The tangerine tree is becoming increasingly common in gardeners' collections; caring for it at home is not particularly difficult if you follow the rules.
These are miniature citrus fruits with a neat and attractive appearance. The bright orange fruits are especially decorative, for which this plant is purchased.
You can buy a tangerine tree ready-made in flower shops or try to grow it yourself.
When purchasing a finished tree, you should pay attention to whether it is really a tangerine. The fact is that sellers often offer calamondins instead. They are similar to tangerines, but do not have a pronounced citrus smell and taste.
That is why lovers prefer to grow tangerines themselves from seeds or purchase a seedling from a nursery.
IN room conditions The following species grow most successfully:
- Clementine is a hybrid; it produces a harvest in the second year, and an adult specimen produces up to 50 fruits per year.
- Murcott - produces sweet fruits and is compact.
- Shiva-mikan is fast-growing, compact, with small fruits.
- Vasya - hybrids up to 80 cm tall, the fruits ripen in the second year.
If you decide to try growing a tangerine tree yourself, it will definitely thank you beautiful view and aroma.
Tangerine seeds germinate quite well, but they must be fresh and ripe for planting. The fruit is taken ripe.
- We remove the bones.
- We disinfect them. This is done to prevent mold from appearing.
- The bones can be soaked in water with the addition of epin or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- We take pre-prepared nutrient soil.
- The seed is placed at a depth of 1 cm. You should not deepen it too much, otherwise the sprout will need more strength to break through to the surface.
Shoots tangerine tree appear after about 2 weeks. It is better to decide on the location of the tree in advance - it does not like to be moved.
Tangerine tree care
Proper care is the key to ensuring that the plant will live at home for several years.
Priming
Suitable for universal soil or specifically for citrus fruits. As soon as several true leaves appear on the sprout, it should be transplanted to a permanent place. The substrate should be light, consisting of leaf soil, turf, humus, and sand. Peat and clay soil Not suitable for tangerine. You must definitely remember about drainage - expanded clay, broken shards, large brick chips.
Where to place a pot with a tangerine tree
The tangerine tree needs bright light in a room. However, care must be taken to ensure that the direct rays of the sun do not burn it. This is especially dangerous for seedlings and young trees, since their foliage is delicate and susceptible to burns. IN dark place The tangerine will develop poorly and even lose some of its foliage. It will be even more difficult for it to bloom and bear fruit. The best windows for him: east, west, southeast, southwest. At noon, the tree is covered with a thin curtain or it must be installed so that the light is always uniform, diffused, but without direct sun. On the south side they are placed next to the window. The north window is not suitable for mandarin. In winter or dark room The plant can be illuminated with lamps. The most economical and at the same time brightest are LEDs. Regular fluorescent and flora lamps are also suitable.
Watering
The supply of moisture should be regular and uniform. The tangerine tree will tolerate drought, but may lose some of its leaves. Excessive flooding, especially in winter, can cause the death of a tree or the appearance of fungal diseases, which also leads to loss of foliage, decorative appearance, and if the watering regime is not followed, the death of the plant.
The need for watering is determined by the size of the container, air temperature, time of year, air permeability of the soil - the rate of moisture evaporation. To determine the need for water, it is convenient to plunge your finger into the ground. In a small pot, the need for liquid is determined by weight.
It is better to water in the evening in summer, in winter in the morning.
Has a negative effect on the plant low humidity air, so it is useful to spray the tangerine tree. Do this carefully during flowering. Drops of water on the buds can cause them to rot and fall off.
Temperature
Mandarin grows successfully under normal conditions room temperature. During flowering, the best temperature is 18-20 degrees. In winter, the tangerine tree goes into a dormant period, the most comfortable temperature at this time – 5-10 degrees. This helps to gain strength and set flower buds.
Fertilizers for tangerines
Fertilizing is applied during the period of growth, flowering and fruiting. Suitable fertilizers for citrus fruits, potassium humate. Feed once every 2 weeks in summer. In winter, during the dormant period, fertilizers are not given; the plant is not able to fully absorb nutrients at this time, which will adversely affect its development.
Fertilizers are applied after watering, preferably the next day, diluted in the recommended dose and not exceeding it.
Excess fertilizer is much more harmful than a small deficiency. Excessive feeding inhibits growth and development and can cause leaves to fall and diseases to appear.
Formation
In nature, tangerine grows freely, but at home it should be shaped. This is done not only for beauty, but also for full fruiting. A neat tree is obtained by controlling the growth of shoots; they are periodically pinched at the level of 5-6 leaves. Strong, fatty, fast-growing shoots can slow down the appearance of buds; they are also removed. Branches growing inside the tree are also removed.
Reproduction
Mandarin is propagated by seeds and layering. Adult specimens that are well formed are propagated by air layering. You can try propagation by cuttings by placing them in water.
To achieve a harvest, the tree is grafted. This is done in the spring, in May-April. You will need the following:
- The rootstock is the tree itself on which the graft will be made.
- A scion is a sprout from a healthy, fruit-bearing plant.
At approximately a height of 7 cm, a sharp T-shaped incision is made, which should preferably be disinfected. The bark is slightly pushed back, and the resulting incision is placed on the scion. After which this place must be treated garden varnish.
Some gardeners prefer to simply tie it with thick fabric. Next, the plant is placed in a greenhouse or put on it plastic bag. It will take about a month to germinate.
Transfer
The young plant is replanted once a year, after the root system has completely entwined the earthen ball. The pot is taken with a diameter of 6 centimeters wider than the previous one.
When the tree reaches the age of 7 years, replanting is done once every two years, since its growth is no longer so fast.
You cannot immediately plant a young plant in a large container, this will slow down growth and can lead to rotting of the root system, since moisture from a large pot takes a long time to evaporate and acidification of the soil occurs.
Transplantation is carried out in the spring and not during flowering to avoid bud drop. After transplantation, fertilizing is resumed a month later - the new soil contains all the necessary nutrients.
Diseases, problems in growing
The tangerine tree gets sick if the rules for caring for it are not followed.
Yellow leaves:
- Bay
- Lack of nutrients.
- Excess fertilizer.
- The appearance of pests: spider mites, aphids.
Dropping leaves:
- Excessive drought.
- Draft.
- Bay
- Rearrangement.
- Errors during transplantation.
- Lack of lighting for a long time.
