How to care for tangerine. How to properly grow tangerines from seeds at home. Choosing the right pot

Many people probably associate the word “tangerine” with anticipation and a feeling of celebration. However, this is not only one of the most festive fruits. Of all the tropical fruits, tangerine is second only to lemon in popularity, and its limited natural growing area (Transcaucasia, the Black Sea coast, Abkhazia and the Sochi region are considered the northernmost areas of distribution of this crop) makes it one of the most desirable citrus fruits in any home. With all this, tangerine is used in cooking, in the food industry, and in medicine.

It is not surprising that with such demand, many people seek to grow it at home. And it must be said that they have all the possibilities for this: there are special varieties of tangerines that can be grown in winter gardens, greenhouses, greenhouses or in an ordinary room. Depending on growing conditions, they can reach a height of one and a half or two to three meters. This tangerine is called “decorative” or home, indoor.

Varieties of decorative tangerine

Due to the appearance of its fruits, dense dark green leaves and the aroma of flowering, the indoor tangerine is recognized as a very spectacular plant, and if it is also grown as a bonsai, then without exaggeration it can be called a work of art. The most popular are the following varieties and groups:

Unshiu. It is considered the most unpretentious, early-fruiting, fast-growing and productive variety of all available. It branches well, has a spreading crown, thornless branches and wide leathery leaves. In indoor conditions it grows to a maximum of one and a half meters, and bears fruit already in the third or fourth year. Flowering time is spring, the beginning of fruiting is the end of October/November. The fruits are small, yellowish-orange in color, thin-barked, pear-shaped, without seeds.
Wase is a group of low-growing, low-growing varieties, in which three varieties are distinguished: Kowano, Mikha, Miyagawa. Next to these names, the general name of the entire group is usually indicated with a hyphen, so they look like this: Kowano-Wase, Mikha-Wase, Miyagawa-Wase. They reach a height of 40-80 cm, so they are very convenient to grow on a regular windowsill. Flowering is abundant, fruiting begins in the second year of cultivation, the fruits have a rich orange-yellow color.
Shiva-Mikan. An early compact fast-growing small-fruited variety weighing no more than 30 grams. and with large, fleshy, dark green foliage.
Murcott. A rare compact variety whose fruits are distinguished by their extraordinary sweetness. Ripening time is summer.

The following varieties of decorative tangerine are also known: Tangier, Robinson, Tardivo di Chiakulli.

There are also hybrids of tangerine and some other citrus fruits. For example, Clementine is a very popular hybrid of tangerine and orange. At home, it begins to bear fruit depending on the height it has reached. Fruiting is abundant: one mature tree can produce up to fifty medium-sized orange-red, slightly flattened fruits with a good aroma and shiny skin. In addition to this hybrid, Ellendale, Tangor, Minneola, Tangelo, Santin and Agli are also known.

In many varieties, fruiting directly depends on the height of the plant. The dependency is:

With a height of 20 cm, tangerine begins to bear fruit after 60 months.
At 21 - 30 cm - in four years.
At 31 - 40 cm - in three years.
At 41 - 50 cm - in two years.
At 51 - 75 cm - in a year and a half.
From 76 cm to 1 meter - in the second year after the start of cultivation.

General principles for growing ornamental tangerines

Purchasing any variety of decorative tangerine is not difficult: this can be done both on the Internet and in specialized stores. However, you should not buy a plant with already existing fruits: no matter how appetizing they may look, they should not be eaten because of the too much fertilizer that such a plant receives. The best way to get a tasty and edible ornamental tangerine is to grow it yourself.

The key to successfully growing this plant is the right choice of place - well-lit, with a small amount of direct sunlight. Insufficient lighting leads to slower plant growth, the formation of a small number of flowers, or a complete cessation of flowering; a severe lack of light causes fading of the leaves, thinning and elongation of new shoots and their painful appearance. Therefore, the best place for decorative mandarin is considered to be southern, south-eastern and eastern windows, shaded from the sun by an ordinary gauze curtain attached to the frame. If the windows are not shaded, the leaves may get burned, the crown and roots may overheat, and as a result the plant may develop chlorosis.

