Remove support from a calamondin orange

kakraus · April 2023

I've just purchased a calamondin orange which came grown up a support.

I'm assuming as it's been grown up this the tree can't support the weight of fruit it has without the frame. Some of the branches are long and wired on together or twisted around one another to fit the support.

Should I remove the support? And if so what's the best way?

Would it just be a matter of picking the fruit and pruning back the branches?

The gardeners world page says to prune in spring. Would it be best to tackle this now or if I wait a bit would some of the existing growth get a bit stronger and more able to support itself?

Apologies if this is an easy situation I'm making overly complicated, I just don't want to kill the tree.

Nanny Beach · April 2023

Ooh, Pansy, you are bossy🤣.I agree,you definitely need to remove some of the fruit, they're pretty sharp! I've just picked all of mine,(it's either an orange drizzle cake,or flourless orange/ground almond cake) you have to bear in mind it's a tree, they don't like Central heating/being indoors/too dry. Rainwater,spray the leaves, hubby took ours all outside today,fed, watered. We use a 50/50 mix citrus compost/soil based compost. They aren't the easiest things to look after.

kakraus · April 2023

Thank you both for the advice! I'm planning a small batch of marmalade with this fruit.

I'll put it outside once I've repotted.

But I want to bring it in during winter to protect from frosts. Do you think a windowsill in a room with underfloor heating (we keep it about 18) or a garage with only an east facing window would be better?

Nanny Beach · April 2023

First,I disagree with placing on underfloor heating,they don't like to be too dry even in winter. Ok for Bossy,here's the recipe: 3 medium/large oranges,(I use probably 8/10 of our calamondins) 3 eggs,215g sugar,300g ground almonds,1tsp baking powder. For the sauce: retain one of the oranges after cooking.155g sugar (I don't pay extra for granulated, just the cheap white stuff) preheat oven 170c. Oranges in cold water,bring to boil,boil 15 minutes. Chop, oranges,retain one for sauce. remove pips. You can chuck everything in together, don't over mix,it's rather nice a bit course. 8/10 inch baking tray (I use paper liner. Mix in, roughly level. Bake an hour. Leave to cool very slightly, while making sauce. For sauce: chopped orange with 155g sugar,heat on hob till sugar melts, carefully pour over cake. You can add sliced almonds,I do occasionally. Serve with ice-cream,creme praise, yogurt,cream.

Nanny Beach · April 2023

It is ridiculously moist!! I DID NOT type creme praise!!!! That is the phones opinion!

vsachala2021 · April 2023

It isn't really necessary to prune it. However, to rebalance the silhouette of your calamondin, prune lightly after repotting, in spring.

remove dead wood and dying branches.
if two branches are crossing each other, select one of the two and cut the oth

bédé · April 2023

Plants come ready-supported for several reasons: 1. They take up less space in the nursery and shop, 2. The suppliers think that it is what you want, 3. to support the plant.

I think that your plant's main stem may be too weak yet to be self-supporting.

The main reasons for using John Innes compost are to add a bit of weight for stability. You can get an ericaceous (acidic) version. The other reason is that citrus plants should be allow to dry out between waterings; peat-free composts do not re-wet easily.

By all means put it out on a sunny day, but don't fail to bring it in until nights are reliably >10ºC. They can tolerate -5º C briefly. but don't enjoy it.

Prune with the eventual size and shape you want in mimd.

Lyn · April 2023

vsachala2021 said:

It isn't really necessary to prune it. However, to rebalance the silhouette of your calamondin, prune lightly after repotting, in spring.
remove dead wood and dying branches.
if two branches are crossing each other, select one of the two and cut the oth

Did you know that you shouldn’t copy/paste, if you haven’t got any knowledge of the plant from growing it yourself, you need to just put the link to the article.

bédé · April 2023

I was about to comment on your "creme praise", but you got there before me.

You can't trust SpellChecker or Predictive-text. In fact very few forms of prediction.

Dovefromabove · April 2023

Lyn said:

vsachala2021 said:

It isn't really necessary to prune it. However, to rebalance the silhouette of your calamondin, prune lightly after repotting, in spring.
remove dead wood and dying branches.
if two branches are crossing each other, select one of the two and cut the oth

Did you know that you shouldn’t copy/paste, if you haven’t got any knowledge of the plant from growing it yourself, you need to just put the link to the article.

@vsachala2021 copied the extract from

https://www.nature-and-garden.com/gardening/calamondin-orange-watering-care.html#:~:text=Best%20practices%20are%20to%3A%201%20remove%20dead%20wood,sure%20the%20center%20of%20the%20tree%20gets%20light.

… as @Lyn says … always attribute the author of the article @vsachala2021 or there’ll be copyright issues.

kakraus · April 2023

bédé said:

I think that your plant's main stem may be too weak yet to be self-supporting.

Thank you for your reply - what should I be looking for to be confident removing the support, the stem to turn brown?

Do you think it would it be alright to remove some of the supports on the branches where they're twisting around one another?

Remove support from a calamondin orange

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