- Dormant period - sometimes in winter the plant may remove some of its leaves.
It is important to monitor air humidity. The Mandarin will not like being next to central heating radiators.
Sometimes the plant can be attacked by pests:
- Spider mite.
- Mealybug.
First aid is to wash the plant with a warm shower using laundry soap. It might hold back 
reproduction of pests, but will not destroy them completely, so special preparations are used.
From aphids, scale insects - Aktara. For spider mites – Fitoverm. Actellik is an effective and strong remedy, but it is not recommended for use indoors.
If you see small jumping insects on the surface of the soil, these are podurs; they appear when the soil is waterlogged. The first action is to dry the soil; perhaps this measure will allow you to get rid of them completely. Additionally, the drugs Grom 2 and Aktara can help. Also, when flooding and using homemade fertilizers, fungus gnats - sciarids - may appear above the pot. The same drugs are used for them as for foolishness.
In general, tangerine is quite easy to care for and is a good addition to the interior. In addition, it has a beneficial effect on the climate, refreshes the air and releases aromatic substances.
Proper cultivation of tangerine trees and shrubs at home. Methods for growing and propagating citrus trees at home.
Mandarin is a shrub that is ever green all year round. Comes from the fruit family and genus - citrus fruits. The form of life is a bush, in the form of a tree.
Homemade tangerine can be grown in greenhouses and at home: window sill, balcony, greenhouse. Breeders have bred a huge variety of this plant. This tangerine is an effective show-stopper in a pot.
Photo: tangerine tree at home
Homemade tangerine has very tasty and aromatic fruits; they grow on the tree for more than two months. Such a plant attracts and gives pleasure both with its flowering and the unsurpassed smell of its own flower.
The mandarin bonsai is a rare and masterful piece. Mandarin fruits grow without being pollinated and reach maturity at the end of the year.
The most famous and beloved varieties for growing tangerines at home include:
- Shiva is a mikan. Early and fast growing species
- Mirkot is a compact variety with sweet, summer-ripening fruits
- Winshiu - unpretentious plant from Japanese variety, branches well and bears fruit already in the third year
- Clementine - the variety bears fruit in the second year, at home. Refers to a hybrid of mandarin and orange. The fruits have a shiny skin, are slightly flattened, and their number per harvest reaches five dozen.
How to plant tangerines at home?
Ancient China was the first to cultivate mandarin ducks. Today such a plant can be purchased in flower shops.
- If you purchased a plant from such a store, it is better to replant it immediately. To do this, buy a substrate specifically for citrus fruits, where the acidity is 5.5 -7. It is also possible to make your own soil. To do this, it is necessary to mix turf and leaf soil with manure humus and river sand, where the proportion looks like this - 1: 1: 1: 0.5
- Look carefully at the pot in which the plant was brought from the store; its next place of residence should be no more than three centimeters more than the previous one. All these actions will actively stimulate the tangerine to grow
One of the first steps is to choose a place for the mandarin to live in your apartment.
- Proper lighting is one of the most important keys to the growth of your pet. This rule also applies if the tangerine is planted in open ground at the dacha or greenhouse. Direct sunlight should hit the plant, but without much persistence. sunlight will give the leaves juiciness and greenness, a lack will only lead to fading and thin new shoots
- The window on which the tangerine will be grown should be located on the east or southeast side. If the growing season is summer, it is necessary to gradually accustom the plant to direct rays, and sometimes take it out onto the balcony or street
- If the time of initial cultivation is winter, place the tangerine in the most illuminated place; if there is not enough light, purchase artificial lighting. It is possible to use a photo light bulb for this purpose
- The optimal temperature for indoor tangerine remains + 25 degrees; if the period of budding and flowering passes, keep the temperature around twenty degrees
- Rest mode in winter time is observed at the level of five, ten degrees. A plant that has had a good rest in winter will bear much better fruits and flowers.
Tangerine from a seed - reality
Growing tangerines from seeds will require your attention and patience only at the first stage, then this crop is easy to care for. Prepare a place for the plant to live. Which excludes the presence of various poisonous neighbors.
A southern room without any neighbors would be ideal. We take material for planting from store-bought tangerines. The number of seeds should be as large as possible, since most of the next shoots will die from the disease and will not survive the grafting stage. Growing tangerines from seeds occurs in several ways:
- We take a small piece of gauze, irrigate it with water, and wrap the bones. Water should be in a minimum amount to avoid rotting of the seeds. Experienced specialists suggest using a solution of potassium permanganate for this process to disinfect seeds
- To avoid problems with gauze, you can purchase hydrogel in a specialized store. Its peculiarity is its excellent ability to retain moisture. It looks like a certain mass into which tangerine seeds are aged for pecking and the appearance of sprouts
It is possible to plant the seeds immediately, in open ground. Most gardeners do it this way. If you have extensive experience in growing plants and flowers, you can easily ensure that the bud does not dry out. The leaves will hatch here later than all types of cultivation, but the sprout will be very strong
Caring for indoor tangerine at home
When you see the first sprouts of your pet, you need to start feeding for the next two weeks. It must be carried out using specialized organic and mineral fertilizers. Care consists of watering and irrigating the sprout and constantly adding fertilizers.
Spraying the tangerine should occur every week to maintain high humidity of the tangerine. It is also possible to keep a bowl filled with water near the tree. Especially when the summer is hot, the plant needs moisture. In winter, watering should be done two to three times a week, depending on dryness.
Fertilizing the tangerine plant should be carried out in the period April-September, especially if it is a fruit-bearing citrus. This will ensure the sweet taste of the fruit.
How to plant tangerine at home?
Photo: tangerine plant Full-fledged, delicious tangerine fruits can only be obtained as a result proper care and vaccinations. Grafting begins in May-August. Since sap flow is especially active at this time.
The effectiveness of the result after vaccination depends on your ability to carefully and quickly carry out the appropriate procedures. Prepare in advance for the tangerine grafting stage:
- A plant grown from seed, the trunk of which is at least six millimeters thick
- Cutting from a fruiting plant, the branch of which is at least two years old
- Garden knife
- Elastic tape
- Var garden
For grafting, make an incision at a height of ten centimeters, where the trunk of the rootstock is. It should look like the letter T, horizontally - 4 cm, vertically -4 cm. The scion is prepared by removing thorns and leaf blades. Very carefully cut the bud and insert it into the cut, with a small layer of wood.
