Hi, everyone! new here.

I just bought this old house. There are three mature orange trees planted in the wrong places around the yard, in the first place. Second, the fruits are little, seedy and someplace between not so good and tasteless. Third, black leaves and full of mealy bugs. (I know, spray spray spray)

I would not bother with them at all, if they were on the fringes of the lot, because the birds eat the fruit, fine with me. But the trees are right in the yard, one almost touching my front deck.

Would you just take them out, or maybe cut them off three feet from the ground and graft better citrus like mad?

The trunks are about six inched in diameter.

Thanks for any discussion!

Melissa

If it were me, I would baby them a little and see how they respond, they could be really nice trees. You can always tear them out or graft later, but if you decide to graft the tree you still want to nurse the trees back to health to begin with. At least that's how I see it.

I am not particulary fond of oranges (!) and dislike orange juice. These fruits are so full of seeds! And small, and rather tasteless.

How does a homeowner spray a tree that's 25 feet tall, and close to other plants, and one's on a very steep incline. I'm 62 and beginning to be less spry that when I was thirty five!

If you don't like citrus take it out done deal.

I rally like kumquats, pummelo, lemon, lime, and other citrus. Just not oranges.

I keep thinking to cut the trees to about four feet tall, and graft all around the edges. Tho I need a source for cuttings.