Plant Doctor Archive

Taking cuttings from orange trees

Question IS it possible to take a cutting from an orange tree? If so, do we then have to graft this on to another tree? We have a beautiful orange tree with plentiful and sweet fruit and would like to grow the same tree at our new home. The tree is about 2 m high and 2.5 m wide. Can you move them?

Answer ORANGE trees are grafted for root stock effect, giving the plant vigour, increasing yields and improving disease resistance for varieties that would otherwise be weak, low yielding and susceptible to disease. You can try taking cuttings — now would be a good time before new spring growth appears, but for the reasons above, your success may be limited.

Yes, you can move citrus trees and it would need to be done sooner rather than later. Your tree is rather large to move and if you were going to lift it, it would need to be cut back quite drastically. The foliage would need to be sprayed with Stressguard to reduce transpiration and water loss.

To lift the tree you would need to dig around the drip line, taking a large ball of soil with it. The hole it was going into would need to be dug and ready to go. Finding an interim pot for a tree so large would be difficult.

Do you know the variety of orange? If you do, your local garden centre could order it in for you, or alternatively, if you don’t know the variety, they may be able to identify the fruit.