Is there something that I could maybe wrap around the trunk of my orange tree that would stop the rats from climbing. I can only use rat bait sparingly as I can't risk my dog getting in there.
Most bark damage should be left uncovered and allowed to heal naturally.
You should however prevent further damage. A wire cage formed around the bottom of the tree may help prevent further damage. This should be used to keep the rodents from reaching the tree. Do not attached the fencing to the tree. If it is rats, you will need a wire fencing that they can't squeeze through.
Here are articles that have more information.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/eliminate-rats-in-gardens.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/repairing-tree-bark-damage.htm
what happens if I plant all male trees will they produce or not?
Osage Orange is dioecious (have male and female plants), but the female plant (pistillate) will still produce fruit without pollination… it just lacks seeds! The trees take about 10 years to mature, and it is not really possible to determine gender of the tree before then
The orange tree was bought 3-4 years ago as a potted plant. It did not `do` much for the first year so we decided to put it in the ground. Since then it has grown and thrived and last year we had 3 oranges ..the majority fell off when very small. This year we have over 30 oranges, some very small, some about the size of tomatoes and 2-3 more like the size of a tangerine. They are all green and we presume that if they survive the winter ,when uncovered next spring, they will increase their size and develop their orange colour. We cannot track down a protective bag big enough (the foliage is approx. 4ft x3ft ) would to`bandage` with floss be enough protection?
You may want to remove the small fruit from your young tree. This will help your tree use it's energy in putting down roots instead of fruit.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/oranges/growing-an-orange-tree.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/oranges/pruning-orange-trees.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/oranges/harvesting-oranges.htm
I was away for 8 days but watered my tree well before I left. When I returned the leaves of the tree started to fall and have lost about half of its leaves now. Is this a natural fall happening or is the tree dying?
What you describe is not natural, but normally would indicate a water deficit (drought stress) or toxic reaction to alchohol or a chemical in the soil, or a toxic foliar spray of some kind.
Water deficit is the most likely, but I am surprised that the plant couldn't go one week without wilting and dropping leaves. Was it real hot in the house, is the pot very small, or does the soil drain very fast and not retain soil moisture?
We have a 3-4 yr. old Valencia orange tree. It has a couple dozen oranges right now. We have 1-2 lime sized oranges fall off every few weeks. The yare certainly not ripe. Any ideas?
Water deficit (drought stress) and/or nutrient deficiency are the most common reasons for this. The tree will naturally drop the fruit that it cannot support to maturity with available water and nutrients. The way to help the tree retain the most fruit until they ripen, is to provide adequate water and soil fertility. Mulching the soil surface can help to retain soil moisture.
Sometimes some natural thinning of fruit, especially for a young tree, is not all bad. Excessive weight of a heavy fruit load can cause branch breakage. And the fruit that remains to mature and ripen will be larger and better quality than with a lot of competition for water and nutrients.
Here's an example of a slow release organic fertilizer: https://www.downtoearthfertilizer.com/products/blended_fertilizer/citrus-mix-6-3-3/
I have 800 (hundred) orange mature tree before 2/3 year from havey rainfall season my orange tree leaves have yellows disease and not growing why are the leaves are crul and having yellows disease?
This sounds like a fungal issue. Sometimes, it can resolve itself, but to be sure, you will want to apply dolomitic lime, and wettable sulfur to kill off any disease in the soil. Here are some citrus tree articles for further reading: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/citrus/
I have a potted orange tree that is 4 yrs old. It has giving me oranges every year about the size of a small golf ball but they are real sour. How can I get them to produce sweet oranges?
You may have a calamondin orange or kumquat. These are genetically predisposed with sour taste and cannont be made sweet.
But if you are certain that you have a sweet orange variety then the sour taste could be due in nutrient deficiency and water deficit.
A full range of plant nutrients, adequate water and sunlight are needed to for the process of photosynthesis which makes sugars for metabolism and for storage in the fruit.
There are all purpose fertilizers like the Dr Earth Organic All Purpose on this page:
http://www.fertileearthlandcare.com/domyown/
As well as special fertilizers formulated for citrus like this:
https://www.downtoearthfertilizer.com/products/blended_fertilizer/citrus-mix-6-3-3/and citrus fertilizers like this