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 weak solution 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.

The tangerine tree shoots appear in 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 permanent place. The substrate should be light, consisting of leaf soil, turf, humus, sand. Peat and clay soil are not suitable for tangerines. 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 a 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 in a 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 look, and if the watering regime is not followed further, the plant will die.

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 at normal room temperature. During flowering best mode– 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 scion is placed into the resulting incision. After which this place must be treated with 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 root system will completely entwine 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.

Can't plant right away young plant into a large container, this will slow down growth and can lead to rotting of the root system, since big pot It takes a long time for moisture 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
• a lack of nutrients.
• Excess fertilizer.
• Pest appearance: spider mite hic, aphid.

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 – effective and strong remedy, but it is not recommended for indoor use.

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.

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What is it - indoor tangerine?

Indoor tangerine – exotic plant. And probably every house has flowers on the windowsill, but for lovers of the exotic, simple aloe or violet may not seem enough. In this case, think about a plant such as indoor tangerine. First of all, it should be said that this plant belongs to the citrus genus and is on a par with grapefruits, lemons, oranges, and limes. Indoor tangerine – evergreen rue class. Why is this exotic plant? The thing is that its appearance is very specific: indoor tangerine grows as a shrub or tree that can reach a height of five meters. Of course, this feature of the development and growth of the tangerine tree will repel many from the desire to purchase the plant, but today breeders have provided for this feature. Many people are interested in the question of how to make a tree fruitful and whether it is possible to eat fruits grown with one’s own hands. Most often, stores sell indoor tangerines already hung with fruits. It is not difficult to achieve fruit set at home.

Indoor tangerine grows as a shrub or tree that can reach 5 meters.

What is an indoor tangerine?

If you are planning to place a tangerine tree on your windowsill or balcony at home, then pay attention to low-growing or dwarf varieties that do not exceed a height of 1 meter. Of course, for the owner of greenhouses or private houses it will not be a problem to purchase a real tangerine tree. Otherwise, due to lack of space, you will have to constantly trim off excess branches and adjust the size of the plant. You don't need artificial pollination. But it is still not recommended to eat hanging fruits, because this result is obtained through the use of all kinds of fertilizers and fertilizers for the plant. Although even a non-blooming tangerine without bright fruits can attract you with its beautiful leathery corrugated leaves that stay green all year round. In this case, the survival rate of the plant will immediately increase several times. You need to take a cutting you like that has at least two leaves, dip it in the rooting agent and plant it in prepared moist soil.

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About the history of indoor tangerine

Indoor tangerine is not very demanding on moisture; frequent watering can lead to the development of various diseases.

If we talk about the popularity of this tree, it is second only to indoor lemon. If you believe the assumptions, then the tangerine tree comes from China or Japan. Long years this plant grew in the gardens of China, and was brought to Europe only closer to the 19th century. After this, indoor tangerines became extremely popular, because they were distinguished by their early fruitfulness and productivity. Moreover, unlike lemon tree Tangerine fruits have a sweet taste and are completely seedless.

So, you bought a houseplant you liked and brought it home. Now you need to choose the right place for the further growth of the tangerine and create the necessary climatic conditions. After this, the planted sprout must be covered with half plastic bottle or film, but it is important to leave a few holes in the homemade greenhouse for ventilation.

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What is indoor tangerine?

This tree lives in an ordinary flower pot and has a very impressive appearance. First of all, this indoor plant owes its popularity to its bright fruits, which look very appetizing and decorate the tree for several months. Decorative tangerines attract gardeners during the flowering period: on the branches bonsai Pale white flowers bloom that have a wonderful aroma. There are varieties that begin to bloom in spring and continue to delight the owner all year round. In addition, experienced gardeners love to experiment and grow decorative tangerine using the bonsai technique, resulting in a whole work of art from an ordinary plant.

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Caring for decorative tangerines at home

The optimal temperature for growth and development of indoor tangerine is 20-25 degrees.