In summer, the decorative tangerine can be placed on the balcony, veranda or garden, but it should be protected from the wind. In winter, it should be placed in the most illuminated place (if it is a window, then it should be well insulated beforehand) with direct rays of the sun and artificial lighting, for which they use a regular phytolight bulb or special fluorescent lamps. The tangerine should be switched to additional lighting gradually, otherwise, with a sharp change in daylight hours, it may shed its leaves.

The next factor influencing the growth of decorative tangerines is temperature. In summer it should reach +20-25, but during budding and flowering (for some varieties it can last almost all year round), it is better to keep it at +16-18 so that the color does not fall off. In winter, like other indoor plants, it needs a dormant temperature - that is, approximately +5-10. Under such conditions, it will rest over the winter and will bloom and bear fruit better.

The problem of watering should be solved very carefully and carefully. In its unpretentiousness and ability to tolerate drought, the decorative tangerine is no different from its relatives growing in nature, so it should be watered moderately, depending on the drying of the top layer of soil, so as not to cause the development of fungal diseases and at the same time to prevent the soil from drying out completely. coma. The frequency of watering depends on:

The size of the plant, especially its leaves (the larger their surface, the more moisture evaporates and the more the plant needs watering).
The size of the container in which it grows.
Room temperatures.
Length of daylight and lighting intensity.

Determining the frequency of watering is easy: you just need to take a pinch of soil in a container and squeeze it. If it sticks together, then there is no need to water, but if it crumbles, then watering is necessary. It is advisable to check the soil in this way every day, especially in the summer, so that the earth ball does not dry out. Water for irrigation should be chosen carefully - for example, it is not recommended to use rainwater, since it contains too many impurities harmful to citrus fruits. Before using water, it should be allowed to stand, left in an open container at room temperature for at least one day, and only then water the tree with it.

The plant is usually watered before noon, when it “woke up” and its life processes became more active. As the temperature drops, the frequency of watering should be reduced until it stops for several days if the temperature drops to +12-15. In this case, it should be watered only in such a volume as to maintain vital activity. Some experts advise at this time to heat the water intended for irrigation to a temperature of +30-35. In summer there is no need to heat the water; just leave it on a sunny windowsill for a while.

In addition to watering, you should also spray the leaves with a spray bottle. This procedure is especially important in the summer. It kills several birds with one stone: it prevents the tangerine from becoming infected with spider mites, creates the humidity it needs, and washes away household dust from branches and leaves. In general, the level of humidity should be controlled in the same way as watering, and to better provide it, you can place a bowl of water next to the plant. The frequency of spraying is at least once a day, but if it is carried out during flowering, you need to make sure that water does not get on the flowers. About once a month, it is advisable to treat the tangerine crown with cotton wool and soap suds to prevent the appearance of pests. It is best to do this in the bathroom, covering the substrate with plastic wrap and tying the plant trunk at the bottom so that soapy water does not get into the substrate and is absorbed into the fabric.

Another element of successfully growing a plant is feeding it. This is all the more important at home, since the soil in the container is quickly depleted and washed away, and almost no recreational processes occur in it. Fertilizer application is best done according to this principle:

Use only soluble or dry fertilizers.
Apply fertilizing only before noon at a temperature of at least +18-19.
The frequency of application is no more than once every two weeks, and then only during growth (i.e., from March to September). The rest of the time, medications can be administered even less frequently.

If soluble fertilizers are used, then they must be dissolved in soft or settled water at room temperature strictly according to the instructions, in no case increasing the dosage. Top dressing is oil, which, as you know, cannot spoil the porridge: even with a slight overdose, a burn or poisoning of the tree is possible. Dry fertilizers should be applied even more carefully, keeping in mind one of their features. The fact is that the spring application of dry fertilizer will allow you to forget about fertilizing for a long time, but it is quite difficult to guess that the fertilizer was used by the tangerine. An additional contribution will lead to its poisoning.