Where the vaccination was carried out, wrap it with tape. Place the tangerine in a plastic bag or jar. Only after a month will you be able to determine the degree of success of the vaccination. It is better to take several seedlings for grafting, because only half of them will be successful.
Accustom the plant to grafting by gradually removing the jar, then the new shoot will strengthen and begin to grow. Cover the location of the shoot with garden varnish.
If you follow the rules for growing and fertilizing tangerines, the leaves of the plant will be forever green. The leaves will turn yellow as a result of improper behavior with the pet. Don't go overboard with chemical fertilizers. If the tangerine is not grown correctly, it will become stained and the leaves will fall off.
How to transplant a tangerine at home?
- Proper plant care includes replanting the plant. This event is carried out if the tangerine becomes cramped in the pot. Early plants and young ones are replanted every year
- Tangerine trees over seven years old are replanted every two years. To replant a plant, you need to take a pot with a diameter greater than five centimeters from the present one so that the roots do not rot. The substrate should be selected with low acidity, the bottom of the pot should be lined with expanded clay and pieces of polystyrene foam
- The actual transplantation process is carried out not during the flowering of the plant, but in the spring, during the awakening period of the tangerine. The soil is laid by watering after transplanting. Do not use fertilizer two weeks after transplanting, and four days before transplanting
Reproduction of home tangerine
Photo: tangerine at home Reproduction tangerine plant occurs in two ways: grafting onto the rootstock and rooting the apical cutting. This process is carried out at the very beginning of the summer period. Be sure to use root-forming agents that will stimulate growth. Grafting is the most effective and successful method of propagation.
Pruning homemade tangerine
Pruning is done to improve crown formation the desired shape, to stimulate fruiting. As the tree grows, it loses its compactness and attractiveness.
The process is carried out on young plants using sharp knife and pruning shears. Branches from the first to the third order are subject to pruning. The fourth ones should not be touched, as they produce fruits and flowers.
Video: How to grow tangerines at home?
Video: How to properly graft a citrus tree?
Most of our children, and often we ourselves, adults, began their acquaintance with botany with the tangerine. Orange, fragrant, with bright slices and inconspicuous seeds, it brought us to the question: is it possible to grow such a miracle on our own? And if this question overtook us not far from a pot of soil, even if it was already occupied by some plant, the seeds were immediately sent into the soil. And after some time, the already half-forgotten experiment turned into not an easy task: how to care for and get fruit from your own tangerine in conditions home grown? In this article we will talk about exactly this.
Tangerine tree (Citrus reticulata). © Team D Content:
Mandarin from the seed - analyzing the difficulties
Before you decide to grow a tangerine from a seed, you need to think: how much work are you willing to do to achieve the result, and what exactly do you want from the tree you are growing - just decorative or also fruit? Are you ready to wait? Mandarin from seed grows quite slowly. Do you agree to experiments? In order for the plant to bloom, it will take more than one year, and there are often cases that the tangerine does not bloom at all, then you will need to help it.
In addition, if a tangerine grown from a seed produces fruits, they are not similar to those from which the seed was taken (in order for the variety to be repeated, it must be propagated vegetatively - by cuttings, grafting). However, what happens, in any case, is pleasantly surprising!
Planting a tangerine
What seeds should I plant?
To plant tangerines, it is best to take seeds from the numerous hybrids offered for sale today. They sprout faster, bloom earlier, in most cases, produce edible fruits and are easier to graft. It is very simple to distinguish them from real tangerines: real ones do not have seeds in their fruits, or there are very few of them, and hybrids always have seeds.
The selected seeds should not be thin, as if dried out, deformed or with a blackened tip. It is good that there are at least five tangerine seeds, since not all will germinate, and if the plants are planned for grafting, then at least ten, because grafting is not always successful.
Tangerine sprouted from seed. © Jerry Coleby-William Preparing the soil and selecting a pot
The next task is preparing the substrate. It should not contain peat, since tangerine does not like acidic soil. Therefore, you either buy the substrate in a store, marked pH = 6.5-7 (neutral soil), or make it yourself by mixing two parts of well-rotted humus, two parts of forest soil (from under deciduous trees) and one part of sifted river sand. If there is no humus, you can simply take non-acidic soil and sand.
Now you need to select a container for planting. They are quite capable of becoming the first pots for young tangerines. plastic cups 200 ml volume, bowls, at least 7-9 cm deep (necessarily with a drainage hole) or small pots.
Planting tangerine seeds
For all citrus fruits there is a single rule: what faster seed from the fruit gets into the soil - the higher its germination. Therefore, after eating a tangerine, you do not need to dry its seeds; you must immediately place them in the ground, digging them to a depth of 4 cm.
If for some reason the tangerine seeds could not be planted immediately, then, in order to slightly speed up the germination process, it is recommended to soak them for several days. In this case, the dishes in which they will lie should be flat, the fabric should be damp but not flooded with water, the place should be warm, but not in the sun. To prevent the cloth in which the tangerine seeds are wrapped from drying out, the saucer can be placed in a plastic bag, lightly cover it, but do not tie it.
A hatched tangerine from a seed. © Guilherme Silva From sowing to germination
It is impossible to say in advance how long it will take for the seed to germinate and sprout. In some cases it is 15 days, but more often it is about a month. In any case, before germination, it is important to monitor soil moisture and air temperature, which should not fall below +20 °C and exceed +25 °C. At the same time, it is not recommended to place pots in a mini greenhouse; tangerines germinate well anyway, and plants grown in greenhouse conditions, then it will be necessary to accustom him to the conditions of the room.
Transplanting tangerine seedlings
If the tangerine seeds are not planted in separate pots, but all together in a bowl, when four leaves appear (it is believed that citrus fruits do not have cotyledon leaves), it is time to transplant them into separate cups. From the resulting seedlings, the most powerful ones are selected, and the weak and deformed ones are discarded, resulting in stronger plants that are capable of growth and development.
Sometimes it happens that two sprouts grow from one tangerine seed (in citrus fruits, multiple germination of seeds is observed). In this case, you can do two things: either pinch the weaker plant, or plant the sprouts in different pots - usually each of them has its own root system.