There are standards that are accepted both for real and for decorative varieties plants. For example, both need good lighting and a moderate amount of direct sun rays. If there is insufficient light, the plant will begin to wither and noticeably slow down its growth and development. A sign of an incorrectly selected place for indoor tangerine is the absence of flowers or poor flowering. You can notice the malaise of the plant by the leaves that change color green color faded, and new tangerine shoots look sickly. The optimal place for indoor mandarin is considered to be southern, south-eastern and eastern windows, while in summer time The plant must be protected from strong direct rays. In the summer, many housewives take the decorative tangerine to the balcony, where the plant will do just as well provided there is moderate lighting and temperature.

As for winter time, during this period try to choose for indoor flower the most illuminated place in the apartment, while direct sunlight with a short daylight hours will not harm the tangerine, but will only contribute to its development. Of course, there is not sun every day in winter, so flower growers recommend using artificial lighting as a regular phytolamp. But it is necessary to prepare the decorative tangerine for such a procedure gradually, otherwise, if after a cloudy day you place the plant under a lamp for a long period, it may shed its leaves due to a sharp change in the length of daylight hours.

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Watering indoor tangerine

Indoor mandarin is demanding on lighting. IN winter period Artificial lighting is required.

One more an important condition The content of decorative tangerine is soil moisture. This indoor plant has adopted from its wild relatives such a feature as tolerance to dry periods. If the period without watering lasts a long time, then as a last resort The tangerine will shed some of its leaves to retain moisture in the roots and reduce the area of ​​evaporation. Therefore, the biggest mistake when growing indoor tangerines is over-watering. This can cause not only the loss of beautiful appearance plants, but also the development of all kinds of diseases.

To determine the exact amount of liquid you will need to water a tangerine, consider the following characteristics of the plant:

• size of tree or shrub;
• the size of the pot in which the tangerine is planted;
• room temperature;
• lighting intensity;
• season.

Most of all, an adult plant needs moisture, which has a large number of leaves, grows in a large container, and the temperature constantly remains above twenty degrees. It is recommended to water indoor tangerine in the first half of the day: it is at this time that it becomes more active. If the room temperature has dropped significantly, it is recommended to stop watering for several days until the soil is completely dry and the moisture has evaporated.

But not only the roots of the plant must receive moisture, the leaves must be sprayed regularly: in dry air, the decorative tangerine can wither and wither, and the risk of the plant becoming infected with spider mites also greatly increases. But during the flowering period, when watering, make sure that the water does not fall directly on the flowers.

general information

Of all the types of citrus plants grown indoors, only the indoor tangerine is second to the lemon tree in terms of prevalence and popularity. According to botanists, its homeland is China or Japan. The name “mandarin” was given to this plant by the Chinese, since for many centuries it was grown only in the gardens of wealthy dignitaries of feudal China - mandarins. Tangerine trees exported from China appeared in Europe only in the 19th century. The Italian Michel Tecor brought tangerine trees to Italy in 1840, and this citrus plant quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean. Probably, such popularity was caused by the fact that tangerine trees are early-fruiting and very productive, and the fruits are sweet and without seeds. Mandarin came to Ukraine from Japan at the beginning of the 20th century, during the mass country house construction in the subtropical zone of the Black Sea coast. This is where it became most common. citrus plant. Regardless of the variety, summer gardeners gave tangerine trees a common name - forged. Mandarin trees are relatively low-growing; on plantations they reach a height of 2-3 meters. Tangerine tree branches for the most part drooping. The leaves are dense, dark green, with small wings on the petioles. White fragrant flowers are collected in brushes. Mandarin fruits are spherical, flattened, 4-6 cm in diameter and weighing from 30 to 100 g. The fruit peel is thin, orange, and easily separated from the pulp. In the so-called “plump” tangerines, it almost does not touch the pulp, because it is separated from it air gap. The pulp is sweet, juicy, yellow-orange, easily divided into slices. The fruit of the tangerine tree contains a lot of sugar, organic acids, vitamins C and B1. Seeds are rarely formed in tangerine fruits. In an apartment, tangerine grows and develops with a limited amount of light and fresh air, therefore it is of paramount importance right choice tangerine variety, most suitable for indoor conditions. Early ripening tangerine trees of Japanese origin, characterized by low growth and unpretentiousness, meet these requirements. The most common is the indoor tangerine variety Unshiu (which means “Seedless”). This is a low (no higher than 1.5 m) tangerine tree with a spreading crown; without thorns on the branches; with wide, leathery, dark green leaves. The tangerine tree usually blooms once a year in the spring, very profusely. Tangerine flowers are small, white, exuding a pleasant aroma. The tangerine tree begins to bear fruit at the age of 3. At home, a well-groomed adult tangerine tree produces an average of 40-50 fruits per year.

