Sprouts

• Sprouts, or suckers, growing on the lower trunk should be pruned from orange trees as soon as possible. These thin branches often grow from beneath the graft on orange trees. They are unproductive and draw energy away from the rest of the tree. Hand-remove sprouts or cut them at the base of the trunk with pruners any time of the year. Sprouts growing perpendicularly on larger limbs should also be hand pruned.
  
  

Twig Die Back

• Allow branches damaged by frost the opportunity to regenerate until late spring before pruning them back. Remove small dead or diseased branches any time of year. A few dead branches within the canopy do not harm the tree and will fall off in their own time. Remove branches at the collar; do not prune flush with the tree. The collar is the swollen area on the branch next to the trunk. Cutting into the collar or cutting flush with the tree can stimulate the tree to produce sprouts. To cut a branch more than 1 1/2 inches in diameter. On Arizona Cooperative Extension's website, Glen Wright recommends a three part cut. "For the first cut, choose a location 6 to 12 inches out from the collar. Saw through about 1/3 of
  
  the branch starting from the underside. This is called the undercut, and will keep the bark from tearing. Then, remove the weight of the branch by making a second cut about 3 inches further out from the undercut, cutting completely through the branch, from top to bottom, until the branch falls away. Finally, cut the resulting stub back to the branch collar. Make sure the cut is smooth."
  
  

Rejuvenation

• Prune older orange trees to improve vigor and fruit production. This is a drastic, last effort measure to save an old tree. Prune trees in need of rejuvenation in early spring before a growth flush and before sunlight becomes intense. Cut them back severely to allow all nutrients and water from the fully established root base to flow to a smaller tree. Paint any limbs and portions of the trunk exposed to sunlight with 50 percent diluted white latex paint to protect the tree from sunburn.
  
  

Skirting

• Though not necessary for the health of an orange tree, the removal of low-hanging branches, or skirting, can be performed for aesthetic reasons. Skirting is not recommended because it eliminates the more flavorful low hanging fruit, and exposes the trunk to excessive sunlight and wind damage. Skirting may be necessary to install drip irrigation, or to improve access to the soil surrounding the tree.