Biosystem for growing tangerine. Indoor tangerine: caring for an orchard at home. Tangerine from a seed - reality

Mandarin is an evergreen plant that belongs to the Rutaceae family. The specific Latin name of the mandarin is Citrus reticulate. Like orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit, it belongs to the Citrus genus. The life form of this plant is interesting - it can be a shrub or a tree, reaching a height of 5 meters.

Like other representatives of the Citrus genus, tangerines have long been grown in greenhouses, conservatories, and winter gardens. Despite its size, tangerines can be grown at home on a balcony or windowsill. Currently, breeders have developed many varieties of dwarf and low-growing tangerines for home cultivation, the maximum height of which is 0.6-1.1 m. An indoor tangerine may not be a dwarf variety, then the plant needs to be heavily pruned and shaped.

Indoor tangerine is a very spectacular potted plant. And not only because of the bright, fragrant and appetizing orange fruits that can last for several months. Sometimes a plant gives pleasure only by its flowering, because the delicate white flowers of tangerine exude an amazing aroma. In some varieties, flowering begins in the spring and can continue all year round. An indoor mandarin grown as a bonsai is a real work of art.

The fruits of indoor tangerines are set without artificial pollination and usually ripen at the end of the year. Often an indoor tangerine in a pot is bought in a store with fruits already hanging on it. Despite the fact that they are very appetizing, you should not eat them. Indeed, to achieve such a high decorative effect, plants receive high doses of fertilizers. The tangerine has beautiful leathery and corrugated leaves.

Popular tangerine varieties for growing at home

Unshiu– the Japanese variety, the most unpretentious, begins to bear fruit in 3-4 years, in room conditions it grows to 0.8-1.5 m. It branches well. It blooms profusely in spring, producing fruits in late October-November. Pear-shaped fruits lack seeds.
Kowano-Wase, Micha-Wase, Miyagawa-Wase- dwarf tangerines of the Vasya group - suitable for growing on a windowsill, height 40-80 cm. Orange-yellow fruits ripen for the first time in the second year of cultivation, flowering is abundant. Like all dwarf varieties, they do not require crown formation.
Shiva-Mikan– early compact fast-growing variety. The fruits are small, no more than 30 g
Murcot t – the fruits of this compact tangerine variety are very sweet, ripen in summer, and taste very sweet, which is why the name of the variety is translated as “honey.”
Clementine- a hybrid of tangerine and orange, bears fruit at home in the second year. One adult domestic tree produces up to 50 medium-sized, flattened orange-red fruits per year, very fragrant, with shiny skin. Plants of this variety with numerous seeds are called Montreals.

Mandarin: home care

Lighting mandarin at home

The first step in successfully growing indoor tangerine is choosing a place for the plant and its proper lighting.
Indoor tangerines, as well as those grown in open ground, need good lighting with some direct sunlight. When there is insufficient light, the plant slows down its growth, throws out a small number of flowers or does not bloom at all. With a strong lack of light, the leaves of indoor tangerines become faded, new shoots become elongated, thin and painful in appearance. Therefore, it is better to grow the plant on eastern, south-eastern and southern windows, shading them from direct midday rays. In summer, the plant can be taken out to the balcony, gradually accustoming it to the street.
In winter, when daylight hours are short, indoor tangerines should be placed in the brightest place with direct sunlight. But sometimes this is not enough: artificial lighting is needed. For this purpose, an ordinary phytolamp is suitable, which can be screwed into a chandelier or table lamp. It is necessary to transfer the plant to additional lighting gradually. With a sharp change in daylight hours, it can shed its leaves.

Content temperature

The optimal temperature for indoor tangerine in the summer is + 20-25 oC. During the period of budding and flowering, so that the flowers do not fall off, it is better to keep the plant at a temperature slightly below + 20 ° C. In winter, to ensure a relative period of rest, tangerine is kept at + 5 -10 °C. A plant that has rested over the winter will bloom and bear fruit better.