Dwarf tangerines of the Vasya group.

These varieties of tangerine trees are low-growing and decorative. These include indoor varieties of tangerines: Kovano-Vase, Mikha-Vase, Miyagawa-Vase. The height of mature tangerine trees does not exceed 50-80 cm, so they are very convenient to keep on the windowsill. Indoor mandarin does not need to form a crown; only sometimes it is necessary to remove dried and improperly growing branches. Fruit dwarf tangerines begin already in the second year of life. The fruits of the tangerine tree are not inferior in size and taste to the fruits of the Unshiu variety.

Landing (transfer)

For this purpose, take a pot from any material, the main thing is that the upper diameter should not exceed 10-15 cm, the height is approximately the same. There should be one or several small holes at the bottom of the pot for drainage excess water when watering. At the bottom of the pot, and this can be a plastic bucket, wooden, ceramic, glass container, place expanded clay or sand as drainage, and best of all charcoal, which can be taken from an extinct fire in the forest, in a city park. The thickness of the drainage should not exceed 3-5 cm. Then sprinkle the drainage with a little soil. To transplant a tangerine tree seedling, you need specially prepared soil of the “Mandarin” type; it is presented on our website in the section “Soils and fertilizers for indoor plants" - "Soils for indoor plants." Or prepare the soil yourself: the soil for replanting must be taken from the forest or park, under old deciduous trees, except oak, chestnut and poplar. It is necessary to take only the top, most fertile layer of soil, 5-10 cm thick. Add sand to this soil, preferably river sand, a little ash, and more humus, if available. The proportion is as follows: two glasses of deciduous soil, a glass of sand, three tablespoons of humus and one tablespoon of ash. Stir all this in any bowl, add a little water to get a thick, creamy mass that will well fill the entire volume of the pot, leaving no air voids near the roots of the tangerine tree. After six months, the tangerine tree must be transplanted into a larger pot 5 cm in diameter. Spray and water the planted indoor tangerine with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate), and then place it on a previously prepared window sill, bay window or balcony so that the surface of the leaves is directed towards the light.

Reproduction

Indoor tangerines are propagated by grafting onto lemon and orange seedlings grown from seeds indoor varieties and by air layering method. Cuttings in amateur conditions indoor tangerine is practically unyielding.

Lighting

The tangerine tree should be kept in a southern sunny window. In summer, indoor tangerine is recommended to be taken out open air- in the garden, on the veranda, on the balcony, placing it in a place protected from the wind. If an indoor tangerine stands on a south-facing window, then in the summer it is advisable to darken it a little from direct sunlight so that burns do not occur on the leaves of the tangerine and chlorosis does not appear from overheating of the entire crown and roots. For this, at the very window frame, according to the height of the tangerine tree, they make a gauze curtain and in the morning, before leaving the house, cover the glass with it if the day promises to be sunny.

