Rush TI Navel Orange Trees for Sale
Citrus made easy for growers, nurseries, and distributors
The Rush TI navel orange is an early-season California navel selected by Dick Rush from Thomson Improved (“TI”). It became valued by growers targeting the front of the navel window for its ability to color earlier and sweeten reliably ahead of Washington strains. Rush TI was chosen to improve the early navel slot, and it remains respected among growers who want a dependable start to the season with strong peel quality and commercial handling performance.
The Rush TI navel orange has a very smooth rind with rich color and a classic navel appearance. One known characteristic is a ricey flesh texture when picked too early — a recognized early-navel trait and considered a quality fault — but with proper maturity, the fruit delivers clean sweetness and mild acidity. Where some early navels struggle to meet both flavor and color requirements, Rush TI comes into internal maturity and rind finish ahead of many early types, especially earlier color than Zimmermann TI. This helps avoid maturity delays tied to color break, giving growers earlier market timing and the chance to pack attractive fruit at the start of the season.
A major commercial strength of Rush TI is its exceptional shipping durability. The fruit holds pressure, maintains peel firmness, and travels extremely well, making it attractive for long-distance and export markets in early fall. It is not intended as a long-hang variety; instead, it fills the early market window efficiently, pairing naturally with mid- and late-season navels in a staged program.
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How it works buying our Rush TI navel orange citrus trees
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Different Rootstock Options, Depending
on Variety and Your Needs
C-35 Citrange
Carrizo
Flying Dragon
Volk
Macrophyll
Sour Orange
Rubidoux
Rich 16-6
Rush TI Navel Trees Your Way
From seed to container-ready.
Super Citrus Trees
Small Pots
Citrus Liners
Rooted Cuttings
Budwood
Seeds
How Our Rush TI Navel Trees Are Different
Growers choosing Rush Ti navel orange trees from TreeSource receive clean, true-to-type stock propagated from verified budwood. Trees are grown for uniform early structure and shipped in palletized triwall systems for protection and stability during transit, ensuring strong establishment.
For orchards targeting an early harvest with smooth peel, fast color, and excellent shipping quality, Rush Ti remains a well-proven early navel option with a California heritage and reliable field behavior.
Rush TI Navel Orange FAQs
What is TreeSource’s typical shipping schedule for Rush TI navel orange trees?
TreeSource typically ships Rush TI navel orange trees when they are fully hardened, certified, and field-ready, timing deliveries around the grower’s planting window and favorable weather conditions. Orders should be reserved well in advance because Rush TI is a specialty early-navel selection produced in limited runs. Most deliveries occur during standard planting periods, but TreeSource can accommodate winter shipping with insulated tri-wall packaging and fast transit when necessary.
What makes Rush TI oranges stand out from other navel varieties?
Rush TI stands out because it’s an early-season navel that delivers strong rind color, smooth peel, and very good shipping durability ahead of the main crop. Discovered by Dick Rush as a sport of Thomson Improved, it improves on classic TI types by coloring earlier—notably earlier than Zimmermann TI—helping growers meet early market windows with fruit that looks fully ready.
While it shares the traditional seedless navel flavor, growers appreciate that Rush TI reaches marketable quality sooner without the weak peel or color lag sometimes seen in early navels. Its rind is exceptionally smooth and firm, allowing it to travel long distances well. One trait to manage is its ricey texture if picked too early, but with proper timing it delivers clean, sweet flavor and reliable early-season performance.
Do you have mature Rush TI navel orange trees available for purchase?
Availability for mature Rush TI navel orange trees changes throughout the year based on propagation cycles and season. We regularly produce Rush TI, but mature trees are offered in limited runs.
Please check our live Availability page for current inventory and current size options. If Rush TI isn’t listed or shows limited stock, contact our office — our team can confirm current inventory, discuss upcoming production, or help you secure trees in the next cycle.
We’d like a custom order of Rush TI trees and other navel varieties. How long would it take to prepare this?
Answer 4: It’s best to call Sales for this question, but in general a custom order that includes Rush TI and other navel varieties typically requires 9–12 months of lead time. That window allows TreeSource to plan budwood pulls, reserve the correct rootstocks, and grow a uniform, hardened crop to commercial planting standards.
If you’re requesting larger volumes, specialty rootstocks, or a precise delivery season, planning a full year or slightly more ahead is smart. Sales can confirm current production timing, check if any trees are already in the pipeline, and help schedule your order into the next propagation cycle.
What is the average lifespan for Rush TI navel orange trees?
Rush TI navel orange trees have a long productive life when planted on the right site and managed well. In commercial citrus districts, a typical orchard lifespan is 25–35 years, though many blocks continue producing beyond that with good canopy management and disease exclusion. In well-maintained groves free of soil-borne issues, trees can remain vigorous for 40 years or more, similar to other Washington-type navels.
As with all citrus, long-term performance depends on clean planting stock, healthy soils, proper irrigation, and avoiding chronic trunk or root stress. On appropriate rootstocks and in good citrus ground, Rush TI can be counted on for strong multi-decade productivity.