Why does my orange tree have thorns? Which trees have Thorns and which don't?
The branches of sweet oranges are studded with thorns.They are small and blunt on some trees.They can be long enough to scar the fruit on others.Continue reading if you want to learn why they are there and what to do if they don't.
Orange trees are not associated with thorns.Rose bushes have small needles that grow from their stem tissue.An orange tree has thorns.They simply stopped branching out and went to points.
There are thorns in the leaf axils where the flower buds form.The thorns of the tree are just like the rest of its living tissues because they have a job to do.
Mother Nature protects orange trees with thorns.Any leaf-munching animal is likely to turn down a second helping after biting into a tree.
As the trees get older, bigger and stronger, the thorn production decreases because the leaf eaters prefer the tender leaves of young, small orange trees.
Commercial growers have gone to great lengths to develop thornless sweet orange varieties.
thornless oranges are hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 9 through 11.Many growers improve their cold tolerance by growing trifoliate oranges, trees that are hardy to USDA zone 6.