If you have shallow, easily saturated soil then you should either do something to remedy it or move onto a different type of tree. It is most likely that attempting to grow an orange tree in these conditions would be disastrous. One of the more popular types of orange is the Washington Navel . It probably came about as a mutation of other oranges. It may seem like a lot of work now, but you want to dig a hole that is twice as wide as the clump, and just a little less deep. After you have dug the hole, line the hole with some compost or fertilizer so that the tree will grow better. After you have done this you should set your fruit tree into the hole, and spread the roots out evenly so that the tree will be strong and stable. The symptoms of black not are rough tumors or growths that can be seen on the tree s branches. If you see any of these, you should immediately chop off the branch it has attached to. If you use branches for mulch usually, don t for this one. This disease can easily re-enter the tree if it is within a certain distance. If you plan on using a manually operated saw or axe, please step back and consider how insane that is. Chopping down a tree by hand will take you forever, and will not even begin to be as accurate as using a chainsaw. If you don t have a chainsaw, you shouldn t even consider doing it without one. Ask around with your neighbors and see if anyone has one that you could borrow. If you constrict the movement and growth of a tree that doesn t need to be tethered down, you could harm it beyond repair. For example, the staking mechanism you use could cause abrasion or rashes on the trunk. This will happen anyways, but why have it happen needlessly? Also, staking gives your yard an unnatural look and can present a hazard for people walking or running across the yard. Solve your tree s health problems at the root, so to speak. Go to where the problem originates from, and fix that. If it is too late and you re already starting to see unhealthy branches that look either diseased or damaged, you should always remove them. If the tree is wasting nutrients by sending them out to the branch that cannot be saved, it is practically throwing away all the nutrients that it could use on the other, healthier branches.