To what has been said, it only remains to add that the best option for the plant is a complex nitrogen-, phosphorus- and potassium-containing preparation. In low concentrations, you can even spray the leaves with it. It is also acceptable to use organic matter such as infused cow manure diluted in a ratio of 1 to 10 or organic matter in combination with a mineral agent. You only need to feed the plant the next day after watering, so as not to burn the root system. It is also practiced to feed decorative tangerines with fish soup prepared according to this recipe: 200 gr. fish waste or small unsalted fish should be boiled in two liters of water for half an hour, then dilute the solution with cold water and strain through cheesecloth. This soup is used once a month along with complex fertilizer to feed adult plants at least one meter high. According to experts, this enhances their fruiting. Regular drunken tea is also used as fertilizer.

Finally, another element of growing decorative tangerines is:

Pinching the tops of its branches.
Removing dried leaves and elongated, improperly growing branches.
Removing some of the flowers on a young plant so as not to deplete it and to allow several fruits to ripen. The fewer fruits grow on it, the larger they will be, so the most optimal ratio of ovary to leaves is 1 ovary per 15-20 leaves.
Tying the fruiting branches of a plant to some kind of support so that they do not break under their weight.

What is wrong with the decorative tangerine?

Like many other plants, especially those growing in a climate that is not very favorable for them, the decorative tangerine is susceptible to some diseases. It is most often affected by:

Shield.
Red spider mite.
Mealybug.
Leaf spotting followed by leaf drop.

If the pest infestation of a tangerine is protracted and persistent, then to cure it they resort to potent chemicals, but their use within an apartment can lead to unpleasant consequences, so it is better not to bring the situation to such a level. If the initial stage of the disease is recorded, you can get by with improvised means. For example, scale insects can be removed by spraying with a soap solution diluted in 3 liters. water 2 tbsp. l. liquid soap or “Fary”, before cleaning off the insects. The solution should remain on the plant for about half an hour, after which it is washed off with warm water. Water-oil emulsion is also very effective: 1 tsp. machine oil is stirred in a glass of warm water, 40 g is added to it. household soap and 2 tbsp. l. washing powder. All this should be applied with a cotton-gauze swab, left for three to four hours, and then rinsed off in the shower so that the drug does not get into the ground. Before processing, the soil should be covered with a film, and the trunk should be tied at the bottom with a bandage - this will help prevent the product used from getting into it. Treatment frequency is three times with an interval of six days.

How to fight spider mites:

It is collected by hand.
Wipe the leaves and branches with a cotton swab dipped in cold water or alcohol.
Spray three times with a two-day strained infusion of crushed garlic or onion (no more than 200 grams), poured with warm boiled water, with an interval of six days. You can also use a mixture of soap and tobacco dust according to this recipe: pour 1 tbsp. l. dust with boiling water, leave for six days, add 10 g. household soap and spray the “patient” three times with a six-day interval between treatments.

You can also remove the scale insects manually, and then spray the plant with garlic infusion three times (once a week), or wipe its parts with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol or calendula infusion.

Well, to avoid leaf spotting and falling off, you just need to follow the watering rules, because it is their violation that causes spots to appear.

Transplantation and propagation of decorative tangerine

If the plant is properly cared for, then over time it becomes cramped in the “cradle” container, and the need arises to replant it. Young plants are replanted annually, but if the roots have not yet entwined the earthen ball, it is better to refrain from replanting - just change the drainage and top layer of soil. If the plant is three years old, it is replanted once every three to four years, while a seven-year-old plant requires replanting once every two years. No replanting should be carried out during flowering, otherwise the tree will simply die. When replanting, use a ready-made soil mixture for citrus fruits or form it yourself using the following calculation: 50% (3 parts) turf soil, the remaining 50% - equal parts of leaf soil, humus, river sand and a small amount of fatty clay. Sometimes it is recommended to add a little ash to this mixture. For young tangerines, the same soil composition is recommended, only without clay, and instead of three parts of turf soil, two parts are usually taken. The resulting substrate should be light and slightly acidic.