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How to water and spray tangerines at home

The indoor mandarin, like its wild ancestors, is adapted to withstand dry periods. In extreme cases, the plant will shed its leaves to reduce the amount of liquid that evaporates. A common problem when growing tangerines at home is excessive watering, which leads to the development of fungal diseases.
The amount of water for watering indoor tangerines depends on several factors:
- size of the plant;
- the size of the container in which the tangerine grows;
- ambient temperature;
- length of daylight hours and lighting intensity.
The larger the leaf surface of an indoor tangerine, the greater the evaporation, and the more it needs watering. Temperature also affects the rate of evaporation: the higher it is, the more moisture the plant loses. The length of daylight directly affects the amount of moisture that evaporates. Stomata - formations on the underside of land plants that serve for gas exchange, open during daylight hours.
Watering indoor tangerines should be done in the first half of the day, when the plant has activated its life processes. When the temperature drops, watering is reduced, even stopping for several days during the period when the room temperature is only +12-15 oC. In this case, the tangerine is watered with a small amount of water only to maintain vital functions.
Mandarin at home needs regular spraying of leaves. Very dry air has a bad effect on the plant and is often a prerequisite for its infection with spider mites. If an indoor tangerine is blooming, then you need to make sure that water does not get on its flowers.

How to feed tangerines at home

Full care of tangerines at home is not possible without additional mineral and organic nutrition. The soil in the pot is quickly depleted and washed away when watering, and recreational processes practically do not occur in it, unlike soil in nature.
For fertilizing, you can use soluble or dry fertilizers. In the spring, as daylight hours increase, fertilizing for indoor tangerines is increased. It is in the early spring that vegetative and generative buds begin to develop intensively; at this time, the plant requires additional nutrients.
At home, tangerines are fertilized like all other indoor plants, that is, in the first half of the day. The ambient temperature should be at least + 18-19 degrees.
Soluble fertilizers are often used for fertilizing. You can water the plant with them, and spray its leaves in a weaker concentration. To feed indoor mandarin, any complex mineral fertilizer containing phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium - the main elements necessary for plants - is suitable.
Fertilizers should be dissolved in soft or settled water at room temperature. The main thing is not to increase the dose. If the instructions say: 1 capful of product per 1 liter of water, do not think that 2 capfuls will make the solution more useful. This will lead to the opposite effect - a chemical burn or toxic poisoning of the plant.
You need to feed tangerines at home during the period of intensive growth (from March to September) 2 times a week. Possibly less often, but not more often.
Dry fertilizers, which are applied to the soil and gradually dissolve, releasing microelements to the soil, must be applied even more carefully. Their advantage is that by adding them in the spring you can forget about fertilizing for a long time. However, they can be quickly used by the plant, and it will be difficult to guess about it. Adding an additional dose of fertilizer will lead to the above-mentioned overdose.
To grow tangerines, organic fertilizers are also needed. To do this, you can dilute infused cow manure in a ratio of 1/10. The best option would be to use organic fertilizer in combination with mineral fertilizers for soil feeding.

Additional care for tangerines at home

To form a lush tangerine tree, pinch the tops of its branches.
Caring for tangerines at home also involves removing dried leaves or elongated branches.
On young flowering plants, the flowers are partially removed so as not to deplete them and to allow several fruits to ripen. For 15-20 leaves of an adult plant, you can leave one ovary. The fewer fruits remain on the tangerine, the larger they will be.
The fruiting branches of indoor mandarin are tied and tied to a support, otherwise they may break due to the weight of the fruit and the plant will not have an attractive appearance.

The evergreen tangerine tree will give pleasant emotions and fruit harvest all year round. Caring for it at home is not so difficult, but some conditions must be observed.

Tangerine tree: how to care for it at home

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Choosing soil for a young tangerine tree

For good health and fruiting, you need to choose soil with the following composition: leaf soil (1 part), turf (2 parts), quartz sand (1 part), humus from cow manure (1 part). Using this composition, you can create the necessary conditions for the survival of the plant.

