Orange trees are a delightful addition to the home garden, not only for their delicious bounty, but also for their beauty and sweet-smelling blossoms. An orange tree is actually two different varieties that have been grafted together to form one tree: The rootstock is selected for its hardiness and resistance to disease, while the upper part, or scion, is chosen for its desirable fruit. Orange trees do not require a great deal of pruning but the removal of suckers is essential for proper care and health of the tree. Suckers are branches that sprout from the rootstock below the graft union. If allowed to develop, these suckers will rob the strength from the upper part of the tree, eventually affecting the tree's ability to produce the preferred variety of orange. Suckers should be removed as soon as possible before they become established, regardless of the season.
Identify the graft union on the orange tree. The graft union is a diagonal scar approximately 6 to 12 inches above the ground, depending on the age and size of the tree. The trunk below the graft union may have a different color bark than above the graft union. Branches from the rootstock may have a different type of leaf than the branches from the scion.
Use your fingers to snap off any green branches below the orange tree's graft union. Remove the suckers as close as possible to the trunk of the tree. Do not tear the bark of the tree's trunk.
Use sharp, sterile bypass pruners to remove suckers up to 3/4 inch in diameter that have developed woody tissue. Make a clean, vertical cut as close as possible to the trunk of the tree, without damaging the branch collar, the ring that forms on the trunk around a branch. Bypass loppers should be used on larger woody branches up to 1 3/4 inches in diameter, while pruning saws are used for branches up to 2 1/2 inches in diameter.
Things You Will Need
- Bypass pruners, loppers or pruning saw
- Wounds made by removing orange tree suckers do not need to be sealed to promote healing.
- Clean pruners, loppers and saws with rubbing alcohol between uses to prevent spreading diseases between trees.
- Use only sharp tools to prune the orange tree; using dull instruments to cut the suckers may result in damage to the tree's trunk.
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