The next replanting of the tangerine should be focused on the development of roots: as soon as the roots occupy the entire volume of the cup, the plant is transferred to a larger pot. But it is highly not recommended to immediately plant a seedling in a large volume of soil, because in this case, waterlogging of the soil often occurs, which significantly inhibits the plant.
Young tangerine trees are replanted annually. Fruiting - once every 2-3 years, increasing the diameter of the pot not by 1, but by 4-6 cm. When planting, it is important to make sure not to deepen the root collar.
Old plants and large specimens of tangerine are not replanted, but once every few years the top layer of soil in the pot is carefully removed, replacing it with new, fertile one.
Tangerine seedlings. © George Shuklin Formation of mandarin
Mandarin is one of those plants that often has to be shaped. The first pinching (if it has not begun to branch on its own) is done when the seedling reaches a height of 30-40 cm. This technique forces the tree to sprout lateral shoots of the first order. But this is not enough for flowering, because tangerines bear fruit only on branches of the 4th-5th order. Therefore, pinching is continued, removing the tips of all shoots after 4-5 leaves, as well as weak shoots and those growing inside the crown. In general, it takes 3-4 years to form.
But in order to force first-order branches to branch, you can take another path - reject the shoots using fixation. This method is more labor-intensive, but quite interesting. To carry it out, one end of the wire is fixed on a branch, and the other is fixed with a pin at the edge of the pot so that the tangerine shoot being formed bends closer to a parallel position with respect to the ground.
Tangerine tree (Citrus reticulata). © pettermok29 Caring for tangerines at home
Caring for tangerine trees varies somewhat depending on their age and purpose. If the specimen is young (up to 5 years) or is grown solely for its green foliage, it needs regular watering (the soil must be maintained wet, but do not flood), spraying (frequently enough) and a lot of light (with shading in summer period from the bright midday sun and with backlighting on winter days).
In warm months, the tree can be taken out into the air (gradually accustoming it) to a place protected from the wind. Once a month it is useful for a mandarin to have a warm shower.
Like other citrus fruits, tangerine tends to turn its leaves towards the main light source. Therefore, for a more uniform formation of the crown, it can be rotated around its axis. But this should be done no more than 10 °C at a time and no more than once every two weeks, because citrus fruits do not like changes and can react negatively to them.
If the tangerine has begun to bloom, then, in addition to the usual care, it needs a period of winter dormancy, at a temperature of +10..12 °C with less frequent watering (it is necessary to allow the soil to dry out a little), a gradual increase in temperatures in spring period and the optimal temperature regime for the formation of buds (within +16..18 °C). And also moderate heat in summer - no higher than +25 °C (at higher temperatures the flowers may fall off) and careful spraying (water should not get on the flowers).
Since tangerines take about 6 months to ripen, many people have a question: should the tree rest in winter or illuminate it with a lamp so that the fruits ripen? Answer: arrange. Even in conditions of +10..12 °C, tangerines are slowly ripening.
Mandarin supplements
Small tangerines are not fed; they are simply transferred to a larger pot. But older plants need to start fertilizing from the beginning of spring growth until the fall. This must be done with a special fertilizer for citrus fruits or mullein infusion (1:10 with water) every two weeks. Suitable for feeding and chicken droppings(tincture 1:20 diluted at the rate of 1:20 with water).
If the tree is planned to be transplanted, stop feeding the tangerine at least three days before this event. After transshipment, they return to fertilizers no earlier than after 2 weeks. In winter, tangerines are not fed.
First fruiting of tangerines
A tangerine grown from a seed begins to bear fruit in the 5th or 6th year. Its fruits do not exactly replicate the taste of the mother variety and may differ from it in size, sweetness, aroma, but not only in the direction of deterioration of these qualities (as is commonly believed), but also in the direction of improvement (here - depending on your luck).
At the same time, the first fruiting does not yet fully reveal all the characteristics of the plant obtained from the seed. Therefore, if a tangerine has bloomed and set fruit, it needs to be provided with the most attractive conditions so that the tree can express itself when it bears fruit again.
How to make a tangerine bloom?
It’s good if the tangerine blooms on its own. And if not? In this case, he can be encouraged to do so. It is necessary to take a copper wire and tightly wrap it around the base of the tangerine trunk so that it is pressed into the bark. This will disrupt the sap flow process and force the plant to “think” about offspring - to bloom. After six months, the wire must be removed and the wounded area treated with garden varnish - it will recover fairly quickly.
However, the method will not work if the tangerine has not formed a crown and has not had a dormant period. Therefore, before starting the experiment, it is necessary to help the tree grow branches of the 4th and 5th order and go through a cold winter.
Tangerine grafting
Another way to get fruit from a tangerine seedling is to graft it. To do this, you need to grow the rootstock (tangerine from a seed) to the thickness of a trunk with a diameter of a simple pencil (about 6 mm) and find a scion - a small piece of shoot taken from a varietal tangerine, or rather, a bud (eye) with a leaf petiole.
At a height of 7 cm from the soil on the rootstock bark, make a cut in the shape of the letter “T” with a very sharp, preferably a special budding knife, so as not to cut through the wood. The length of the cut should be about 2.5 cm, the upper bridge (the cap of the letter “T”) is about 1 cm. Insert a cut tangerine bud (with a leaf petiole) into the bent ends of the bark (carefully push them away with a knife) and press the bark back. Treat everything with garden varnish and wrap tightly with blue electrical tape, leaving the petiole exposed. Place the grafted plant in the greenhouse from the bag.
If the tangerine grafting is successful, the bud will take root within three weeks, the petiole of the leaf will turn yellow and easily fall off. If the grafting is unsuccessful, the petiole will turn black.
If you are successful, they begin to ventilate the greenhouse little by little, gradually increasing the time of the sessions. A month after the shoot appears from the new bud, the stem of the tangerine rootstock is cut off with pruning shears at a height of at least 5 mm from the grafting site, diagonally. The bandage is removed. The cut is treated with garden varnish.
Caring for tangerines during flowering/fruiting
During the flowering and fruiting phase, mandarin needs more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers than nitrogen. Watering should be regular, but not excessive. When the plant blooms, it must be continued to be sprayed, but in such a way that water does not fall on the flowers.
In most cases, the tangerine sheds excess flowers and ovaries, independently regulating the load. If this does not happen, it needs to be helped by removing excess flowers and tangerines, leaving one fruit on the plant for every 15-20 leaves.