You can germinate a tangerine shoot yourself. This requires patience and time. You can germinate it from the seeds in sawdust, just like an orange, maintaining sufficient humidity.

What kind of soil do mature trees like?

For mature tangerine trees, a slightly different ratio of soil parts is required: 1 part leaf soil, 3 parts turf, 1 part humus from cow manure, 1 part sandy component and a little bit of high-fat clay. By transplanting a grown tree into such soil, you can achieve its rapid rooting and fruiting.

Tree from a seed

You can grow a tangerine tree from the seed of a ripe fruit. When it is removed from the pulp, it must be wrapped in gauze or cloth and constantly moistened with water. The seed will swell and a sprout will hatch. Then you need to plant it in the soil. As an option, you should place a tangerine seed in the middle layer of hydrogel and wait for the sprout to appear.

Where to plant a tree

When choosing a place for a tangerine tree, you need to consider that it should be well lit. Mandarin loves a lot of light. On a very hot day, it is still better to shade the plant to avoid leaf burns.

It is best to plant an indoor tree in a wooden tub or flowerpot made from natural materials. It is best to place it on southern, southwestern and southeastern windows. In winter, it is best not to open the window for a long time. With the onset of spring, the plant can be taken out to the balcony or loggia. During the hot season, you can create a retractable awning for shading.

How to water a tangerine tree

Growing tangerines is a troublesome task. You should not water it with regular water. Moisture for irrigation must be settled and warmed if it is cool.

In winter, it is enough to water 2 times a week. It is better to draw a watering schedule so as not to overdo it. In summer, it is best to do this several times a day. In hot weather, this must be done carefully so that water does not get on the leaves.

Leaves that are wet in the heat can get burned.

Grow and fertilize

The choice of fertilizer for a tangerine tree is best made in favor of organic and mineral complex products. This can be as expensive fertilizer for citrus fruits or as simple slurry from cow manure.

Before applying fertilizer to the soil, it is necessary to water it thoroughly. Feeding should be done in the summer, but in winter it is better to stop it.

A tree that is fertilized bears juicy and tasty fruits, without bitterness

A houseplant should not be kept in one flowerpot. The reservoir must be changed as the tangerine grows. If the plant is forced to stay in the same flowerpot for several years, it is better to increase feeding. Since homemade tangerines can also bear fruit, it is very important to monitor soil fertilization.

Pinching and cutting

Proper pinching leads to the fact that the tree begins to branch strongly and increases fruiting. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the branches. It is necessary to pinch the tops of young shoots. It is better to trim off excess and weakened branches.

Cuttings, layering

The tree is propagated by seeds, by cuttings, by air layering, and by grafting. Each method is suitable for different trees. Old trees with well-formed branches are suitable for propagation by air layering. Only certain varieties of tangerine trees are propagated from cuttings.

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate

Planting the seeds is successful, but this way you have to wait a long time for the fruits. Fruiting accelerates in grafted plants.

Before grafting a tree, it is very important to speed up the flow of sap. This is done by watering abundantly. Immediately before grafting, it is necessary to check how the bark comes away from the trunk. You need to make an incision just above the site of future budding and try to very carefully bend the bark layer.

On the branch that needs to be grafted onto the rootstock, all leaves must be removed and only the petioles left. This is done to prevent moisture evaporation. It is better to choose the grafting site 5-10 cm from the ground. The bark in this area should be smooth, free of buds or thorns. Then, with a light, careful movement, it is necessary to make a transverse incision at this distance and another, perpendicular to it, going down 3 cm from the center of the incision.

The cuts made in the bark must be pryed with the bone part of the knife and lifted. Then you need to return everything except the top edge to its original place. Then you need to quickly take the prepared bud from the scion and insert the eye into the T-shaped cut made on the rootstock. Insulating tape should be placed around the grafting area and removed once the bud has taken root.