To prevent stagnation of water and the appearance of root rot, before laying the soil at the bottom of the container, be sure to place drainage three to five centimeters thick in the form of expanded clay, small stones, pieces of foam plastic, or even fragments of ceramic dishes and charcoal. The pot into which the tangerine will be transplanted should be 5-8 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. It is not recommended to immediately plant the plant in a large container: it is impractical, unaesthetic and can lead to rotting of the roots. Therefore, if you want your tangerine to please you for as long as possible, you cannot do without regular replanting.

The best time to replant a tangerine is the beginning of spring, when it comes out of dormancy. It is recommended to refrain from applying fertilizers, stopping feeding two to three days before transplanting and resuming them only two weeks after the plant finds a new home.

The process itself is no different from replanting any other indoor plant, except that immediately after replanting it should be lightly watered, after 30-40 minutes, if necessary, add the substrate and water again. Some experts advise using a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate when watering a transplanted plant for the first time, after which the plant can be placed on the windowsill so that the surface of the leaves is directed towards the light.

Decorative tangerines can be propagated by rooting branches or growing from seeds. In the first case, the use of a rooting agent will increase the survival rate several times. It is used like this: a cutting with two or three leaves is dipped in a rooting agent and, planted in moist soil, covered with film or a cut plastic bottle with holes for ventilation. And although in some sources you can find the statement that decorative tangerines are practically impossible to take cuttings at home, many amateur gardeners, from their own experience, claim that with the use of a rooting agent, cuttings take root within a few months.

The second case is not suitable for every variety of decorative tangerine. For example, they will not be able to propagate unshiu because it is a seedless variety. In addition, a plant grown in this way will need to be grafted with indoor lemon, orange or grapefruit grown from a grain, otherwise it will not bloom.

Some amateurs claim that there is a third way to propagate this plant - by air layering.

Conclusion

The main advantage of the decorative tangerine is not only a piece of exoticism in a city apartment or in the countryside, but also the almost year-round availability of tasty and edible fruits in your diet, the purchase of which will no longer be necessary. And the appearance of this beautiful plant will certainly decorate not only your home, but also your life.

Among the representatives of the Rutov family, one of the popular fruits is the tangerine. In Latin, the name of this evergreen plant is Citrus reticulate. Mandarin belongs to the group of citrus fruits, which also includes such well-known fruits as orange, lemon, grapefruit, etc. During its development, the plant can take on different shapes - a bush or a tree with a height of 5 m.

Indoor tangerine

In recent years, growing tangerines in artificial conditions has become widespread, using devices such as greenhouses, conservatories and winter gardens. If you wish, you can grow this evergreen plant at home on your balcony or windowsill. Today, a large number of varieties of dwarf and low-growing tangerines have been created, which are ideal for these purposes, because when they reach the full phase of vegetative development, they have a height of no more than 0.6-1.1 m. If tangerines of ordinary varieties are grown at home, then in relation it requires pruning and shaping of the bush.

A tangerine grown in a pot can please any owner. Moreover, this is manifested not only in the formation of bright, appetizing orange fruits, which can remain on the plant for several months. Many owners note the beautiful flowering of tangerine, because when the branches of the plant are covered with white flowers, they begin to emit amazing aroma. There are certain varieties of tangerines that begin to bloom from spring until late autumn. A true masterpiece is the tangerine, grown using the bonsai technique.

One of the advantages of indoor tangerine is that artificial pollination is not required for the formation of its fruits. The moment of their ripening occurs, as a rule, at the end of the year. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can buy an already mature plant in a pot with fruits. Although they look very appetizing, it is not recommended to use them for food. Still, such tangerines are largely decorative, because to grow them, fertilizers are added to the soil in large quantities. Gives additional attractiveness to the plant leathery and corrugated leaves.

Varieties for growing at home

Before growing tangerine at home, you must first decide on a suitable variety.

Mandarin: home care

In order for home-grown tangerines to give you tasty and beautiful fruits, you need to properly find a place for it and take care of creating optimal lighting.

Lighting

The presence of good lighting is one of the determining conditions that must be met regardless of the growing conditions of the tangerine. Tangerines grow best when exposed to a small amount of direct sunlight. If the plant does not have enough lighting, this will affect its growth, the number of flowers formed will be small, and in some cases the plant will not be able to enter the flowering phase at all.