If the tangerines burst when they ripen, it means that the plant is not watered regularly or is experiencing excess nitrogen. In order for the tangerine to lay flower buds, it definitely needs winter rest.
Mandarin pests
It has been noticed that, grown from a seed, tangerine is much more resistant to influences external environment and pests than those you can buy in the store. But, unfortunately, he also has malicious enemies. Most of them are afraid of ultraviolet radiation and high humidity, so compliance good conditions maintaining plants is also a preventive measure against them. Who is this? Spider mites, scale insects, mealybugs, and also aphids.
Tangerine tree (Citrus reticulata). © Achievable Gardens Spider mite
Measuring only 0.3-0.6 mm in size, it is practically invisible to the human eye. But you can calculate it by the presence of small light dots on the underside of the leaves of the plant and the presence of the finest cobwebs. If a tick is found, it must be dealt with immediately.
The first thing to start with is to thoroughly wash the plant with warm water. running water using laundry soap. Then it is necessary to spray the tangerine with Fitoverm, Intavir, Aktelik or other insecticide several times at intervals (7-10 days).
Shchitovka
They are convex oval plates measuring only 4 mm. The main sign of its presence is a sticky syrup-like coating that appears on the leaves of the plant. If the pest is not destroyed, the tree quickly becomes depleted and dries out.
You can try to cope with the scale insect by treating the tangerine with a soap solution with the addition of kerosene: 5 g of soap and 10 g of kerosene per 1 liter of water. Spray up to twice a week.
But more effective treatments (from 3 to 5 times with an interval of 15 days) with insecticides Aktara, Fitoverm or others, which can always be found on sale. However, after such treatment, the fruits from the tree cannot be eaten and it is necessary to change the top layer of soil in the pot.
Mealybug
It is quite easy to detect: the pest resembles a white fluffy coating scattered throughout the plant in the form of small dots with a diameter of 3 to 6 mm. You can fight scale insects manually, painstakingly collecting specimens, using insecticides - Karbofos, Decis, Intavir, or infusion of soap and garlic (infuse 2 cloves of garlic per 0.5 liter of boiling water for 4 hours).
Aphid
Almost everyone is familiar with this pest: it is 1 to 3 mm long, light green in color, reproduces quickly, lives in colonies. The harmfulness of aphids lies in the fact that they suck the juices from young shoots and leaves of tangerine, deforming them and depleting the plant.
To combat it, use repeated (with an interval of 5-7 days) washing the plant with a solution of laundry soap, spraying with garlic infusion (1 head of finely chopped garlic per glass of water, leave for 2 days), tobacco infusion (40 g per 1 liter of water).
Problems when growing tangerines
Yellowing and falling leaves
This problem can have various causes. It is important not to rush, carefully analyze the condition of the plant and make the correct diagnosis. In adult tangerines, leaves may turn yellow and fall off due to their old age. But at the same time, the tree itself looks healthy and develops normally.
General lightening of the foliage may indicate insufficient lighting of the plants. In this case, you need to take care to move the tangerine closer to the light, or provide it with artificial lighting.
The shedding of tangerine leaves can begin due to too dry air (in the absence of regular spraying, especially during the heating season), improper replanting (when the root collar is deepened, choosing too large a pot), drafts. If one of these causes is detected, they simply need to be eliminated.
Drying and falling off lower leaves tangerine, despite the fact that the leaf begins to dry from the tip, is associated with regular waterlogging of the soil. This phenomenon occurs either as a result of excessive care, or because the pot is too large in relation to the seedling. In any case, the plant must be transplanted into an appropriate pot with fresh, loose (breathable) soil, after removing the rotten roots.
If yellowing begins at the bottom of the crown and spreads to the top, this indicates a lack of nitrogen. In this case, the tangerine must be fed with nitrogen fertilizers.
The light yellow color of young tangerine leaves, which gradually turns to older leaves, indicates chlorosis (iron deficiency). Treatment with iron chelate will help here.
Tangerine leaves fall without any obvious reason - perhaps the plant lacks potassium. In this case, it must be fed with potassium nitrate.
Blooming tangerine tree. © Chris.urs-o It is important to know that young tangerines often produce rather long thorns - you don’t need to do anything with them!
In winter, citrus fruits, growing foliage, often form leaf blades bigger size than in spring and summer.
In order to distinguish a tangerine seedling from a lemon seedling, you need to smell their leaves - in lemon they smell of citrus, in tangerine they have a light aroma of fresh herbs. Older plants are easy to distinguish by their leaf petioles - lemon has a simple petiole, while mandarin has a narrow, long winged stalk.
Kirill Sysoev
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Content
Among the abundance of plants, the indoor tangerine, according to many florists, occupies a special place. The ornamental bush pleases with its cheerful and bright colors of fruits and leaves. The leaves are leathery and wide. It is believed that a light and subtle aroma can help get rid of headaches, relieve anxiety, irritation, give a feeling of vigor and improve mood. How to grow a tangerine tree related to citrus plants, find out further.
How to grow tangerine at home
If you are planning to grow a tangerine tree at home, check out two ways to solve this problem. IN farms Citrus fruit trees are produced by grafting. If you want to enjoy juicy tangerines, you can perform this procedure yourself. At home, you can prepare seeds and grow a tangerine tree from them, remembering to follow all the rules of care. The most in a simple way is the purchase of a ready-made seedling.
Buying a ready-made seedling
If you decide to grow homemade tangerine at home, buy it in a specialized online store garden crops or a fruit nursery ready-made seedling. Often they sell plants that have a closed root system, i.e. immediately in an earthen coma or pot, packed in a bag. In the first case, a mandatory transplant into a container will be required. If you are looking for more economical option, then it is best to use the second method, i.e. growing a citrus tree from a ripe fruit seed.
Growing tangerine from seed
This method of growing an ornamental citrus tree at home can bring some moral satisfaction. Although, this will take an order of magnitude longer than buying and replanting a ready-made seedling. To sprout, you will need to select a few seeds from the juicy, sweet and ripe fruits to increase your chances of success. Pre-soak the selected seeds in warm water. To do this, place them between 2-3 layers of gauze and place them on a saucer.