Citrus fruits, including tangerines, contain a lot of vitamin C. You can try growing them yourself. The tangerine dwarf tree is a wonderful ornamental plant that brings bright colors and a pleasant aroma to the home. It is known that the smell of this fruit not only improves mood and gives vigor, but also relieves headaches. An evergreen citrus tree can maintain a flowering period for most of the year and bear fruit even indoors.

Becoming the owner of a wonderful indoor tangerine is not difficult at all. Moreover, you can even grow a tangerine in a pot yourself, from a seed.

Planting stages

It’s worth noting right away that there is a simpler option. You can buy a ready-made seedling in a specialized store and plant it directly in the ground. You can even purchase an adult plant that is already bearing fruit, which you just need to place on the windowsill, providing it with home care.

But for those who are not looking for easy ways, you can plant and grow indoor tangerines yourself at home.

Step 1. Materials

The seeds of this fruit are needed. It’s better to take at least a dozen, because no one has yet canceled natural selection. Not all seeds will be able to sprout, not all sprouts will be able to break through the soil. To get suitable seeds, you need to take a ripe fruit: the larger and juicier, the better.

Step 2. Preparing the seeds

Experienced gardeners know that any seeds require a preparatory period before planting in the ground. The tangerine seeds must be left in a damp place for some time. The ideal option is to wrap them in cloth and leave them, maintaining a moist environment. After a couple of days, the seeds will be ready for planting: small sprouts will appear at the seeds.

Step 3. Planting in the ground

Usually, indoor tangerines can grow in the most ordinary soil, but you should approach the choice of soil for the plant responsibly. First, a layer of small stones or expanded clay is laid on the bottom of the flower pot to drain the soil. Next, the rest of the soil is laid out, where the sprouted seeds are placed. They should not be located too deep, but not near the surface of the soil. The ideal planting depth is from 5 to 7 cm.

Unless you need to water, but not too much and very carefully. In less than a month, young shoots will begin to emerge from the soil.

Even if the experiment fails, don’t be discouraged: it doesn’t always work out as planned. You can always try to plant tangerines at home again, using previous experience.

Caring for young seedlings

At the very beginning, it is important to properly care for young shoots. The pot with the plant must be placed correctly, finding the most suitable place for it. The indoor tangerine loves good lighting, but in dark places it begins to wither and may die. But direct sunlight in large quantities can burn young shoots. Until the stems of the tangerine tree are sufficiently strong, it is better to remove them from the risk zone. The task is not entirely simple - the container with the sprouts must be constantly lit and reliably protected from direct sun.

The tangerine tree must be exposed to direct sunlight, without which it will not be able to grow and develop normally.

Immediately after the first shoots appear, it is important to feed the young citrus plant. The algorithm of action does not differ significantly from feeding an adult plant.

Caring for an adult plant

When growing tangerines at home, it is important to understand that the plant is adapted to hot countries where droughts often occur. Therefore, excessive watering will be detrimental to the plant. When an indoor tangerine is watered too often, it begins to shed its leaves. But it’s also not worth rushing from one extreme to another.

Humidity

The decorative variety of tangerine is still not a cactus; at home it requires regular irrigation.

Mandarin grown at home requires care and nutrition in addition to watering. We are talking about feeding the plant.

It is necessary to feed the plants, because frequent watering washes away organic and mineral substances. Understanding this is of decisive importance in growing tangerines at home. At different times of the year, mandarin behaves differently, which affects the amount and frequency of nutrition needed.

It is especially important to feed indoor shrubs in the spring, when the tangerine undergoes its main growth.

The frequency of feeding should not exceed twice a week. The fertilizer must be prepared in strict accordance with the instructions for use. Otherwise, you can seriously harm the plant: instead of the necessary minerals and organic substances, your homemade tangerine may receive poison. Mixtures for fertilizing and feeding indoor plants are sold in both specialized stores and large hypermarkets. When choosing fertilizer, it is advisable to focus on fertilizers for citrus fruits.

