Tangerine tree at home: varieties, secrets of planting and caring for citrus crops + possible problems

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 a common occurrence in hot African countries.

The height of a mandarin growing in its natural environment is 4–5 m. At the same time, the crown is sprawling, wide and rounded. The bark of the trunk and skeletal branches is painted in a pleasant light gray hue, young shoots – in rich green. For leaf plates, an ovoid or pointed shape is characteristic. The 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 strewn with small white and cream buds. The tree exudes a pleasant and delicate aroma.

Can’t imagine what a room tangerine looks like? The home-grown tangerine tree is a miniature replica of the common citrus. The plant attracts attention with a rich color of foliage, 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.

Unshiu

Variety Unshiu – 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. If you look in the section, then the bones are absent.

Kovano-Vase

Dwarf ornamental mandarin. The height of an adult tree does not exceed 80 cm. It blooms in spring, begins to bear fruit in the 2nd year of cultivation. The fruits are small but fragrant. The peel is painted in a beautiful orange-yellow hue. Differs in high decorative characteristics.

Clementine

The result of a successful breeding crossing of mandarin and orange. With a favorable microclimate, it bears fruit for the 2nd year of growing 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 characterized by compact forms and low growth. The advantages of citrus culture are considered to be high decorativeness: rich color of foliage and bright medium-sized fruits.

Marcotte

Murcott Honey is the full name of the tangerine tree in indoor citrus growing. A distinctive feature of the fruit crop is juicy and fragrant fruits, the taste of which can be compared with the sweetness of honey. At the same time, the tree is distinguished by its small stature and a beautiful crown of the correct shape.

Video “Tangerine tree from the stone”

This video shows how to grow a citrus tree from a stone at home.

Secrets of planting a tangerine tree

Indoor tangerine is a fruit crop that is demanding for care and growing conditions. With improper care, the tree refuses to bear fruit and loses its decorative qualities.

Soil selection

Planting citrus begins with the selection and preparation of the soil mixture. The easiest option is to buy a special potting mix for citrus crops at a gardening store.

If desired, you can prepare the substrate yourself. Mix river sand, rotted manure, leafy and soddy soil in a ratio of 1:1:1:2.

Preparation of planting material

Indoor mandarin 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 hatches and sprouts, you can proceed to the stage of planting the seed.

Features of landing

Clay or ceramic pots are used for planting and growing citrus.

The flower pot should be filled with a nutrient substrate. In the center you need to form a small hole. The hatched bone is deepened with a sprout upwards. The depth of penetration is no more than 2-3 cm. Then the seed is covered with soil and plentifully 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 sunlight. Therefore, it is better to place a flowerpot with a plant near the south, southeast or southwest side. In winter, when daylight is short, it is recommended to add artificial lighting. The best option is a small phytolamp on the windowsill.

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 growers, mandarin is not afraid of extremely high temperatures, which are typical for the southern regions.

Humidity and watering

Mandarin loves high humidity. The optimal level is 65–70%. To increase the humidity of the air in the room, the method of irrigating a tree from a spray gun is used.

For watering room 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 pan must be poured out. The plant does not like excess moisture in the substrate. Too wet soil can cause disease or decay of the fruit tree.

Feeding

Indoor mandarin responds well to fertilizing 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 a stage of relative rest and dormancy, they are not fed with nutrients and mixtures.

Transfer

Transplantation is carried out as the tree grows, but not more than 1 time in 2-3 years. For indoor plants of tropical origin, the transshipment method, which is considered more gentle, is suitable. Complete exposure of the rhizome is necessary only in case of infection of the culture by insects.

A new container for planting a tangerine should be 2–3 cm wider than the previous one. When transplanting a plant, a partial / complete replacement of the soil mixture is performed.

Trimming and pinching

Of particular importance for indoor citrus is the pinching procedure. 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, which involves the removal of injured, damaged, weakened and old shoots.

Flowering and fruiting

Often indoor tangerine 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: 1 fruit should have 10-15 leaves.

Methods for propagating indoor citrus

Indoor citrus can be propagated by both seed and vegetative methods. Reproduction by layering is used to divide adult plants. The cutting method gives poor results. Suitable for mandarin propagation in order to improve fruiting. Grafting is used only if there are several citrus crops in the house. You need to graft mandarin on citrus, other houseplants are not suitable for this procedure.

The seed method is the best option for propagating indoor mandarin.

Diseases and pests

Home-grown mandarin often suffers from infestations of 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 insects remain, you will have to resort to the help of insecticidal preparations. Good results in the fight against harmful insects were shown by the drugs “Fitoverm”, “Aktellik” and “Karbofos”.

Indoor mandarin has a weak resistance to pathogens of fungal and bacterial infections. The most common plant diseases are scab, anthracnose and gommosis of citrus fruits. At the first signs of disease, the tree must be treated with a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid. To eliminate the signs of the fungus, the Fitosporin biofungicide is used.

Difficulties in growing and possible problems

Growing mandarin in a flower pot comes with a number of challenges. The plant can drop foliage, refuse to bloom and form ovaries, dry and wither. The reason is improper care. So, lack of lighting leads to the appearance of white spots on the leaves, wilting and yellowing. Excess moisture – to rotting of the root system. Improper feeding – to abundant or, conversely, weak flowering.

As you can see, a tangerine tree in a flower pot on the windowsill is a completely feasible dream of any grower. A little effort, attention and courage, and a bright and beautiful citrus tree can appear on your windowsill.