Also, a lack of lighting affects the leaves, which take on a faded appearance; the emerging shoots begin to thin out, acquiring painful condition. For this reason, it is advisable to choose windows facing the east, southeast or south as a place to grow tangerines. At the same time, he needs to provide artificial shade from the midday sun. With the onset of summer, the decorative tangerine can be placed on the balcony for a while, helping it adapt to natural conditions.

The tangerine tree is cared for somewhat differently in winter, when the length of daylight hours is reduced. For plants, it is necessary to choose the most illuminated area that receives direct sunlight. However, this does not always provide sufficient lighting. In this case, you have to use artificial lighting. You can make up for the lack of lighting with a regular phytolamp, which is connected to a chandelier or table lamp. You should start adding light to the plants little by little. If the duration of daylight hours is immediately increased sharply, this can lead to plants shedding leaves.

Content temperature

For normal growth, decorative tangerines must be provided with temperatures in the range plus 20-25 degrees Celsius. When the tangerine enters the flowering phase, it is advisable to maintain the temperature at a level of up to 20 degrees to avoid the flowers falling off. In winter, plants need to create conditions for less active growth, so the optimal temperature for it will be in the range of 5-10 degrees. This regime allows the plant to accumulate enough strength over the winter to actively enter the flowering and fruiting phase with the onset of spring.

How to water and spray tangerines at home?

A tangerine tree grown on a windowsill has the ability, borrowed from its wild ancestors, to withstand long periods of drought. If the plant does not receive moisture for too long, this will lead to shedding of leaves, which will reduce the volume of evaporated liquid. Owners who decide to grow indoor tangerines have great difficulties with watering. It is necessary to choose the right water consumption rate, since with high humidity there is a danger of developing fungal diseases.

To correctly calculate the volume of water for watering a tangerine tree, the following factors must be taken into account:

plant size;
volume of container used for growing tangerine;
ambient temperature;
length of daylight and lighting intensity.

As the leaf surface of a houseplant increases, amount of moisture evaporated Therefore, such plants need to be provided with moisture in a larger volume. In addition, the rate of evaporation depends on the ambient temperature: as it increases, plants begin to release more moisture. Also, the volume of liquid evaporated depends on the length of daylight hours. Throughout the day, the tangerine tree has open stomata, which are formations located below the ground part, which are necessary for gas exchange.

The most suitable time for watering indoor plants is the first half of the day, since this is the time of day when plant activity peaks. Particular attention should be paid to the ambient temperature: as it decreases, the frequency of watering is reduced. In some cases, it is enough to water the tangerine once every few days if the temperature remains stable. within + 12… +15 degrees Celsius. In such conditions, plants only need a small amount of moisture to maintain their vital functions.

One of the recommended procedures that has a positive effect on the development of the tangerine tree is spraying the leaves. In conditions of low air humidity, the tangerine begins to feel uncomfortable, which may result in the risk of the plant becoming infected with spider mites. Therefore, during flowering, it is necessary to avoid getting moisture on the flowers.

How to feed tangerines at home?

In order for the tangerine tree not only to grow well, but also to bear fruit, it requires care, which includes the application of mineral and organic fertilizers. Since a container of soil, which contains an extremely small amount of useful elements, is used for cultivation, all these elements are washed away when watering. Good food for tangerines can be: soluble or dry fertilizers.

You can start feeding indoor plants already in the first days of spring, when the length of daylight hours begins to increase. Moreover, the first portions should be small, which must be increased over time. This point needs to be given special attention, since it is in early spring that the active development of vegetative and generative buds occurs.

For their normal formation, the tangerine tree needs to be provided with additional nutrients. When growing plants indoors, fertilizers are applied according to the same scheme as for other indoor plants. Mandarin oranges should be fed in the first half of the day. The recommended ambient temperature for this procedure is no higher than + 18… +19 degrees.

Conclusion

Mandarin is an exotic plant for our country, but many owners have long learned to grow it at home. Many people are attracted to these evergreen plants not only by their orange-red fruits, but also fragrant aroma, which comes from flowers. Growing decorative tangerine indoors is not as difficult a task as it might seem at first glance. The main thing that needs to be taken care of is to create optimal conditions for normal growth and development. With proper care, very soon the tangerine will delight you with bright and beautiful fruits.