The tangerine home tree requires feeding to a much greater extent than its garden counterparts. Soil in a pot, unlike open ground, is not able to regenerate organic and mineral substances washed away during watering. Garden mandarin does not need to be fed so often, but caring for a tree at home is a completely different matter.

Although the tangerine tree is not a capricious or difficult plant to care for, in addition to watering and fertilizing, it is sometimes worth making additional efforts. Let's say a few more words about how to care for a decorative tangerine so that the tree always pleases the eye with its beauty.

Transfer

As the tree grows, the indoor tangerine needs to be replanted. While the bush is growing, it is advisable to update the “place of registration” every year. After the plant reaches seven years of age, expansion of its living space is required every two years.

In order for the tree to bear fruit well, it is better to remove excess ovaries at the flowering stage.

The more potential fruits grow, the more energy and nutrients the tree will spend on growing. In order not to deplete the tangerine tree, it is advisable to leave only part of its flowers, the strongest ovaries. Although the “harvest” will be smaller, each fruit will contain more micronutrients. Therefore, the fruits will be larger, tasty and juicy. Indoor tangerine is an ornamental plant, not a garden plant. Therefore, the health of the tree should always be a priority.

When the ovaries form into small fruits, it is advisable to tie the tree crowns to a support. As tangerines grow and become heavier, they run the risk of breaking the tree's fragile decorative stems. Without additional help, the bush may suffer. Broken branches can cause serious tree disease.

Diseases and pests

When growing a tangerine, you cannot provide it with proper home care without protecting the plant from pests.

Types of indoor trees

There are several varieties of tangerine tree. Some of them fit perfectly into the culture of home ornamental plants.

Unshiu

The most popular is the Unshiu tangerine tree, a variety of Japanese tangerine trees. The height of an adult plant rarely reaches 1.5 m. Indoor tangerine Unshiu is more tolerant of cold than others and is extremely fruitful.

Dwarf form

The dwarf or, as it is also called, mountain mandarin, Kovano-Vase, is also popular. This variety is from the Vasya group, which at home is capable of reaching a meter in height, although usually the plant’s growth stops within the range of 40 cm to 80 cm.

Clementine

You can also highlight indoor Clementine. This is a mandarin crossed with an orange. The decorative tangerine of the Murcott variety, which translates as “honey,” is distinguished by its bright and sweet fruits. The early ripening variety begins to bear fruit in the summer, unlike the above-mentioned varieties.

Other varieties

The small tangerine Shiva-Mikan tree, like Murcott, is an early variety with small fruits.

But despite the fact that the mentioned varieties of tangerine trees are specially bred ornamental varieties, even an ordinary garden tangerine remains rather short-growing at home, regardless of care.

Whatever variety you ultimately choose, the result will be a spectacular ornamental tree with beautiful flowers and bright, fragrant fruits.

Conclusion

Since ancient times, tangerines have been used as decorative home trees by noble and wealthy families, growing them in greenhouses or winter gardens, because the flower of both garden and home tangerines exuded a wonderful aroma. Today tangerine is available at home. Growing a tree is quite simple. Care also does not require any special effort. But this noble tangerine dwarf tree will look impressive and stylish in any interior, giving the surrounding space more positivity and color. Therefore, even if you had doubts about whether to get involved with a citrus tree or give preference to another ornamental plant, discard them. Domestic trees will invariably please their owners, bringing juicy fruits, a delicate aroma and a great mood.

Planting one on your windowsill seems like an impossible task for many. We are constantly afraid that the citrus family requires unique care that will consume all of our time and finances. Indeed, some of these plants require careful supervision, but this does not particularly concern the tangerine. This fruit is completely unpretentious and hardy enough for our climate. Therefore, after reading our article, choose the best cultivation method for you and feel free to start planting the overseas fruit. We will tell you below how to choose and grow tangerines from seeds at home.

Choosing a place for a tangerine

If you decide to grow a tangerine, the first thing you need to do is choose a place for the tree. Indoors can grow both on the windowsill and on the balcony. Today, breeders have bred many dwarf plants, but ordinary tangerine trees can also be given the desired shape.

