Problem
We went away and our orange tree died. I hoped it was still alive.
Answer
ASK THE EXPERT
A friend from France (land of farmers and food) and New Zealand (land of sheep farms) told me what to do. Her lemon tree had looked dead earlier this year.
BREAKING AND BENDING BRANCHES
She looked at the 'dead' branches of my orange tree, which was full of dead leaves. When we tried to cut the spiky branches, she said, "some of them snap straight away and are dead. The others bend and resist because they are slightly moist and alive.?
ORANGE OR LEMON AROMA
She also broke off a bit of a living branch and said, "can you smell the orange?"
Yes, but I had thought it was dead orange, the way orange peel smells.
PRUNING REMEDY
She said prune it right back. It needs to get the water to the roots to revive.
Cut above the nodes (teeny lumps on branches).
WATER
Water it well.
Nothing might happen for a month. It needs time to recover.
Keep it moist. In Singapore we are not allowed to have water saucers under pots because stagnant water can breed mosquitoes. Government health inspectors will come around to look for water retention - even plastic bags ying around which collect water - and can charge a large fine. In other countries, cut a hole in the bottom of the pot if it doesn't have one and keep a saucer underneath.
WATER RETENTION
You can buy at garden centres the white balls which act like sponges of chalk, holding water, which the plant roots can retrieve. You will extend the life of a plant you forgot to water or could not water because you were away on holiday or a business trip or at your second home. That gives your plant up to an extra month (depending on size of plant and pot).
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.
We went away and our orange tree died. I hoped it was still alive.
Answer
ASK THE EXPERT
A friend from France (land of farmers and food) and New Zealand (land of sheep farms) told me what to do. Her lemon tree had looked dead earlier this year.
BREAKING AND BENDING BRANCHES
She looked at the 'dead' branches of my orange tree, which was full of dead leaves. When we tried to cut the spiky branches, she said, "some of them snap straight away and are dead. The others bend and resist because they are slightly moist and alive.?
ORANGE OR LEMON AROMA
She also broke off a bit of a living branch and said, "can you smell the orange?"
Yes, but I had thought it was dead orange, the way orange peel smells.
PRUNING REMEDY
She said prune it right back. It needs to get the water to the roots to revive.
Cut above the nodes (teeny lumps on branches).
WATER
Water it well.
Nothing might happen for a month. It needs time to recover.
Keep it moist. In Singapore we are not allowed to have water saucers under pots because stagnant water can breed mosquitoes. Government health inspectors will come around to look for water retention - even plastic bags ying around which collect water - and can charge a large fine. In other countries, cut a hole in the bottom of the pot if it doesn't have one and keep a saucer underneath.
WATER RETENTION
You can buy at garden centres the white balls which act like sponges of chalk, holding water, which the plant roots can retrieve. You will extend the life of a plant you forgot to water or could not water because you were away on holiday or a business trip or at your second home. That gives your plant up to an extra month (depending on size of plant and pot).
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.