As the gauze dries, be sure to keep it moist for several days until the bones swell. If you don’t have the opportunity to wait several days, then try soaking ordinary seeds in water for 2-3 hours, adding a few drops of Epin, which is a growth stimulant. As soon as the first shoots hatch, you can plant the bush in the ground. In general, it is wise to prepare the seeds of this exotic plant Any novice florist can do it.
Land for tangerine tree
Prepare a pot or regular seedling box and fill it with a layer of soil to transplant the hatched seeds into. Despite the fact that indoor mandarin is unpretentious in relation to the soil, experts still strongly recommend taking this point seriously. It is best to use a mixture consisting of:
- 1 part leaf soil;
- 3 parts turf soil;
- 1 part rotted cow manure;
- clay;
- sand.
How to plant a tangerine in a pot correctly
To grow decorative tangerines, do not use peat, which often turns sour, dries quickly and does not have any special nutritional properties. This component is available in almost all those mixtures that can be bought in specialized stores. Don't forget about the drainage layer. Place expanded clay or small ordinary pebbles on the bottom of a dry container, then fill the pot with the composition of the above components. Then place the swollen seeds into the soil to a depth of 5-7 cm. The pot with the planted seeds should be placed in a well-lit place.
Soil drainage
To form a lush and bright bush, you will need to pay attention to the drainage of the container in which it will grow. As already mentioned, place crushed stone, small pebbles and expanded clay on the bottom of the pot, but if you don’t have any of the above on hand, then use fragments of ceramic dishes. Before planting the tangerine and laying the soil, be sure to thoroughly rinse the drainage. In general, it is necessary to ensure that excess liquid from the soil is drained into the pan. Thanks to this, it is possible effective prevention stagnation of fluid and root rot.
Where to place a flower pot with a shoot
Caring for a tangerine at home requires a competent approach; the location of the tree, which will delight you with its beautiful leaves and flowers, is of particular importance. The period of flowering and growth activity will depend on the conditions created. Indoor plants need bright and good lighting. When daylight hours become shorter, add artificial light. Do not make a sudden transition, because... the plant can shed its young leaves.
How to care for a tangerine tree
An actively growing and beautiful tangerine tree is the result of systematic and proper care. For an indoor ornamental plant, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions with a certain temperature and humidity level. We should also not forget about the peculiarities of watering, because... V difficult situation a bush can shed its foliage to reduce the amount of moisture evaporating from the surface. When the branches begin to bear fruit, they need to be tied to a support. We should not forget about possible pests and diseases.
Air temperature and humidity
The best temperature regime for a tangerine seedling is a temperature of +15-18 degrees in the warm season and +12 degrees in the winter. In hotter weather, the plant begins to bear fruit and bloom worse - buds and ovaries form weakly at this time. At the same time, it is important to avoid sudden changes in temperature, but in order for the plant to become stronger, it must be hardened, i.e. help him adapt to changes in lighting and temperature regime. To do this in the spring, take the plant outside for a short time during the day. closed veranda or balcony.
Air humidity is also very important for tangerines. On hot, dry days and in winter, when heating dries out the air in the room, you need to spray frequently. ornamental plant- sometimes up to three times a day. You can place a bowl of water or some other air humidifier on the windowsill, for example, an imitation of a fountain or waterfall. When the bush begins to bloom, spray carefully to avoid moisture getting on the flowers and buds. It is better to replace this procedure with regular wiping of the leaves.
Illumination
Without enough light, a decorative indoor tangerine will not grow large. The easiest way is to place the container with the plant on the windowsill of the southern part of the house, but this is fraught with burns to the leaves. A more acceptable option is the side of the eastern or south-eastern windows. If the south side turns out to be the only possible choice, then in spring and summer you will have to shade the plant. In winter, the south window will become best place for a seedling. When daylight hours become shorter, add artificial lighting using special phytolamps.
How to water indoor tangerine
The tree needs regular and frequent watering. In hot weather, water 2-3 times a day. IN winter period years, while maintaining good moisture, watering twice a week will be sufficient. It is better to first pour water for this procedure into a container, for example, a bottle, so that it has time to settle and warm up to room temperature.
With a short-term lack of moisture, the tangerine tree will not die, but it may shed some or all of its leaves. Fresh greenery will no longer appear in “bald” places, so try to avoid unexpected leaf fall. Leaves will appear only on new branches. Frequently transfusing the plant with water will not be beneficial either, because... this will lead to the appearance of fungal diseases.
How to feed a tangerine tree at home
The entire growing season, i.e. from April to September, the tree needs feeding. Every week it must be fertilized with organic or mineral fertilizers, which can be alternated. This is especially necessary for mature trees growing in cramped containers, without replanting or renewing the soil. One week the plant can be watered with a solution of liquid mullein, and a week later it can be treated with a complex garden fertilizer specially designed for citrus trees. Before fertilizing, you should water the soil.
Mineral mixtures based on potassium phosphorus and nitrogen
In a specialized garden store you can already purchase ready-made composition for citrus fruits. Make sure that the solution includes minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. It is recommended to fertilize in the first half of the day. The temperature of the solution should not be less than +20 degrees. Follow the recommended recipe for preparing the nutrient solution exactly. The rule here is that it is better not to top up than to overfill. Excessive concentration or excess fertilizer can lead to burns of the stem or leaves and even death of the plant.
Organic fertilizers
The tangerine tree can be fed with both mineral and organic fertilizers, and it is best to alternate them. To prepare a natural nutritional composition, you will need cow manure or bird droppings. Dilute part of the dry component in 10-12 parts of water, leave the resulting composition for 2 to 4 days, then add in small portions. Be sure to moisten the soil before doing this.
Rules for caring for homemade tangerine
To ensure that your tangerine tree is as bright and pleasing to the eye as in the photo of one of the gardening magazines, attach special importance to caring for it. Many of the rules listed above for a plant seedling also apply to a grown tree. Additionally, it is necessary to periodically trim the branches and pinch the tips of the shoots. In addition, remove all dried twigs, leaves and shoots from the tree. Such measures will help to form a compact tangerine with a lush and dense crown. We should not forget about the need for replanting.
Partial removal of flowers
To avoid unnecessary stress on the tree in the first years of fruiting, it is recommended to pinch the flowers. Leave only a few flowers on the trunk of the tangerine tree. In this way, you can achieve fragrant and large fruits without depleting the plant itself. Let there be only a few beautiful and fragrant flowers on the stem of the plant, but later you will enjoy beautiful and large fruits.