The tangerine tree belongs to the citrus family. It is evergreen and does not shed its leaves even in winter. Today, many species of this plant are known that can successfully grow and bear fruit at home.

The most popular of them are:

Konkhinkhin- the most popular variety grown on an industrial scale. In nature, it can reach up to 3-4 m in height. But at home, this species is too whimsical and with proper care can only grow up to 1 meter.
Inshiu- a popular and unpretentious look. Easily tolerates temperatures down to -5 degrees. The fruits are very sweet and aromatic, almost without seeds. Ideal for growing at home.
Tangerine It is distinguished by elongated fruits and thick skin. Tangerines are very sweet and tasty, but they have a specific pungent smell that not everyone likes.

In addition, breeders have bred many hybrid species that are more hardy and unpretentious, and therefore caring for them will not be difficult.

Popular tangerine tree hybrids include:

Clementine. Its leaves are narrow and elongated, and its fruits are bright and juicy. This variety is especially valued for its taste and aroma.
Minneola- This is a hybrid obtained by crossing grapefruit and tangerine, so the fruits have a bitter taste. The size of the fruit may vary, the color is bright, red-orange. The skin is dense and difficult to remove.
Tangora It is distinguished by large fruits that can reach a diameter of up to 15 cm. They taste very sweet and juicy. In addition, there are several varieties with variegated colors not only of leaves, but also of fruits.
Ellendale an unpretentious plant that produces a large harvest of very sweet fruits. But it’s quite difficult to find a seedling of this hybrid.

Tangerine tree care

In order for the tangerine tree not only to please with its foliage and flowers, but also to bear fruit, it must be properly cared for and create comfortable conditions.

To do this, it is necessary to take into account such important factors as lighting, air humidity, feeding, etc.

1. Location

It is not difficult to guess that bright lighting is especially important for the tangerine tree. This is especially true during the cold season, so place the pot in the southern part of the apartment.

South-west or south-east sides are also perfect. But do not forget to shade the plant during the heat so that it does not get burned.

When the weather outside is warm enough, it is better to place the tree on the balcony or veranda. If you live in a private house, you can bury the plant directly with the pot.

Before you move your tangerine tree into the sun, you need to give it time to get used to direct rays. For this purpose, the pot is placed in partial shade and only after some time is transferred to the site.

2. Temperature

It is very important to provide the tangerine tree with optimal temperature conditions.

In summer it is worth maintaining the temperature within 15-18 degrees, and in winter - 12 degrees. If you do not observe the temperature regime, then you may not wait for the fruits to appear.

3. Humidity

The humidity level should be high enough. To achieve this, the plant is regularly sprayed several times a day. This must be done both in summer and winter. It is also recommended to place a small bowl of water near the pot.

If the air humidity is too low, various pests, such as scale insects, spider mites, etc., will begin to spread very quickly.

4. Lighting

Throughout the year, the lighting should be bright, but the tree should not be exposed to direct sunlight. On too hot days, it must be shaded to prevent burn spots from appearing on the leaves.

5. Spraying

The tangerine tree must be sprayed all year round 2-3 times a day. This is especially true if the plant is located in a room with central heating. For spraying, use settled water at room temperature.

6. Watering

To water a tangerine tree, you can only use warm, settled water. In summer, watering should be plentiful, and in winter it is better to reduce it to 2 times a week.

7. Feeding and fertilizer

From April to September, the tangerine tree must be actively fed. For this purpose, complex fertilizers, both mineral and organic, are used.

It is better to give preference to special fertilizers for citrus plants. Fertilize every week, after watering the tree.

In winter, fertilizing can be stopped completely or reduced to a minimum.

Fertilizer for citrus plants is so important because it is this factor that affects the taste of the fruit. If you fertilize in a timely manner in the summer, the tangerines will not taste bitter.