Air temperature

If a pot of indoor tangerine will stand on a windowsill, then the window must be well insulated for the winter, and the pot itself must be insulated in winter and summer. Favorable temperature for tangerine budding and flowering is +16 +18°C, air humidity is at least 60%, but don’t be afraid high temperature, the tangerine tree can withstand and bear fruit up to +40°C.

Watering

Indoor tangerine should be watered as the top layer of soil dries, without allowing the lump of earth in the pot to completely dry out. To determine soil moisture, take the time to take a little of the surface layer of soil with three fingers every day and squeeze it. If the soil sticks together, then there is no need to water; if it crumbles under your fingers, then it’s time to water. You need to monitor the condition of the soil daily (especially in summer) so that the entire earthen lump in the pot does not dry out due to high temperatures and bright sun. The question of where to get water for irrigation and what it should be is also very difficult, and therefore we will dwell on it in detail. In a city apartment drinking water practically unsuitable for watering citrus fruits, since it contains a large amount of compounds of alkaline earth metals and chlorine, which together and individually cause great harm tangerine, causing spotting (chlorosis) of leaves, alkalizing the soil, disrupting metabolic processes. Many authors recommend boiling tap water, but this does not always immediately lead to the desired result, extra hassle often scare away potential lovers of window fruit growing, so I recommend using hot water from the tap. This water contains less chlorine and is softer. In addition, water for irrigation must be left for at least 24 hours in an open container to completely remove chlorine, which is extremely harmful to citrus fruits. In a private house, water can be taken from a well, but it is better from a lake or stream and left in the room for heating. Rainwater now contains a lot harmful impurities, so do not collect it for watering. In any case, wherever the water is taken, it must be left for at least a day in an open vessel at room temperature and only then watered over the tangerine. IN winter time, for achievement better growth and fruiting of tangerines, it is advisable to heat the water to a temperature of +30 +35°C before watering. In the summer, you can put the water on a sunny window and not bother heating it.

Spraying

It must be well remembered that in addition to watering, indoor tangerines should be sprayed with water from a spray bottle or any other method at least once a day, especially in summer, to create humidity, to wash away dust from the branches, so that the leaves “breathe”. At least once a month, it is advisable to place the tangerine tree in the bathtub and cover it plastic film soil in a pot and treat the entire crown with cotton wool and soap suds. Then you won't have to deal with difficult pest control. Do not forget to bandage the stem of the tangerine tree at the bottom with gauze or bandage so that soapy water was absorbed into the fabric and did not get into the soil.

Fertilizer

In winter, indoor mandarin is not fed, in spring and summer - once every two weeks. Any fertilizing should be done only the next day after watering, i.e. when the soil in the pot is wet, otherwise you can burn the roots. Pour fertilizer under the plant until the solution begins to flow out of the drainage holes. To feed a tangerine tree seedling, you need fertilizer of the “Tangerine” type; it is presented on our website in the section “Soils and fertilizers for indoor plants” - “Fertilizers for indoor plants.” Feeding mature plants, at least one meter high, with fish soup once a month increases their fruiting. They do it like this: 200 grams of fish waste or small unsalted fish are boiled in two liters of water for half an hour. Then dilute the solution cold water and filter through cheesecloth. This fertilizer must be used together with the Mandarin fertilizer mentioned above.