The place for planting a tree at home is chosen in the same way as on. The site must be well lit with little direct sunlight. If there is insufficient lighting, the tangerine will slow down its growth and may not bloom at all. Therefore, to grow a tangerine, choose the southern part of the room, but so that at noon the tree can be slightly shaded.

Temperature

To keep tangerines indoors, it is necessary to maintain a certain temperature. In summer, the optimal temperature indicators for growing a tree should be +20...+25°C. When the plant begins to bloom or buds appear on it, it is advisable to prevent them from falling off the flowers by lowering the temperature no higher than +20 °C.

In winter, to improve future flowering, citrus mandarin is better leave without much movement. Temperatures during the winter period can vary from +5 °C to +10°C. By observing these temperature conditions, you can easily grow tangerines from seeds at home.

Mandarin is a very important point in its growth. In insufficient light, the tree is lagging behind in development and there is a high risk of getting modest blooms. In summer, young tangerines can be gradually exposed to the open air so that the plant gradually gets used to the environment. But at noon you will have to hide it from direct sunlight.

In winter, when daylight hours are quite short, the tangerine must be placed in the brightest place in the room. It happens that a young tree may not have enough lighting. Here a phytolamp will come to the rescue, which is screwed into a regular table lamp or chandelier. Start off You need to highlight the tangerine gradually, otherwise, with a sharp change in daylight hours, the plant may lose its leaves.

Air humidity

Mandarin does not tolerate dry air. Therefore, to maintain sufficient humidity, it is recommended to place containers of water around the container. As the temperature rises, the plant needs to be additionally moistened, sometimes several times a day. In winter, it is better to spray, but only when it dries.

Choosing a container or container for planting

It is recommended to choose dishes for planting tangerines based on its size. Remember, for the tree to grow better, it will need to be replanted every year. Don't choose a large pot right away, as too much space can cause the roots to rot.

The best containers for tangerines are small wooden boxes or pots made from natural materials. When planting, don't forget the good things. Pebbles, expanded clay, remnants of broken ceramic dishes and even polystyrene foam are perfect for this role. Mandarin does not like stagnant moisture in the soil, which can also lead to root rot.

Important! Every week, inspect the shoots, as well as the trunk and leaves of the tree for bacterial or pest infestation.

Soil for tangerine

As with growing in open ground, indoor tangerine does not like acidic soils. Therefore, when choosing a ready-made mixture for planting in the store, pay attention to the substrate.

If you don’t trust purchased substrates, you can prepare the soil for planting yourself. To do this, take turf and leaf soil, washed river sand and a little. Keep the proportions 1:1:0.5. From these components, light, well-permeable soil is obtained, which the tangerine loves so much.

Planting, propagation and replanting of tangerines

When growing tangerine citrus at home, there are several ways to propagate it: cuttings, grafting, and the most popular method today - seeding. But how to properly plant and grow a tangerine from a seed so that the tree bears fruit?

First of all, you need to understand that when using this method, you should expect results no earlier than six years later. An even more difficult method of propagation is cuttings, since when using it it is extremely rare to grow tangerines at home.

At the same time, tangerine grafting is considered one of the proven options. At home, it is grafted onto orange or grapefruit seedlings. In addition, many gardeners are interested in how long does a tangerine grow? This citrus tree is very durable and, with proper care, will live for more than thirty years.

Mandarin roots grow actively every year, which is why the plant needs annual replanting. After 5-6 years, they are replanted less frequently - once every two years. Transplantation must be carried out in the spring, before the active growth of the rhizome, and each time a flowerpot or pot is selected that is not much larger than the previous one. The best method for replanting a tangerine would be a transshipment method: try not to destroy the formed earthen lump.

Important! The roots of the plant should not be washed. Only when they are infected is rinsing allowed.

Vegetative methods of propagation

As we mentioned above, propagating tangerines at home, using the usual planting of cuttings, is almost impossible. Therefore, in order to grow a fruitful tree, tangerine cuttings are grafted to any other citrus plant.

