How to plant a homemade tangerine grown from a stone

You can graft mandarin at home. The easiest option is to insert the cutting into the “pocket” behind the bark or into a hemp split with an even cut. It can also be grafted using the budding method (cut with the letter “T”). In all cases, the sequence of actions is approximately the same – an incision is made on the rootstock, a scion is inserted and fixed with garden tape. Then they are treated with garden pitch.

Do I need to graft tangerine

Mandarin grafting is necessary in most cases. If you graft from a fruit-bearing tree, the seedling is guaranteed to yield a harvest. The specific variety does not really matter, the main thing is that it should be a variety, and not a hybrid.

At the same time, grafting tangerines from the store is undesirable, since it is not always possible to determine the name of the variety. In retail outlets, sterile hybrids are often sold, which are distinguished by good yield and keeping quality. Therefore, it is better to purchase tangerine tree seeds from special suppliers.

Will a tangerine bear fruit if it is not grafted

Mandarin grown from seed will bear fruit without grafting. However, these citrus fruits will be different from those from which the seeds themselves were obtained. They may have different sizes and tastes. The reason is that seeds are obtained by cross-pollination of different trees (or even varieties). Therefore, genes are combined in various ways, and the new tree inevitably differs from the parent.

Often there are cases when a mandarin grown from a stone does not produce any fruit. A wildling grows, which can only be used for decorative purposes. There can be two reasons:

1. Seeds were taken not from varieties, but from hybrids (for example, tangelo, natsumikan). Such varieties are infertile. Therefore, even if pollination is organized, the fruits will not form.
2. The variety is not self-fertile, it needs cross-pollination (artificially or with the help of bees). However, the gardener may not know about this and wait for the fruits, but they never appear.

Timing of mandarin vaccination at home

The best time to graft a stock is early spring (second half of March). The term is chosen so that the sap flow has not yet begun. Then the vaccine takes root well on the rootstock. If spring time is missed, then the procedure can be carried out in late August – early September.

It is better to plant a tangerine at the very beginning of spring.

Necessary tools and materials

The procedure is simple, but requires some skill. To plant a mandarin at home, you will need the following materials and tools:

• pruner;
• sharp blade;
• knife for budding;
• sterile cotton;
• clean cloth;
• garden tape;
• var (or charcoal powder, activated charcoal for cut disinfection).

Methods for grafting mandarin from the bone

There are many ways to graft a tangerine tree at home. 3 methods are used: for the bark, for splitting and budding.

Behind the bark

Pretty easy way to plant a tangerine. It is necessary to act in this way:

1. Wipe down with a damp cloth.
2. Make an incision in the bark at the top of the crown and open it a little.
3. Then take the scion and sharpen it at the bottom with a knife.
4. Insert into the cut of the rootstock. Fix with tape.
5. Lubricate with garden pitch.

Then the mandarin will have a lush crown, the tree will give several branches with a rich harvest.

In the cleavage

You can graft a mandarin into a split according to the following algorithm:

1. Wipe the stock with a damp cloth or cotton.
2. Remove the top or other shoot with a pruner so that you get an even stump.
3. Split it with a sharp knife.
4. Wipe the scion with damp cotton.
5. Sharpen the lower part in it (you should get a sharp wedge).
6. Insert into the split, wrap with garden tape.
7. Treat with var. Also, slices can be sprinkled with crushed wood or activated charcoal.

You can graft a tangerine into a split, making a stump with an even cut on the rootstock

Budding

This method of grafting a mandarin requires more steps, although both an experienced gardener and a beginner can complete them. The instruction is this:

1. They mark a place for grafting on a rootstock (8 cm above the ground) and wipe it with cotton wool or a rag soaked in clean water.
2. Take a knife and cut a slice in the form of the letter “T”: width 1 cm, length 3 cm.
3. Gently bend the bark from the resulting cut, forming a “pocket” for the scion.
4. They take a cutting and find the largest bud on it. The surface layer of the bark is cleaned from it, if necessary, the scion is shortened (length 3 cm).
5. Wipe the cutting with moistened cotton wool, insert it into the “pocket” and fix it with a tape.
6. Lubricate with garden pitch.
7. A few days later, when a shoot starts from the grafted bud, pinch the top of the rootstock. This is done to stimulate the development of a recently made scion.

