Cutting Down a Summer Orange Tree - Diary of a New Gardener, Day 17

The other day, I accompanied a team on a tree-felling job after a client asked us to clear out a vacant lot that had been neglected for many years.

When we arrived at the site and looked at the lot, I saw a tree about 7 meters tall covered in many yellow fruits.
The area was filled with a refreshing scent.
When I asked the owner, they told me, "It's a summer orange (natsumikan)."
It had grown as high as the fourth floor of the apartment building, crossing over into the neighboring property and blocking the sunlight.

We were ready to start cutting it down right away!!
Or so I thought, but then Gardener Hosokawa said,

Wait a minute!!

Citrus trees have very sharp thorns, and he explained that it's extremely dangerous because they can pierce your arms or body when you are cutting off branches or carrying the wood.

When I looked closely at the fallen branches, I discovered many sharp thorns about 5 centimeters long growing from the leaves!
They are the same color as the leaves, so it's hard to notice them unless you look carefully...
It's really dangerous to have these thorny branches falling from above... *sweat*

The person climbing up to do the cutting has to think about the safety of those working below and make sure to drop the branches carefully, so they first checked the surrounding environment and the drop zone thoroughly!

This time, instead of doing the cutting, I helped carry the cut branches to the light truck.
When I tried to bundle the branches onto a blue tarp and carry the whole thing, the thorns were so sharp that they almost pierced through the tarp and into my arms; it was very dangerous... *sweat*
It would have been a real disaster if I had tripped and fallen onto the blue tarp! I was very careful and cautious while carrying them!
I'm so glad they told me about it beforehand!!

I never imagined that such cute, round summer oranges could have such terrifying thorns... It's so unexpected!!! I guess there are thorns on beautiful things after all...!

As we proceeded with the work, neighbors gathered, drawn by the refreshing scent.
What a lovely scent~♪
Before I knew it, Gardener Hosokawa had climbed up the tree and was hacking away at the branches. It was hard work, but the scent of the summer oranges helped soothe our fatigue, and the job was finished safely without any injuries!!! Great work, everyone!!!

After returning home, I looked up some information about summer oranges, and I'd like to write it down here.

The original summer orange tree was discovered in the mid-Edo period in a place called Nagato-shi Senzaki Ohibi, next to Hagi City in Yamaguchi Prefecture, and it was designated as a national natural monument in 1927 (Showa 2).
It is said that citrus fruits from the south drifted ashore on the coast nearby via the Kuroshio Current, and that someone picked up the fruit, planted the seeds, and the tree grew from there!
It sounds like something out of an old folktale, like a "donburako, donburako" story...♪

It's such a dreamy fruit, isn't it?

It seems it was used as a substitute for yuzu at the time, but near the end of the Edo period, someone happened to harvest and eat one in the summer and found it very delicious. After that, it is said that it came to be called "Natsudaidai" (summer bitter orange) instead of just "Daidai," and it became a fruit eaten in the summer!

Summer orange trees can bear fruit even with just one tree! You don't need the artificial pollination that is common in fruit cultivation!
This means that if you have just one tree, it will bear fruit naturally!! It's a very welcome tree for beginners in fruit cultivation!
The fact that a single tree had so much fruit on it even after being neglected for so long...
I remembered the summer orange tree we just cut down and realized that it was proof of its high fruit-bearing capacity.

Here are some pruning tips!
Start pruning and caring for your tree from the year after you plant the sapling, or from the second year onwards!
The best time for pruning is between February and March.

Pruning rejuvenates the tree itself, and keeping the branches from getting too crowded makes harvesting and other tasks easier, while also preventing pests and diseases.
A point of caution when pruning is not to cut too many branches!
The buds at the base of the leaves contain flower buds, which are called "flower buds" (haname). If you cut off all the branches, the flowers that were supposed to bloom two months later won't bloom at all, and of course, no fruit will grow after that...
The large thorns at the base of the leaves can be cut off without any issues, so it's better to remove them carefully with shears!

The summer orange tree at the house today had been left to grow wild and had become too large, but it would be wonderful to take care of it regularly and enjoy the harvest!
The tree shape is very beautiful, and the contrast between the green and yellow stands out even from a distance!
Citrus fruits are rich in citric acid, which helps with fatigue recovery! They are also rich in Vitamin C, which is another attractive feature for its beauty benefits!

It was a day that fueled my imagination, making me want to try growing one in my own garden someday.

The novice garden girl's training continues...