How to grow a tangerine tree in a flower pot: tips from florists
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Description of indoor tangerine
Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) belongs to the evergreen flowering crops of the Rutaceae family. China is considered the birthplace of citrus. The tangerine tree is massively grown in the gardens of Israel, Turkey, Spain and Thailand. A beautiful evergreen tree with fragrant fruits in a bright orange peel is not uncommon in hot African countries.
The height of a tangerine growing in its natural environment is 4–5 m. At the same time, the crown is spreading, wide and round. The bark of the trunk and skeletal branches is painted in a pleasant light gray shade, young shoots - in a rich green. The leaf plates are characterized by an ovoid or pointed shape. Leaves are small, leathery, dark green in color with a characteristic shiny coating.
The plant blooms from April to June. The flowering citrus tree is dotted with small white and creamy buds. The tree exudes a pleasant and delicate aroma.
Indoor tangerine - a miniature copy of a citrus tree growing in nature
Can't imagine what an indoor tangerine looks like? The home-grown tangerine tree is a miniature copy of a regular citrus. The plant attracts attention with its rich foliage color, abundant and fragrant flowering, bright fruits. The height of an adult tree ranges from 0.5 to 1.1 m.
Varieties for growing at home
Through selection manipulations, many hybrid forms of mandarin were bred for indoor cultivation.
In indoor floriculture, dwarf varieties of mandarin are grown
Unshiu
The Unshiu variety is a native of Japan. Under favorable conditions in the house, the first fruiting falls on 3-4 years of citrus cultivation. The culture blooms with the first spring warmth, the fruiting period falls on the last month of autumn. The fruits are pear-shaped. When viewed in section, there are no bones.
Kovano-Vasya
Dwarf decorative mandarin. The height of an adult tree does not exceed 80 cm. It blooms in spring, begins to bear fruit in 2 years of cultivation. The fruits are small, but fragrant. The rind is colored in a beautiful orange-yellow hue. Differs in high decorative characteristics.
Clementine
The result of a successful breeding crossing of a mandarin and an orange. With a favorable microclimate, it bears fruit for 2 years of cultivation in the house. About 40-50 fruits are harvested from an adult tree. The shape of the fruit is flattened, the color is orange-red. Occasionally there are large grains that can be used for planting.
Shiva Mikan
Despite the tendency to intensive growth, the Shiva-Mikan variety is distinguished by its compact forms and low growth.The advantages of citrus culture are high decorativeness: rich foliage color and bright medium-sized fruits.
Marcott
Murcott Honey is the full name for the tangerine tree in indoor citrus growing. A distinctive feature of the fruit crop is juicy and aromatic fruits, the taste of which can be compared with the sweetness of honey. At the same time, the tree is notable for its small growth and a beautiful crown of the correct shape.
Video "Tangerine tree from bone"
This video shows you how to grow a citrus tree from a seed at home.
Secrets of planting a tangerine tree
Indoor tangerine is a fruit crop demanding in care and growing conditions. With improper care, the tree refuses to bear fruit and loses its decorative qualities.
The choice of soil mixture
Planting citrus begins with selecting and preparing your potting soil. The easiest option is to buy a special potting soil mixture for citrus crops at a gardening store.
If you wish, you can prepare the substrate yourself. Mix river sand, rotted manure, leafy and sod land in a ratio of 1: 1: 1: 2.
To grow tangerines, use a soil mixture for citrus crops
Preparation of planting material
Indoor tangerine is grown by the seed method. The bones selected for planting are thoroughly washed under running water, wrapped in a layer of gauze and placed in a warm place. Planting material is sprayed daily with warm water. When the seed has hatched and sprout, you can proceed to the stage of planting the seed.
Landing features
For planting and growing citrus, clay or ceramic pots are used.
The flowerpot should be filled with a nutrient medium. In the center, you need to form a small hole. The hatched bone is deepened with the sprout up. The depth of burial is no more than 2-3 cm. Then the seed is covered with soil and abundantly irrigated with water at room temperature.
