How to sprout a tangerine sprig from the store

Every gardener who loves unusual cultures strives to grow a tangerine from a twig. And although it is easier to propagate with seeds, they are not always in the pulp, so there is a way to breed a variety by rooting the shoot. To achieve success, you need to take a responsible approach to the choice of planting material and properly care for the mandarin.

You can try to propagate the following interesting varieties and varieties at home and on the street:

1. Unshiu. It has the ability to self-pollinate, fruits without seeds. The weight of each tangerine reaches 70g. The pulp tastes sweet and juicy.
   
   

   A distinctive feature of the Unshiu variety is its resistance to negative natural factors.

2. Shiva Mikan is an old variety with small fruits. Inside the pulp are many seeds. If you propagate the culture, you can enjoy citrus with a sweet and sour taste and a specific aroma.
   
   

   The peculiarity of the Shiva-Mikan variety is its rapid growth and development

3. Marcot is very much loved by gardeners for large, up to 120 g, fruits with an amazing sweet taste after ripening.
   
   

   A significant drawback of the Marcot variety is the yellow skin, which is very difficult to separate from the pulp.

Features of reproduction of tangerines

You can increase the number of citrus plants by seed and vegetative methods. Most often, gardeners prefer tangerine seeds: they are easy to get if you buy a fruit in a store. But it should be borne in mind that breeders for sale are trying to breed varieties that do not have seeds, and this complicates the ability to obtain planting material.

In this case, there is an alternative method to propagate the plant – this is to cut the stalk. Working with air layering is always a laborious process that requires certain skills and materials. Often, not everyone succeeds in rooting and propagating the shoot. Despite all efforts, the roots of the branch are not formed.

A real opportunity to propagate a tangerine is to graft a cutting onto a lemon or orange rootstock.

But not all gardeners have an adult citrus at home, so they come up with an alternative: they get a tangerine with a sprig. It is she who is rooted, and then they try to grow and propagate.

How to propagate mandarin cuttings

It should be borne in mind that even if you follow all the rules, the chances of success are not 100%. It is required to prepare planting material, correctly root and transfer the cuttings to the ground. One of the important factors that allow mandarin to propagate is the temperature in the room. The indicators should be within + 24-26 ° С.

Selection of planting material

To grow a tangerine from a cutting, you need to select “blanks”. There are no seedlings for sale in stores, but you can buy a tangerine sprig in an ordinary fruit shop. Another option is to ask for a cutting from the owners of a citrus tree.

Signs of a good planting material from which it will be possible to propagate the culture:

• dense, elastic dark-colored bark;
• shoot length from 8 to 15 cm;
• the presence of developed living kidneys (from three pieces);
• no signs of rot, bacterial damage;

You can cut the stalk only from an adult tangerine tree that has not been bearing fruit for the first year.

If the owner plans to harvest branches on his own, then the initial stage of his activity is the processing and disinfection of tools. To do this, at home, the knife must be wiped with alcohol and ignited over a fire. For grafting a mandarin, it is recommended to choose a one-year-old branch, retreat 8-15 cm from its top. It is imperative to leave at least three buds on it. Then cut the stalk so that the end is pointed.

To protect the plant from bacteria, you need to treat the cut site with garden pitch

How to root a tangerine cutting

For the procedure, prepare a container, sand, water. If it is impossible to immediately root the mandarin cuttings, they must be saved. To do this, wrap the shoots in a damp cloth and put them in the refrigerator on a shelf.

To propagate a culture by rooting, you should follow the rules:

1. Take a spacious pot or wooden container with ventilation holes. Fill a bowl with wet river sand.
2. Stick the tangerine stalk into the ground with the sharp end down so that the leaves and buds remain at the top.
3. Wrap the above-ground part in a plastic bag. As an alternative, it is allowed to cover the cutting with a cut plastic bottle. It is important to leave ventilation holes.
4. Transfer the plant to the window sill and leave it there for a month. It should be well lit by sunlight.

It was possible to propagate the mandarin if after a month the roots of the cuttings become visible in the soil

How to plant a tangerine cutting

Once the plant is ready for transplanting, you can prepare the soil mixture. To do this, you need to mix two parts of soddy soil with part of the leafy earth and part of rotted manure. In order for the mixture to be well permeable, 0,5 parts of river sand should be added to it.

In order for propagation by cuttings to be completed successfully, planting at home is carried out according to the following rules:

1. Pour the prepared soil mixture into the pot. First, spread perlite or coarse river sand on the bottom of the container.
2. Transfer the plant to a pot, sprinkle with earth on top, lightly tamp the soil around the trunk. If the root system has grown strongly, then it can be rolled up into a ring.
3. Pour plenty of water over the tangerine.

It is impossible to pinch the tips of the roots of citrus fruits, as they contain mycorrhiza, which is necessary for the culture to develop and grow.

Rules for leaving after landing

Propagating a tangerine is only half the battle, you must be able to grow it. In order for the culture to bloom, bear fruit and not get sick, it needs to provide regular care:

1. Watering: in the warm season daily. Water should be at room temperature, settled. In winter, the procedure is reduced to 1-2 times a week so that the earth in the pot does not dry out.
2. Loosening: once every seven days using improvised tools. Often housewives adapt a toothpick or fork for this.
3. Top dressing is carried out twice a month. It is important to alternate mineral and organic complexes. Chlorine must be excluded. It is important to provide mandarin with potassium. It is allowed to purchase ready-made formulations. If you propagate and plant a tangerine, then you can feed it no earlier than a month later. In winter, fertilizers cannot be applied to the soil.
4. Leaf cleaning is required once a week, it consists in wiping the trunk and shoots with a damp cloth. Once a month it is recommended to wash the tree in the shower.
5. Formation should be carried out taking into account varietal characteristics. You can pinch the plant when it reaches the desired height. It is necessary to form a tangerine after reproduction until it forms 4-5 fruiting branches.
6. Pick off the first flowers after transplanting. They also do with all subsequently formed with fruits for three years. It is necessary not only to propagate the tangerine, but also to ensure that it gains green mass.

Conclusion

You can grow a tangerine from a twig, subject to a number of rules. It is important to provide the plant with proper care, monitor the condition of the seedling. With a lack of light and nutrients, you may not see the fruits. And if the culture is constantly under stress, it will quickly die.