Pinching the tops of branches
As the tree grows, it is necessary to periodically pinch the tips of the shoots. This is necessary for the tree to form a thick and lush crown. At correct formation it will turn into a real decoration of the room. This can be achieved by controlling the growth of the apex and shoots, which must be removed from time to time, i.e. pinch. When each new sprout appears, pinch the top to form 5-6 leaves. It is also necessary to get rid of tops (strong shoots) that grow quickly from the very root.
Removing stretched branches and dried leaves
Remove elongated branches and dried leaves in a timely manner so that your exotic tree grows truly lush and fruit-bearing. Often they try to grow homemade tangerine as bonsai. For this purpose, remove the growing tips of the shoots to the desired length. As a result, your efforts will not be in vain - you will get tasty fruits with thin skin that easily separates from the pulp.
Why does the tangerine shed its leaves?
If the basic rules of care are not followed, the tangerine tree may develop diseases. Don't ignore the threat they may pose various pests. These include red spider mites, scale insects, and citrus whiteflies. Dropping leaves does not always indicate the presence of a disease, because... This can also happen during a period of relative rest on cold days.
What to do
If pests are the cause of the shedding of leaves, then wipe all the leaves of the tree with special solutions. A few procedures are enough to get rid of all the unwanted “guests”. Yellowing foliage may be a signal that the plant is lacking minerals. During nitrogen deficiency, yellowing begins from the lower leaves. In addition, tangerine can react this way to the lack of the required amount of moisture or lack of light. Move the plant to a well-lit place and remember to water regularly.
Methods for propagating a tangerine tree
The most economical way to get a tangerine seedling is to grow it from a seed. This approach will take a lot of time and patience. If there is already a tree and you want to get offspring from it, then choose one of the following methods:
- Reproduction by layering, which are well-formed tree branches. Select a branch from an adult tangerine that is at least 4 mm thick and long enough to bend the branch and pin it to the ground. There is no need to separate the branch from the bush, just cover it with earth. The top will protrude on the surface of the soil. Keep the digging area moist. When the cuttings form new roots, separate the branch from the mother plant.
- Reproduction is carried out by cuttings. For this, so-called air layering is used - the cuttings take root “in weight”. An adult shoot is cut in a circle, cutting off the bark about 1 cm wide, after which the wound is treated and wrapped with sphagnum moss and polyethylene (loosely). The resulting “pupa” must be kept moist until roots form – it will take several months.
How to replant a tangerine at home
The plant begins to need replanting when the container becomes crowded. For young tangerines, this procedure should be carried out annually, and for trees over 7 years old – once every two years. Do not replant the plant during flowering; it is better to do this in early spring. The new pot should be several centimeters larger in diameter than the previous one. The root collar should not be deepened during transplantation, because The bark may be damaged. The excess bud is crushed and then moved to a new container with drainage and soil.
Pest Control
Pest control is of particular importance when caring for a tangerine tree. Citrus fruits are more susceptible to them. This is due to the fact that they have a very attractive aroma. More details about how to fight:
- Aphid. If there are few insects, wash the stem and leaves with a solution of laundry soap.
- Leaves damaged by aphids can be treated with a decoction of wormwood or nettle.
- A good way to combat aphids is garlic water.
- To combat spider mites at home, use garlic water, laundry soap, tobacco dust. Create a spray mixture based on them.
Video
Found an error in the text? Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we will fix everything!Mandarin, like the lemon tree, is quite common and popular. Indoor plant grown directly indoors. Botanists suggest that it was first grown in China or Japan.
Where did the plant get its name? In the past, it was grown in the gardens of mandarins, who were wealthy dignitaries at that time. At the beginning of the 19th century, tangerines began to appear in Europe. They were transported to Italy in 1840. After which the whole Mediterranean learned about this fruit.
The tangerine tree is distinguished by the fact that it ripens quickly and brings a large harvest. It also has quite sweet fruits that do not have seeds. When did Ukraine see this beautiful tree? At the beginning of the 20th century, where the Black Sea is located. It is in this place that tangerine is most common at home.
The fruit tree can be called weak-growing. Its height reaches 3 meters. It has beautiful, eye-catching leaves. Their color is dark green, and their structure is quite dense and has small wings in the petiole area. The flowers have a wonderful aroma and white color - they are beautifully arranged in clusters. The fruits of the tree are spherical, flattened and have a diameter of up to 6 cm. Their weight is about 100 g.
The fruit has a thin orange peel that is easy to separate from the pulp. There are “plump” tangerines, the peel of which practically does not come into contact with the pulp, but has an air gap. The sweet yellow-orange pulp is easy to divide into slices.
The fruit of the tree is rich in sugar, organic acids, and vitamins. It is rare to find seeds in the fruit. If you decide to plant a tangerine at home, then it requires a limited amount of light and fresh air. Not every variety of tangerine can grow indoors, so it is necessary to distinguish between these types. So, you can get early ripening tangerine trees, which are of Japanese origin. They are undersized and unpretentious.
Among the most common options is the Unshiu variety, which means seedless. He is short in stature - up to 1.5 meters. It has a spreading crown and the branches do not have thorns. The leaves are wide, leathery and have dark green color. The tree blooms profusely once a year. Tangerine from seeds at home has small white flowers with a pleasant aroma. When the tree is already 3 years old, it begins to bear fruit. If you take good care of an adult tree, you can get up to 50 fruits within a year.
This decorative look plants characterized by low growth. They are indoor varieties tangerines. Mature trees are usually no higher than 80 cm. This has made them popular among plants that are kept on the windowsill.
For an indoor tangerine tree there is no need to form a crown. However, from time to time it is necessary to remove branches that have dried out or grown incorrectly. Feature dwarf mandarin is that it begins to bear fruit after two years of life. However, the size and taste of the fruits are the same as ordinary trees fruit.
Basics of planting and transplanting
In order to plant a plant, you need to take a suitable pot. Its material doesn't matter. But there is important condition so that the upper part of the diameter does not exceed 15 cm, and it should be the same in height. The bottom of the container should have one or more small holes so that excess water can drain from it during watering.
The pot can be in the form of a plastic bucket, wooden, ceramic or glass container. It is necessary to place drainage at its bottom, which can be expanded clay or sand. Practice shows that drainage is best served by: charcoal after the fire. You should not make drainage more than 5 cm in height.