Basic rules of care
It is equally important to know how to properly care for a tangerine tree growing at home.
Lighting and temperature
Citrus crops love abundant sunshine. Therefore, it is better to put a flowerpot with a plant on the southern, southeastern or southwestern side. In winter, when daylight hours are short, it is recommended to add artificial lighting. The best option is a small phytolamp on the windowsill.
Citrus fruits love active sunlight.
As for the temperature regime, the tangerine tree feels comfortable at + 16 ... + 18 ° C. This temperature regime contributes to the active growth and development of the plant. However, according to experienced plant breeders, the mandarin is not afraid of the extremely high temperatures that are typical for the southern regions.
Humidity and watering
Mandarin loves high humidity. The optimal level is 65–70%. To increase the humidity in the room, the method of irrigating the tree from a spray bottle is used.
For watering indoor tangerine, use settled water at room temperature. The frequency of watering is 1 time in 7-10 days or as the topsoil dries out. The water flowing into the sump must be poured out. The plant does not like excess moisture in the substrate. Too moist soil can cause disease or rotting of the ornamental tree.
Top dressing
Indoor tangerine responds well to feeding with organic matter and complex mineral fertilizers for tropical plants. Top dressing is applied to the soil every 2 weeks. Do not forget to pre-moisten the substrate abundantly.
In winter, when the tangerine tree is in the stage of relative rest and rest, feeding with nutrients and mixtures is not carried out.
Transfer
The transplant is carried out as the tree grows, but not more often than once every 2-3 years. For indoor plants of tropical origin, the transshipment method is considered to be more gentle. Complete exposure of the rhizome is necessary only if the culture is infested with insects.
The new container for planting tangerines should be 2-3 cm wider than the previous one. When replanting a plant, a partial / complete replacement of the soil mixture is performed.
The plant is transplanted every 2-3 years.
Trimming and pinching
The pinching procedure is of particular importance for indoor citrus. Dates - early spring. Pinching promotes the growth of young shoots and abundant fruit formation.
The tangerine tree does not need formative pruning. Only sanitary crown molding is recommended, providing for the removal of injured, damaged, weakened and old shoots.
Flowering and fruiting
Indoor tangerine often blooms actively, but does not bear fruit. To stimulate the formation of ovaries, it is recommended to remove some of the inflorescences and leaf blades. Try to adhere to the following principle: there should be 10-15 leaves for 1 fruit.
Breeding methods for indoor citrus
Indoor citrus can be propagated by both seed and vegetative methods. Reproduction by layering is used to divide adult plants. The grafting method gives low results. Suitable for tangerine propagation in order to improve fruiting. Grafting is used only if there are several citrus crops in the house. You need to plant tangerine on citrus, other indoor plants are not suitable for this procedure.
The seed method is the best option for breeding indoor tangerine.
It is better to propagate tangerine by seed method.
Diseases and pests
Home-grown mandarin often suffers from aphids, scale insects, spider mites and mealybugs. Treatment with a solution based on laundry soap and a warm shower will help get rid of parasites. If the insects remain, you will have to resort to the help of insecticidal preparations. The preparations Fitoverm, Actellik and Karbofos showed high results in the fight against harmful insects.
Indoor tangerine has a weak resistance to pathogens of fungal and bacterial infections. The most common plant diseases are scab, anthracnose and citrus gommosis. At the first signs of disease, the tree should be treated with a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid. To eliminate the signs of the fungus, use the biofungicide "Fitosporin".
Growing difficulties and possible problems
Growing a tangerine in a flower pot comes with a number of challenges. The plant can shed foliage, refuse to bloom and form ovaries, dry and wilt. The reason is improper care. So, the lack of lighting leads to the appearance of white spots on the leaves, wilting and yellowing. Excess moisture - to rotting of the root system. Incorrect feeding - to abundant or, conversely, weak flowering.
As you can see, a tangerine tree in a flowerpot on the windowsill is a completely feasible dream of any grower. With a little effort, attention and courage, a bright and beautiful citrus tree can appear on your windowsill.