8. Trimming and pinching

In order for the tree to have a neat appearance and the fruits to appear as quickly as possible, it must sometimes be pruned. Mercilessly get rid of weak and diseased branches. In addition, you can trim off excess branches to give the crown the desired shape.

Pinch out the apical shoots in a timely manner. Thanks to this, the tangerine tree will begin to branch more actively.

9. Transplant

Like other indoor plants, the tangerine tree must be replanted periodically:

Young specimens - once a year.
Fruit-bearing trees - once every 2-3 years.

Transplantation is carried out in March, while the plant has not yet begun to actively grow. If this procedure is carried out later, it may have a detrimental effect on the condition of the tree.

In the case when young specimens have not yet completely filled the pot with their root system, then only the drainage and top layers of the substrate can be changed.

When replanting, do not destroy the earthen ball too much and handle the roots carefully so as not to damage them. Also make sure that the root collar is above the ground at the same level as in the old pot.

The soil for a tangerine tree may vary depending on its age. For young plants use the following mixture:

Leaf snake.
Sand.
Humus.
Sod land.

All components must be used in a ratio of 1:1:1:2.

The substrate for an adult tree differs in that it is necessary to take not 2 parts of turf soil, but 3. In addition, it is advisable to add a small amount of fatty clay.

10. Diseases and pests

The tangerine tree is very vulnerable to pests such as spider mites and scale insects.

After the procedure, the soil should be sprinkled generously with ash. If necessary, all steps are repeated after a week.

There is also a more radical method of pest control. The tree can be treated with special preparations that are sold in regular flower shops.

In order to enhance the effect, you can cover the plant with polyethylene and leave it under this cover for a couple of hours. Remember that fruits after this treatment cannot be eaten for at least a week.

Reproduction

A tangerine tree can even be grown from a seed, but this method is not particularly common. The fact is that you can wait for fruits from such a plant for more than one year, since it begins to bear fruit after 10, or even 15 years.

Even if you are lucky, it may turn out that the resulting tangerines will taste bitter. You can, of course, budding or grafting from another citrus plant, but even in this case the result may not be as expected.

The easiest way to propagate a tangerine tree is by cuttings. Root the cuttings in a pot covered with a jar. The young plant will begin to bloom and bear fruit within a year.

Answers to frequently asked questions

Why do the leaves fall from the tangerine tree?

When leaves fall occasionally and in small quantities, this is a natural process. If the foliage begins to intensively turn yellow and fall off, this may indicate that the plant does not have enough lighting, it is not watered correctly (overdried, flooded), or a significant temperature difference occurred when the tree was switched to winter mode.

The leaves have turned brown. What is the reason?

Typically, tangerine tree leaves turn brown due to excess fertilizer.

To prevent the appearance of pests, you must follow all the rules for caring for the plant. It is also necessary to periodically treat the leaves with soap foam. But be careful and make sure that soapy water does not get into the substrate. To prevent this, just cover the pot with plastic.

Relatively frost-resistant varieties of tangerine (after all, this is a subtropical crop) can withstand frosts down to -7– -12 ˚С. Then the skeletal branches are damaged.

Therefore, the northernmost edge of the range barely covers the southern edge of the territory of the former Union: the Black Sea coast, Azerbaijan, Georgia. But you can grow a tangerine tree from a seed at home. At the same time, it is no longer so important what latitudes you live at: a blizzard, if it is raging outside the window, is not a hindrance.

The photo shows tangerine trees growing in the garden and those grown at home.

Planting material, planting

A tangerine purchased at a nursery or store will soon delight you with tasty small fruits. But a tangerine tree grown by yourself will please you much more. There are several ways to plant a plant that will bear fruit if well cared for.

Growing a tangerine tree from a seed

The most accessible way: it is not a problem to remove the seed from the fruit. It germinates for about a month, but the substrate should not dry out. At first it grows very slowly. It is good to germinate in a special gel.

It makes sense to first plant it in a relatively small pot; if it develops well, replanting in the future is not a problem. Do not expect exactly the same fruits as the original: this is only possible with vegetative propagation.

