How to Prune a Clementine Orange Tree

Clementine oranges grow on small trees and are very sweet.

Clementine oranges are among the smallest and sweetest. The skin on clementines peels off easily and the seeds are small and edible. Clementine trees are a dwarf citrus variety, measuring to a final height of 8 to 10 feet with a 6- to 8-foot spread. As with all citrus trees, clementines require little, if any, pruning and all pruning should be done between February and April.

Things You'll Need

• Clippers

Instructions

1. Locate any wayward branches growing against structures or into sidewalks. Cut away the entire limb, all the way back to the trunk of the tree.

2. Trim away any dead or diseased branches, making the cuts only as far as necessary to remove the dead wood.

3. Pull off any suckers that are growing from the bottom part of the tree's trunk. Suckers are small shoots from the rootstalk that sap nutrients from the desirable branches of the tree.

References

• Sunkist: How Citrus Trees Are Grown
• University of Arizona Cooperative Extension; Pruning Citrus; Glenn C. Wright, et al.; July 2008