How to plant mandarin at home with video

It is quite possible to plant a mandarin tree at home. To do this, you need to choose a grafting method, prepare tools and the tree itself.

Tree preparation

For rootstock, perform a few simple steps:

1. For 7-10 days, you need to start intensively watering the tree with water at room temperature (previously defend at night).
2. Mark the grafting site and check how the bark lags behind. If it peels off badly, you need to wait 2-3 days. If it lags behind normally, you can proceed with the procedure.
3. Before grafting a tangerine, the place is cleaned with damp cotton wool or a rag.
4. Disinfection is carried out with vodka or an aqueous solution of alcohol (dilute 2 times).
5. Next, remove all branches below the grafting site. Treated with garden pitch.

Before work, it is desirable to treat the hands with an antiseptic.

Choice of rootstock and scion

A rootstock is a plant that is grafted onto. A graft is a crop that is wound onto a stock. This allows you to give the plant new properties.

The graft can be taken from any variety of mandarin, the main condition is that it must be fruitful

When choosing, you need to consider several requirements:

1. The rootstock is grown from varietal mandarin seeds purchased from a special store or from suppliers. Also, the stock can be obtained by any method of vegetative propagation, for example, cuttings (buy a young seedling).
2. The rootstock is at least two years old. It is necessary to pay attention to the appearance (healthy, without spotting) and especially to the thickness of the shoot – the more the better (minimum 5 mm).
3. The graft can be taken from any variety, the main thing is that the tree already bears fruit, i.e. gave at least one full harvest. At the same time, several healthy buds should remain on the cut handle.
4. Other requirements for scion – a tree with large, tasty fruits, with good keeping quality.

The situation is similar with other citrus fruits – orange, lime, grapefruit. Therefore, it is better to plant only tangerine on a tangerine. And not from the store, but varietal, purchased from trusted suppliers.

Step-by-step process

You can graft a mandarin in any of the ways described. For example, if you choose the budding method, you should act like this:

1. Make an incision in the shape of the letter “T”.
2. Pull back the edges of the cut.
3. Take a cutting, leave 3 leaves and shorten them in half.
4. Make the bottom cut at a very sharp angle (30 degrees).
5. Lay it under the bark and fix it with garden tape.
6. Treat with a garden pitch so that the cut does not dry out and the infection does not penetrate through it.
7. When the first sprouts appear, it is necessary to remove the tape so that there is no pulling.

You can clearly see how to plant a tangerine in the video.

How to understand that the vaccination was successful

If you carry out the procedure correctly and after that organize normal tree care, then almost all vaccinations will take root. Determining this visually is quite simple:

• the stalk will turn yellow (but will not dry out);
• an escape will appear from the scion in a few days.

Grafted tangerine gives a good harvest

If over time the scion begins to turn black or dry out, then it has not taken root. Then it must be carefully removed, you can make an incision to the healthy part of the shoot. The damaged area should be sprinkled with coal powder or smeared with garden pitch so that fungal spores and other pests do not get through the wound.

Tree care after grafting

It is important not only to graft the tangerine correctly, but also to take good care of the tree after that. Basic rules of agricultural technology:

1. Place the plant in a south or southeast window to get as much light as possible.
2. In the summer, take it out to the balcony, shade it a little in the hot period.
3. Water 2 times a week with warm, settled water.
4. In hot weather in the evening, be sure to spray the tree with a spray bottle and wipe the leaves with a damp cloth.
5. In the second half of spring and summer, mandarin is fed every two weeks (bird droppings diluted 15 times, green grass infusion, wood ash – scattered over the soil surface). It is also allowed to use rotted manure, compost and a mixture of peat with humus. Organics are alternated with mineral supplements (ammonium nitrate in spring, superphosphate with potassium salt or potassium sulfate in summer).
6. Young trees are transplanted every year into new pots with a larger diameter (+5 cm). This is done for the first four years, and then every 2-3 years.

Periodically, the seedling is watered and ventilated.

Conclusion

You can graft mandarin at home. To do this, you need to choose a quality stalk. It can be grafted by the bark, by budding and by splitting. After that, the plant needs special care. Carry out regular watering and top dressing, if necessary – treatment from pests with Bordeaux mixture and other preparations.