To do this, you will need a bush that is one to two years old and a cutting of your choice. We take a citrus seedling and make a T-shaped cut at a distance of up to 10 cm above the soil. Then, lightly pressing the tip of the knife, we get a recess into which we insert our cutting.

After this, you need to coat the cut area with garden varnish and wrap it with PVC film or electrical tape. After grafting tangerines, you need to place them in or simply cover them with a plastic bag. You can ventilate once a day, making sure that a peephole does not appear after vaccination.

Usually the cutting is grafted within a month, after which the greenhouse is removed and the electrical tape is loosened. After rooting, you can completely get rid of the stretched film. By growing tangerines using this propagation method, you have every chance of getting sweet and juicy fruits.

Did you know? For better tangerine growth, spray its leaves daily with warm water from a spray bottle.

Seed method

The easiest way to grow a tangerine is to plant a seed, and you already know about this. Therefore, buy several fruits in advance that have been properly stored, without freezing or direct sunlight, and select a dozen seeds from them. Then, rinse them thoroughly with running water and place them on a windowsill or other flat surface to dry.

When the seeds are dry, they need to be soaked for further germination: take a cotton cloth and wrap the seeds in it. The fabric should be damp for several days, but not floating in water.

After the seeds swell and sprouts begin to hatch, you can replant them in previously prepared soil. As soon as you plant the tangerine seed and the seedling grows a little, it needs to be transplanted into a container with a volume of about 4 liters.

Important! Be sure to take several grains at once for planting, since some tangerine seeds usually do not germinate.

Plant care

If you no longer have any questions about how to plant a tangerine, then all that remains is to provide it with proper care and wait for the fragrant fruits. For good tree growth do not forget about sufficient humidity in the summer. Give more light, but shade in hot sun, as tangerine leaves easily get burned.

Many people, at least once in their lives, have tried to stick a tangerine or other fruit seed into the ground, in the hope that a fruit-bearing tree would soon grow in a flower pot. The task is difficult and overwhelming, mainly due to a lack of knowledge on cultivation, and then there is no need to talk about proper care.

But it turns out that if you approach the matter correctly, without relying on “maybe”, then, for example, anyone can grow a tangerine tree in an apartment, even those who are not a skilled gardener. The main thing is patience, the ability to care and the desire to achieve what you want!

As is the case with other citrus crops, there are two possible ways to grow a tangerine tree - purchasing a seedling from a specialized store, or growing a tree yourself from a seed. The second path is more interesting and exciting (if you have the habit of caring for plantings), and if everything works out, then in a couple of years you will be filled with pride that your homemade tangerine not only smells fragrant, but also bears fruit!

It’s worth starting the process of growing at home by extracting seed material.

The procedure is expected to be as follows:

Extraction and preparation of seed material
Preparing the container
Preparing the land for planting
Waiting for shoots
Preventive measures against diseases and pests

So, let's start moving through the list from the very beginning. It is worth starting the process of growing at home by obtaining seed material - several tangerine seeds, preferably 5-6, since not all of them can sprout. To do this, purchase ripe tangerines from your nearest store, which are stored in appropriate conditions (not in the refrigerator, not in direct sunlight), from which you remove the seeds necessary for this stage. Rinse the “extracted” seed thoroughly and place it on a flat, open surface to dry. After the seeds have dried, you need to start preparing them for planting.

To do this, the seed must be soaked for better germination: it is better to take a clean, damp cotton cloth, wrap the tangerine seeds in it and leave them for a couple of days. There is no need to fill the fabric with seeds with water, but you need to make sure that the fabric is constantly wet - completely drying it out is unacceptable, as this will ruin the whole thing. For those who do not want to deal with fabric and constantly monitor the state of its moisture, experienced gardeners advise purchasing a hydrogel (possibly called aqua soil, eco-soil), which will allow you to carry out the desired process without hassle. The hydrogel will replace wet cloth/gauze: by mixing the powder in the required proportion with water and placing the seeds inside the resulting jelly, you will not need to worry about the seed drying out at home for several days.

