Tangerine tree – how to properly care for at home, soil and fertilizers

The content of the article

• How to grow tangerine at home
• Buying a finished seedling
• Growing Mandarin from Bone
• Land for tangerine tree
• How to plant mandarin in a pot
• Soil drainage
• Where to place the flower pot with shoot
• How to care for a tangerine tree
• Air temperature and humidity
• Illumination
• How to water indoor tangerine
• How to feed a tangerine tree at home
• Mineral mixtures based on potassium phosphorus and nitrogen
• Organic fertilizer
• Homemade Mandarin Care Rules
• Partial flower removal
• Pinching the tops of twigs
• Removing elongated branches and dried leaves
• Why tangerine drops leaves
• What to do
• Methods of propagation of tangerine tree
• How to transplant mandarin at home
• Pest control

Indoor mandarin among the abundance of plants, according to many florists, occupies a special place. A decorative bush pleases with a cheerful and vibrant color of fruits and leaves. The leaves are leathery and wide. It is believed that a light and delicate aroma can help get rid of headaches, relieve anxiety, irritation, give a sense of vitality and improve mood. Learn how to grow a tangerine tree related to citrus plants, learn more.

How to grow tangerine at home

If you are going to grow a mandarin tree at home, get acquainted with two ways to solve this problem. On farms, fruit citrus trees are obtained by grafting. If you want to enjoy juicy tangerines, then you can perform this procedure yourself. At home, you can prepare seeds and grow a tangerine tree from them, not forgetting to follow all the rules of care. The easiest way is to buy a finished seedling.

Buying a finished seedling

Having decided to grow home-made tangerine at home, buy a ready-made seedling in a specialized online store of garden crops or a nursery. Often sell plants having a closed root system, i.e. immediately in an earthen coma or pot, packed in a bag. In the first case, a mandatory transfer to a container is required. If you are looking for a more economical option, then it is best to use the second method, i.e. growing a citrus tree from ripe bone.

Growing Mandarin from Bone

This method of growing decorative citrus trees at home can bring some moral pleasure. Although, it will take an order of magnitude more time than buying and replanting a finished seedling. For germination, you will need to select several seeds from juicy, sweet and ripe fruits to increase your chances of success. Soak the selected seeds in warm water. To do this, place them between 2-3 layers of gauze and put on a saucer.

As the gauze dries, do not forget to moisten it for several days until the bones swell. If you can’t wait for several days, then soak the usual seeds in water for 2-3 hours, adding a few drops of Epina, which is a growth stimulator, into it. As soon as the first sprouts hatch, you can plant a bush in the ground. In general, any budding florist can correctly prepare the seeds of this exotic plant.

Land for tangerine tree

Prepare a pot or a regular box for seedlings, and fill it with a layer of soil to transplant the seeds that are hatching there. Despite the fact that indoor tangerine is unpretentious in relation to the ground, experts still strongly recommend taking this moment seriously. It is best to use a mixture consisting of:

• 1 piece of leafy land;
• 3 parts of soddy soil;
• 1 part rotted cow manure;
• clay;
• sand.

How to plant mandarin in a pot

To grow decorative mandarin, do not use peat, which often acidifies, dries quickly and does not have special nutritional properties. This component is available in almost all those mixtures that can be bought in specialized stores. Do not forget about the drainage layer. Put expanded clay or small ordinary pebbles on the bottom of the dry container, and then fill the pot with a composition of the above components. Then place the swollen bones in the soil to a depth of 5-7 cm. A pot with planted seeds should be placed in a well-lit place..

Soil drainage

For the formation of a lush and bright bush, you will need to pay attention to the drainage of the container in which it will grow. As already mentioned, put crushed stone, small pebbles expanded clay at the bottom of the pot, but if you have none of the above at hand, then use fragments of ceramic dishes. Before planting tangerine and laying the soil, be sure to thoroughly rinse the drainage. In general, it is necessary so that excess fluid from the soil is discharged into the sump. Due to this, effective prevention of fluid stagnation and root rot is carried out..

