Ellisons Orange Rescue!!

[Easily Confused]

Hi - we have a well established but now somewhat endangered Ellisons Orange in our garden which I need advice with...

Essentially it has got to a reasonable size and is in danger of falling over, we prune it quite heavily each year which it seems to like (lots of fruit) but the weight of the fruit seems to be tipping the tree (its on a mild hill) to the point where it may well go over in high winds..

We have propped it up but would like to both rescue it and ideally move it off the hill. Would we be best trying cuttings to create a new tree, can I grow one from pips if we are unsuccessful in keeping it in place?

Any and all advice much appreciated

[dmtaylor]

Grafting onto choice rootstock will work to make a new tree. Cuttings might also work although I have not seen this done much with apples. Pips will NOT work, as the child tree will be entirely different from the parent. Apples are like humans -- the child usually does not bear exact resemblance to the parent, and more often is not very close resemblance at all.

Why don't you try to stake & tie the tree up? Drive a couple of tall stakes (about 8 to 10 feet, or 3 meters) into the ground near the trunk of the tree, then tie the trunk to the stakes for added support to help prevent falling over? Sometimes a tree needs a little help, and that's fine. A few permanent supports might be just what you need. Some people use 2x2 boards, others use electrical conduit about the thickness of your thumb. I use U shaped fence posts. Any of these will work. Use nylon stockings or ropes covered with rubber hose to prevent the ties from digging into the trunk too deeply.

[OrangePippin-Richard]

I agree with dmtaylor. Try staking it ... but at the same time maybe take some graftwood to propagate from it (or simply buy a new Ellison's Orange tree and plant that nearby).