Video about how to grow a tangerine from a seed

While the seeds are swelling and hatching, they do not need any more care than described above, and therefore it is time to start preparing the container and soil. Let's start with containers: at the first stage, you can take a container of any size, up to a plastic cup. In the future, the grown seedling will need to be grown in a pot with a volume of about 4 liters. Before filling with soil, drainage must be placed at the bottom of the pot (or any other container you have prepared). Let it be small pebbles, crushed walnut shells.

Now let's decide on the land. Like the “wild” one, homemade tangerine does not like acidic soils, so if you purchase the substrate at a specialized point of sale, you need to make sure that the soil is peat-free. If you prepare the soil for planting yourself, then some light mixture that allows air to pass through well, for example, a mixture of turf, leaf soil and sand, is best.

After everything is prepared, and the seeds have hatched and sprouts have already appeared, you can proceed directly to planting. Selected grains must be placed in grooves 3-4 cm deep and sprinkled with earth. Water the soil well, but try not to overwater. After this, we remove the pots with plantings in a dark, warm place. As a rule, tangerines even in natural conditions take quite a long time to sprout, so do not be alarmed or despair because there are no sprouts for a long time; as a rule, they appear 3-4 weeks after planting. At this time, it is necessary to ensure that the soil in the container is moist, but not waterlogged.

Water the soil well, but try not to overwater

After the sprouts have appeared, it is necessary to move the pot to a bright, but again warm place. Mandarin is a heat-loving plant, and for its good growth and development, the ambient temperature must be at least 200C.

First of all, as noted above, tangerine grows only in suitable temperature conditions. If the pot with sprouts is placed in a cool place (below 20 -22 0C), the plant will stop growing and may soon die completely.

After each watering, it is strictly necessary to care for the tangerine: loosen the soil

Secondly, you must remember that the citrus tree is moisture-loving. In the summer, care includes mandatory watering, which should be done several times a day (depending on temperature and humidity conditions). In winter, watering is done less frequently - about 3 times a week, as the soil in the pot dries out. In addition, the leaves of the tree must be sprayed generously every day, and a container of water must be placed next to the pot. All these measures are necessary to ensure sufficient humidity, which is vital for the tangerine tree, since under natural conditions it, as a rule, does not lack moisture. The water must be filtered and settled, at room temperature. However, you can’t overwater the plant either. After each watering, it is strictly necessary to care for the tangerine: loosen the soil and, if necessary, apply fertilizer.

Thirdly, some gardeners who have had a citrus tree growing in artificial conditions for several years advise replanting the plant annually in the spring. Moreover, this must be done extremely carefully, trying not to touch the soil around the roots. After the tree reaches eight years of age, replanting can be done once or twice a year. Such home care will not only allow the tree to grow better, but from a certain point will also affect the qualitative and quantitative indicators of tangerine yield.

Fourthly, feeding the tree with mineral and organic fertilizers is mandatory when growing citrus fruits at home. Balanced fertilizers are best purchased at a specialty store. The most frequent feeding should be done when the plant has its first leaves. The frequency of fertilizing in the summer is once every 14 days, with the onset of autumn once a month.

Video about tangerine tree

Pest and disease control.

Citrus trees grown at home can be seriously damaged by flies, aphids, and red mites. Therefore, mandatory care should include a weekly visual inspection of all parts of the plant, from the trunk and root part to the leaves and shoots.

As soon as you notice pests, you must immediately take a number of measures aimed at saving the tree. If you notice pests in time, then you won’t need strong “chemistry”. It will be enough to prepare a solution from onion peels or garlic, and use it to thoroughly rinse the entire plant - leaves and trunk. Don’t be lazy, wash everything carefully and thoroughly, since spraying will not give the desired results. Instead of homemade infusions prepared yourself, you can buy a biological product “green soap” in a specialized store, which will help cope with pests.