Q. We also have an orange tree that gets oranges (Not a lot  but some) and they are mealy and not very tasty.  How can we solve that? I do give the orange tree lots of extra water. Oranges grown in the Philippines are not orange in color when they are harvested because it is in the tropics. To get oranges typically orange orange in color requires that they are put into the chamber with ethylene gas in a process called “degreening”.The red fruit above the oranges is rambutan. A. Mealy oranges is usually a sign of over maturity, leaving the fruit on the tree too long. Next time they are starting to ripen begin harvesting one of the time a week apart until you hit the right harvest time. Mark it on your calendar. It doesn’t change much from year to year. Unless they are ripening in the winter, you must harvest citrus when they are ripe. They cannot stay on the tree. Don’t wait for an orange to turn color completely.  Begin harvesting it when there is still some green in the rind. If you wait until it is fully orange it may be overripe. Oranges are placed in chambers with ethylene gas to turn them completely orange.