Pests

The enemies of the indoor tangerine are sucking and gnawing pests, as well as fungi and viruses. The most common pests are: spider mites, scale insects (false scale insects). The fight against them is carried out with chemical and biological preparations, which are more acceptable in the conditions open soil subtropics and greenhouses. It is advisable not to use pesticides for an apartment. Signs of spider mite infestation are as follows: on old tangerine leaves with bottom side white dots appear, and the reddish mite itself is visible to the naked eye. If you touch it, it starts to move quickly. Young leaves curl into a “boat” and become entangled in a white web. To combat mites, use tobacco dust, garlic, and laundry soap. Take 1 tablespoon of tobacco dust and pour a glass of boiling water, leave for 6 days. Add 10 grams of laundry soap to the resulting infusion and spray the plant 3 times with an interval of 6 days. Garlic is used as follows: one head of garlic is crushed, poured into a glass hot water and insist for 2 days. The solution is filtered and spraying is carried out similarly to the above. When affected by scale insects, brown-gray shiny round formations with a diameter of 3-5 mm are visible on the surface of young and old leaves. They are placed along the veins at the top and bottom of the leaf, as well as on the branches themselves. In the initial stage, these growths are almost transparent, whitish in color and difficult to notice. With severe damage, sticky gum appears on the surface of old leaves, and in the late stage they become covered with a black sticky coating, which is very difficult to wash off with water. Water-oil emulsions effectively help against scale insects. Mix one teaspoon of machine oil in one glass of warm water, add 40 grams of laundry soap, 2 tablespoons washing powder. Before processing, cover the soil in the pot with plastic film, and the stem is tied at the bottom with a bandage. This is done in order to prevent the emulsion from getting into the soil. Treatment is carried out using a cotton or gauze swab. A water-oil emulsion is applied to all surfaces of tangerine branches and leaves. After 3-4 hours, rinse everything off in the shower, making sure that the emulsion does not get into the soil. Process 3 times with an interval of 6 days.

And vegetatively. For planting, you can take seeds from any fruit. Remove them and immediately plant them in a fertile substrate consisting of leaf humus and sand with the addition of a small amount of fatty clay. Seedlings appear quite quickly and after a few years become quite lush bushes.

Flowering and fruiting on mandarins grown in this way occurs very late. The process can be accelerated by grafting the plant.

The vegetative method of propagation is quite labor-intensive, but by propagating in this way, you will get fruits much faster in 2-4 years. Do air layering. To do this, select a suitable branch and remove the bark about 2 cm wide from it. Tie this area with damp moss and periodically moisten it as it dries; the substrate should always be wet. After some time, roots should appear on the cuttings. Cut off a branch and plant in a pot with light soil.

How to care for a tangerine

Tangerines, unlike other citrus fruits, are quite unpretentious and require minimal care, but in order to get them to bloom and bear fruit, you need to create certain conditions for the plant.

The tangerine needs bright, but diffused light. Place the pot on an east or west window. IN sunny days shade from direct rays.

The plant is moisture-loving. In spring and summer, it must be watered 1-2 times a day with soft water. room temperature. In winter, watering should be slightly reduced, but the soil should always be moist; you should not allow the earthen clod to dry out, as the tangerine can shed its leaves. Spray the plant regularly, especially if the air in the room is very dry.

To achieve the required humidity, pour expanded clay into the tray and moisten it. As it dries, add a little water to the pan.

During active growth, during budding and fruiting, feed the plants with organic and mineral fertilizers. Use complex fertilizers for citrus fruits, and as organic matter - slurry from cow manure (in a ratio of 1:10).

Transplanting a plant

Young bushes must be replanted annually, and adult plants once every 3 years. Best time for this - spring, at this time the tangerine begins a period of active growth, so the plant will tolerate the procedure very well.

Place a layer of drainage at the bottom of the pot. This could be broken brick, crushed stone or expanded clay. Then add a nutritious but light citrus substrate. Remove the plant from the old pot, shake off the soil and rinse the roots in warm water. Remove diseased and rotten ones and plant the tangerine in fresh soil.

It is quite problematic to replant adult large plants, but you can get by by replacing the top layer of soil in the container. Remove about 5 cm of old soil and add fresh substrate. Lightly compact it and water the plant with warm water.

Spectacular pot culture- indoor tangerine - is loved by many gardeners not only for its bright, fragrant fruits that ripen on New Year's Eve, but also for its white flowers, which exude a surprisingly delicate, incredibly pleasant aroma during flowering. Some cultivated varieties of mandarin are capable of blooming all year round. Look at the photo how beautiful the tree looks in the interior of the room. Mandarin is easy to grow and care for; it can be planted and propagated without difficulty even at home. See for yourself.