Where to place the flower pot with shoot

Caring for tangerine at home requires a competent approach, of particular importance is the location of the tree, which will delight you with its beautiful leaves and flowers. The period of the beginning of flowering and growth activity will depend on the created conditions. Indoor plants need bright and good lighting. When the daylight will be shortened, add artificial light. Do not make a sharp transition, as the plant can drop its young leaves.

How to care for a tangerine tree

Actively growing and beautiful tangerine tree is the result of systematic and proper care. For indoor ornamental plants, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions with a certain temperature and humidity level. We should not forget about the features of irrigation as well. in a difficult situation, the bush can lose its foliage to reduce the amount of moisture evaporated from the surface. When the branches begin to bear fruit, they need to be tied to a support. Do not forget about possible pests and diseases..

Air temperature and humidity

The best temperature regime for a tangerine seedling is a temperature of + 15-18 degrees in the warm season and +12 degrees in the winter. In hotter weather, the plant begins to bear fruit and bloom worse – buds and ovaries at this time are weakly formed. It is important to avoid sudden changes in temperature, but in order for the plant to become stronger, it must be hardened, i.e. help him adapt to changes in lighting and temperature conditions. To do this, in the spring afternoon, briefly take the plant to a covered veranda or balcony.

Very important for tangerine and humidity. On hot, dry days and in winter, when heating dries the air in the room, you often need to spray a decorative plant – sometimes up to three times a day. You can put a bowl of water on the windowsill or some other humidifier, for example, an imitation of a fountain, waterfall. When the bush begins to bloom, spray carefully to avoid moisture on the flowers and buds. It is better to replace this procedure with regular wiping of leaves.

Illumination

Without enough light, a decorative room mandarin will not grow large. The easiest way to put a container with a plant on the windowsill of the southern part of the house, but this is fraught with burns of leaves. A more acceptable option is the side of the east or southeast windows. If the south side is the only possible choice, then in spring and summer you will have to shade the plant. In winter, the southern window will be the best place for a seedling. When shortening daylight, add artificial lighting, using special fitolamps.

How to water indoor tangerine

The tree needs regular and frequent watering. In hot weather, water 2-3 times a day. In the winter season, while maintaining good moisture, a 2-time watering per week will be sufficient. It is better to pour water for this procedure in a container, for example, in a bottle, so that it has time to settle and warm up to room temperature.

With a short-term lack of moisture, the tangerine tree will not die, but at the same time it can throw off part of the leaves or all the foliage. In the “bald” places, fresh greens will not appear anymore, so try to avoid unexpected leaf fall. Leaves will only appear on new branches. Frequent transfusion of the plant with water will not benefit, either. this will lead to fungal diseases.

How to feed a tangerine tree at home

The entire growing season, i.e. from April to September, the tree needs additional nutrition. Every week it must be fertilized with organic or mineral fertilizers, which can be alternated. Especially in need of adult trees growing in tight containers, without transplantation and renewal of the soil. In one week, the plant can be watered with a liquid mullein solution, and after a week it can be treated with a complex garden fertilizer specially designed for citrus trees. Before top dressing, water the soil.

Mineral mixtures based on potassium phosphorus and nitrogen

In a specialized garden store, you can buy a ready-made composition for citrus fruits. Make sure that the solution contains minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen. Feeding is recommended in the morning. The temperature of the solution should not be less than +20 degrees. Follow the recommended formulation of the nutrient solution exactly. There is a rule here – it’s better not to top up than to pour. Excessive concentration, excess fertilizer can lead to burns of the stem or leaves and even death of the plant.

Organic fertilizer

Tangerine tree can be fed with both mineral and organic fertilizers, and it is best to alternate them. To prepare a natural nutritional composition, you will need cow dung or bird droppings. Dilute part of the dry component in 10-12 parts of water, insist the resulting composition for 2 to 4 days, and then make in small portions. Do not forget to moisten the soil before this..