After selecting the drainage, you need to take a little soil to sprinkle it. Any soil will not work in this case. There are specially prepared types of soil, for example “Mandarin”. They can be purchased in specialized stores.
In some cases, you can do the soil preparation yourself. Where old deciduous trees grow in the forest, take some soil. However, avoid areas where oak, poplar or chestnut trees grow. The soil is most fertile in the upper layers, the thickness of which is 10 cm. Additionally, you need to add sand, river sand, ash, humus, if available, will do. Dilute a glass of earth with a glass of sand, three tablespoons of humus and a tablespoon of ash, and a small amount water. You should end up with a thick, sour cream-like mass. This will help avoid air voids near the root of the tree.
When six months have passed, you need to take a container that is 5 cm larger and transplant small tangerines there. When you have planted a tree, you need to spray it and water it with a weak potassium permanganate agent from time to time.
Prepare a place for the plant in advance. A window sill that is directed towards the light is suitable for this, so that enough sunlight falls on the leaves.
Propagation occurs when seedlings are grafted from other citrus fruits such as orange and lemon. Air layering is also used using this method. If you want to take cuttings from plants using amateur conditions, you will not succeed.
Important attention should be paid to lighting. The window where you will keep the plant should be on the southern sunny side. When summer comes, take it outside to get some fresh air. This could be a veranda, garden or balcony. However, it is important that this place is protected from the wind.
It’s good if the plant grows on the south side, but it’s important not to forget summer time protect it from direct sunlight. This can damage the roots and crowns, and also cause burns on the tangerine itself from the seed at home. How to avoid this? Make a curtain of gauze and place it on the window where the tree stands. When you plan to leave the house, make it a rule to cover the glass with a curtain, especially on sunny days.
Temperature and watering the plant
Have you placed a tangerine on the windowsill? Then in winter you should take care of it by properly insulating the window. The pot with the tree itself is also insulated. In order for the tangerine to shoot buds and bloom, it is important to maintain the temperature to 18 degrees. There should also be suitable humidity - 60%. At the same time, you should not be afraid of high temperatures, because the plant has the ability to withstand up to 40 degrees of heat.
Now let's move on to the basics of watering. As the top layer of soil dries out, it is necessary to water the plant. Under no circumstances should the lump of earth dry out in the pot. Every day, determine how wet the soil is by testing the surface layer of soil with your fingers. If during the inspection you notice that the soil sticks together, then it does not need watering, but if it begins to crumble, then watering is required.
Especially in the summer, it is important to monitor the condition of the soil. After all, due to the fact that the tree is affected heat and the bright sun, the earth often dries out. It is also worth remembering that not all water is suitable for irrigation.
If you have a city apartment, then the water from it is not suitable for watering tangerines. This is explained by the fact that it contains alkaline earth metals, as well as chlorine. Such substances will only harm the plant. As a result, its leaves will suffer from chlorosis, and metabolic processes in the soil will be disrupted.
It's a good idea to boil the water every time, but you probably don't need that much trouble. Another good option is to use hot tap water, which contains less chlorine and is also soft. Before watering the tree, leave the water in an open container for a day - then the chlorine will be completely removed from it. After all, this substance is destructive for any citrus fruit.
If you own a private home, then water from wells will do. However, the water found in a lake or stream is even better. Let it warm up a little at room temperature before watering. Not suitable for watering rainwater, because it contains harmful impurities. What is the best way to care for tangerines in winter? Heat the water until it reaches 35 degrees. Then the tree will grow and bear fruit better. In summer, it is easier to deal with this issue by simply placing water on a window where there is more sun.
Watering alone is not enough for a tangerine tree. It must be sprayed with clean water once every day. You need to take care of this especially in the summer. Use a spray bottle or other means to create moisture. Thanks to this, there will be no dust on the leaves and they will be able to breathe. Also, once a month it is necessary to carry out the following procedure: place the plant in the bathtub, cover an area of soil with plastic film, while treating the entire plant with cotton wool and soap suds. This will allow you to forget about the hard work of pest control. However, remember that you need to take gauze or a bandage to bandage the tree trunk. This will prevent soapy water from getting into the soil.
What can you say about fertilizer? In winter, there is no need to fertilize the tangerine. But in summer and spring this is done every two weeks. There are features that show how to properly fertilize. Do not start doing this before you have watered the plant, otherwise you will burn the roots. Moist soil is suitable for fertilizing.
How much should a tree be fertilized? Make sure there is enough of it and that it flows straight out of drainage hole. In specialized stores you will see big choice fertilizers You can also use regular fish soup, which is suitable for a plant that is taller than one meter. Thanks to this feeding, it will begin to bear fruit better. But at the same time, do not neglect special fertilizers, such as Mandarin.
Mandarins can be damaged by sucking and gnawing pests, as well as fungi and viruses. You can often encounter spider mites and scale insects. Chemical and biological agents are used to combat them. However, this is the case if you plant the plant in open ground. It is better not to use pesticides within the apartment.
How can you determine that a plant needs care? For example, it may become covered with white dots. You may also see a reddish tick on it that moves quickly if you touch it. In addition, white cobwebs may appear on white leaves.
To combat such pests, use tobacco dust, garlic and laundry soap. One tablespoon of tobacco dust is poured with boiling water (one glass). All this must be insisted for 6 days. Then add laundry soap to this. Spray the plant every 6 days. However, take a break for 6 days.
How to use garlic against pests? Mash the head of the plant and fill it with hot water. Wait 2 days and strain the broth. You can spray the tangerine according to the same previous scheme.
What if you notice that your plant is covered in brownish-gray shiny growths? This means it is a scale insect infection. This can be dealt with using water-oil emulsions. Machine oil(1 teaspoon) stir with warm water (1 cup). To this add laundry soap (40 g) and washing powder(2 large spoons). When you treat a plant with this, be sure to use plastic film to cover the soil. Also use a bandage to bandage the trunk. Thanks to this, the emulsion will not get on the ground and damage it. For processing, you can use a cotton or gauze swab. Treat the entire surface and leaves of the plant. Then wait 4 hours and wash everything off. This procedure also needs to be done 3 times.
Thanks to such simple tips you will grow a beautiful plant.
