more.
When weighing oranges, if the number you want to weigh is not high you can do it individually, but if the quantity is plenty, it will be easier to use the bag method.