A mature orange tree came with the property I just bought. It looks to be from 15 to 25 years old. The oranges were great Nov. - Feb. Just this September one of the main branches tore away from the trunk under the weight of the fruit (I believe) but is still attached. There is a large open tear and ants are attracted to it. Question one) What should I do to protect the tree? The branch is about 6 inches in diameter and about 1/6 of the tree's foliage (and fruit before I pruned most of this). I cut away much of the foliage and oranges to relieve the weight and it still seems to be getting nutrients - the remaining leaves and oranges seem fine - but do I need to treat the tear? Question two, what can I do with green oranges? They are tart but I don't want to waste them. Thanks!
I know this sounds silly but I would find an Amish or Mennonite group and see about a preserve of some kind for the green oranges. I asked my circle of ladies we didn't know. Maybe post a question in our paper *The Budget*..I know if someone has a recipe they would be happy to share. God bless. Mrs J. Mary Stewart
When I was in Florida, orange groves were simply shorn. They had a shape like an upside down styrofoam cup. It made picking easier. The only thing I would think of for green oranges would be some sort of sweet 'n sour sauce for meat, but I've never heard of one. Just put 'green oranges' in your browser to see if recipes come up, or go to allrecipes.com or similar. As far as healing the torn branch, sorry, but I'm no tree expert. God bless!
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