Growing from cuttings

Tangerine has poor rooting ability. To increase it, you can cover it on top, for example, with a cut plastic bottle or glass jar. This will increase the humidity in the air near the cutting. The substrate should not dry out! It is convenient to treat the cutting itself with giberilin before planting; the stimulator is available in any garden store.

Another little trick: the cut of the cutting must be renewed under water before planting. This pruning prevents clogging of the conductive bundles with air.

Grafting on other citrus fruits

Most often, an orange seedling is used as a rootstock. The grafting is done by budding; the requirements are the same as for any garden trees. That is: during a slight separation of the bark from the wood (usually in June); without touching the cambium with your fingers (tiny particles of fat from the fingers reduce survival rate); carefully wrapping the grafting site with a strip of polyethylene to prevent drying out. In spring and autumn they are grafted into clefts.

The cambium (thin strip of dividing cells between the bark and wood) of the scion and scion must match!

If you don’t have the skill, you should first get your hands on any other crop or just branches. The operation requires care. Just information: with a perfectly done graft, the pear will take root on the willow, as in the saying. True, then it dries up, so you won’t get any fruit.

When grafted or grown from cuttings, the varietal characteristics are completely preserved: the properties of the mother plant are exactly the same as those grown at home.
The care between a tangerine tree grafted onto a rootstock and one grown from a seed at home differs little. The only difference is the removal of shoots from the rootstock and protection from breaking off at first: with physical impact it can break at the grafting site.

Caring for tangerines at home

Fertilizer

It is clear that when growing in a container, all the substances the plant needs come from a small volume of soil. There cannot be enough of them there, so regular feeding is required. The easiest way is to use a solution of complex fertilizer. It is convenient to water with mullein diluted 1:10. The larger the container, the easier it is to ensure proper development: the greater the supply of nutrients in the soil.

If a specific element is missing (signs of deficiency of different elements manifest themselves in different ways), that is what needs to be added. In winter, during dormancy, we fertilize with half the norm or do not fertilize at all. We additionally fertilize in the summer when the fruits are filling. Fertilizing at this time increases the sugar content and reduces the bitterness of the fruit.

Rest period

The tangerine does not shed its leaves; they stay on the tree for four years. Therefore, the “rest” is not absolute: the tree seems to be dozing. But this period is important; without it, there will be no fruit. Therefore, in winter it is necessary to maintain it at a temperature of 8-12 ˚С and reduced. There are often recommendations to supplement the lighting with special lamps at this time... although in winter the days are short and even less light gets into the apartment, when the mandarin is at rest, it is enough. Extra fuss around the bush is usually not worth it.

Watering

The soil should not dry out, even when dormant. But stagnation of water is also harmful to the roots. To get out of such a contradictory situation, it is good to put a layer of shards, gravel or other large materials on the bottom of the container when planting. Then it is easier to keep the soil moist, but not too moist. Excess water flows down, where it does not harm the roots as much. And yet it is there, the soil will not dry out completely. It is better to water with settled water: there is no harmful temperature difference; Chlorine evaporates, harming the plant.

Transfer

This is still a tree; it begins to bear fruit only in the 4th-5th year and grows for many more years. You can’t just plant it in a huge container - it looks stupid, and it takes up a lot of space disproportionate to the size of the sprout. And if there is not enough space for roots to grow, they are not able to provide for the plant. Therefore, you will have to replant many times as soon as the roots entwine a lump of earth. The work is carried out carefully; in order to avoid unnecessary injury and breaking of roots, it is necessary to water abundantly before replanting.

Lighting

Mandarin loves a lot of light, the easiest way is to place it near a south window - you don’t have to add more light. If we take the bush out into the garden in the summer, then in the first days only for a few hours. Or first we put it in the shade, for example, under a large fruit tree. By the way, in the summer, when it’s hot, it’s also worth shading, at least during the hottest hours. And to reduce the evaporation of water from the container, place mulch on the surface.

Pollination

This is quite simple: not required. Self-fertile culture.

Caring for tangerine trees at home brings joy to touching a small miracle... Greens and fruits, the aroma of citrus filling the apartment against the backdrop of bad weather outside the window pleases the soul and cheers the heart.

Citrus grafting technique - video

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.