Homemade Mandarin Care Rules

In order for your tangerine tree to be as bright and pleasing to the eye as in the photo of one of the gardening magazines, attach particular importance to caring for it. Many of the above rules for a seedling of a plant apply to a grown tree. In addition, it is necessary to periodically prune the branches and pinch the tops of the shoots. In addition, remove all dried twigs, leaves, and shoots stretched down from the tree. Such measures will help form a compact mandarin with a lush and dense crown. Do not forget about the need for transplantation.

Partial flower removal

In order to avoid excessive load on the tree in the first years of fruiting, it is recommended to pinch the flowers. Leave only a few flowers on the trunk of a tangerine tree. In this way, you can achieve aromatic and large fruits without draining the plant itself. Let there be only a few beautiful and fragrant flowers on the stem of the plant, but later on you will enjoy beautiful and large fruits.

Pinching the tops of twigs

As the tree grows, it is necessary to periodically pinch the tops of the shoots. This is necessary in order for the tree to form a thick and lush crown. With proper formation, it will turn into a real decoration of the room. This can be achieved by controlling the growth of the apex and shoots, which must be removed from time to time, i.e. pinch. When each new sprout appears, pinch the top while forming 5-6 leaves. It is necessary to get rid of spinning tops (strong shoots), rapidly growing from the root itself.

Removing elongated branches and dried leaves

Timely remove the elongated twigs, dried leaves, so that your exotic tree grows really lush and fruitful. Often they try to grow homemade tangerine like a bonsai. For this purpose, remove the sprouting tops of shoots to the desired length. As a result, your work will not be in vain – you will get delicious fruits with a thin peel that can be easily separated from the pulp.

Why tangerine drops leaves

If the basic rules of care are not observed, the mandarin tree has diseases. Do not ignore the threat posed by various pests. These include red spider mites, scutes, citrus whiteflies. Dropping leaves does not always indicate the presence of a disease, because this can happen during the period of relative rest in cold days..

What to do

If pests became the cause of dropping leaves, then wipe all leaves of the tree with special solutions. Enough of several procedures to get rid of all unwanted “guests.” Yellowing leaves can be a signal that the plant lacks minerals. During nitrogen deficiency, yellowing begins with the lower leaves. In addition, tangerine can react this way to the lack of the right amount of moisture, lack of light. Move the plant to a well-lit place and do not forget to water regularly.

Methods of propagation of tangerine tree

The most economical way to get a tangerine seedling is to grow it from a seed. This approach will take you a lot of time and patience. If the tree already exists, and you want to get offspring from it, then select one of the following methods:

• Reproduction by layering, which are well-formed tree branches. Select an adult mandarin branch from 4 mm thick and long enough to bend the branch and pin it to the ground. You don’t need to separate the branch from the bush, just drop it on the ground. The top will protrude on the surface of the soil. Maintain a wet spot. When new roots form at the layering, separate the branch from the mother plant.
• Reproduction is carried out by cuttings. For this, the so-called air layers are used – the stalk is rooted “on weight”. An adult shoot is cut in a circle, cutting off a bark about 1 cm wide, after which the wound is treated, wrapped with sphagnum moss and polyethylene (loose). It is necessary to maintain the resulting “doll” in a wet state until the formation of roots – it will take several months.

How to transplant mandarin at home

The plant begins to need a transplant when the container becomes cramped. For young tangerines, this procedure should be carried out annually, and for trees from 7 years old – once every two years. Do not transplant the plant during flowering, it is better to do this in early spring. The new pot should be several centimeters larger in diameter than the previous one. The root neck during transplantation should not be deepened, because bark may be damaged. The extra kidney is crushed, and then moved to a new container with drainage and soil.

Pest control

Of particular importance when caring for a tangerine tree is pest control. Citrus fruits are more susceptible to them. This is due to the fact that they have a very attractive aroma. More on fighting methods:

• Aphid. If there are few insects, then wash the stem with leaves with a solution of laundry soap.
• Damaged aphid leaves can be treated with a decoction of wormwood or nettle..
• A good way to fight aphids is garlic water.
• To combat spider mites at home, use garlic water, laundry soap, tobacco dust. Create a spray mixture based on them.