Biological characteristics and common varieties

Mandarin (Citrus reticulate) belongs to the large group of Citrus fruits. The crop is a tree or shrub, reaching 5 m in nature. Of all citrus tangerine- This is the most winter-hardy and productive plant. It can withstand short-term temperature drops to -12-15 degrees. Tangerine trees begin to bear fruit in the second year of planting. Its flowers are slightly smaller than lemon flowers, but have a more piercing, strong aroma. Plants are usually grown indoors dwarf varieties, not exceeding 40-50 cm.

Common varieties include the following:

• Mandarin Georgian seedless(Unshiu) is the most common in indoor cultivation due to its large fruits with thin skin and juicy sweet pulp. It practically does not form seeds.
• Mandarin Georgian angustifolia– the plant produces smaller fruits. The peel is slightly thicker than that of the Unshiu variety. The pulp is sweet, fine-grained and very juicy.
• Mandarin Kovano-Vase– high-yielding, early-ripening variety. It produces a lot of fruit even when grown at home. Able to bear fruit in the first year of planting.

Planting indoor tangerine

The cultivation of tangerine trees began in Ancient China, where orange-yellow fruits were available only to the rich - tangerines. This is probably where the name of the culture came from. Nowadays dwarf tangerine plants, already with bright fruits on the branches, can be easily purchased in many flower shops.

After purchase, it is recommended to replant the plant in a fresh suitable substrate for citrus fruits with an acidity pH of 5.5-7.0. You can also make up the soil yourself by mixing leaf soil, turf soil, manure humus and river sand in a ratio of 1:1:1:0.5. Take a pot for replanting that is only 2-3 cm larger than the previous one - this will stimulate the tangerine to grow.

Features of growing and caring for tangerines

Indoor tangerine trees are very light-loving. It is recommended to place them no further than 1 m from the window on the east or south side.

Attention! Citrus fruits (and tangerines are no exception) easily get used to lighting from one side, so tangerine tree Sharp turns and shifts from one window sill to another are contraindicated. This causes a disturbance in the metabolism of nutrients in the leaves, which leads to heavy leaf fall, and in some cases even to the death of the entire plant.

For development and optimal growth, tangerine will require a temperature of +16-20 degrees in the spring-summer period and +12-15 in winter. In summer and during flowering, carefully monitor temperature indicators near the plant, as overheating threatens withering of flowers and fruits.

Pay special attention to the leaf mass: regularly spray and clean the leaf plates. The flowering and productivity of tangerines directly depends on the condition and number of leaves. Monitor the soil moisture in the pot: it should not dry out completely. Water only with warm, purified or settled water.

Important! All citrus fruits are excellent air purifiers, as they saturate it big amount phytoncides.

Feeding

Fertilizing an adult fruit-bearing tangerine tree begins in the summer and continues until the end of September. Give preference organic fertilizers– infused and diluted cow manure in a ratio of 1:10. In the spring, before flowering begins, tangerine can be fed 2-3 times complex fertilizer for citrus fruits.

Reproduction

Indoor tangerine can be propagated in two ways:

• rooting of the apical cutting;

Cuttings are carried out at the beginning of summer. For rooting, root stimulating agents are used, since cuttings do not produce roots well.

Vaccination is more effective and successful. Used as a rootstock own root cuttings lemon or seedlings of any citrus fruits.

Common diseases and pests

Most often, the plant is susceptible to late blight, gray rot and scab. For prevention, it is recommended to carry out regular spraying with systemic fungicides.

Among the pests that cause great harm to tangerine trees are scale insects, aphids, spider mites and thrips. To combat them, special natural or chemical insecticides are used.

How to grow tangerines at home: video

Growing tangerine: photo