Let's analyze the flower grower's letter:
“I bought a delicious lemon, and in a month it dropped all its fruits and leaves. There is one branched driftwood in a pot. In general, the driftwood turned out to be very decorative, I love it, I water it and spray it, I hung a light bulb over it, it burns around the clock It’s hot at home, 28 degrees in winter, so the snag reminds me of African saxaul. It’s a very soulful plant. It’s like saying to me: “I’d rather die, but I won’t grow on you!” I’ll teach you politeness! - I tore the snag out of the pot, didn’t even shake off the peat from the roots, and transplanted it into a large bucket, made holes in it, poured half a pack of expanded clay into the bottom, and piled special lemon soil around it. And what do you think? the vile plant did not appreciate my care, there were no leaves, even though I feed it monthly and apply a special fertilizer, “Lemon”, I spray it with water every day in the evening and water it in the morning. I came to the conclusion that this is completely shameless. a creation of nature, and that it is impossible to be kind to it. Starting tomorrow, I will begin to apply repression to this snag: I will turn off the lamp and give it a suggestion: if in a month it does not produce a single leaf, I will tear it out of the pot and throw it away. This is not a plant, but just an ungrateful bastard! "
Dear fellow gardeners, do not make such mistakes under any circumstances!
I want to describe in detail the care regimen for citrus fruits so that you don’t have problems with them. And I will tell you about this using the example of the given letter.
Let's consider reasons for leaf loss in citrus fruits:
1. If you put the plant on the window, then you do not need to periodically move it to another place; Citrus fruits are one-stop-shop plants.
2. The most common mistake is that the pot of citrus fruits should not be “twisted” much by 180 or 90 degrees. In this case, the leaves turn yellow and fall off - the tree dies. Every 10 days you need to turn the pot 10 degrees (no more), and preferably counterclockwise.
3. When you find yourself in an unusual climate, i.e. When moving from a store or greenhouse to an apartment, citrus fruits can also shed leaves.
4. If there are drafts in the apartment, the citrus leaves will definitely fall off.
5. If you over-moisten the soil in winter time- it turns sour and, as a result, citrus leaves turn yellow and fall off.
6. If you plant a small plant immediately in a bucket, and even more so in a tub, then in a week the leaves of the tree will turn yellow, and after another 1.5 weeks it will fall;
7. Many people don’t know this, but based on their many years of experience, I want to warn you: under no circumstances should you place citrus fruits near a microwave oven. Otherwise, not only will the leaves fall, but the tree will die.
8. Citrus fruits lose leaves and fruits due to improper feeding and replanting.
If in winter the leaves of citrus fruits begin to curl, turn yellow, fall off, and the shoots dry out, then the tree drops unripe fruits. If a plant with fruits was purchased in winter, then it will definitely drop the fruits (especially if the tree is imported), and then part of the leaves (or all the leaves). When purchasing in winter citrus trees I recommend taking them off most fruits (or better yet, all of them), remove emerging flowers and trim fruit-bearing shoots by 1/3.
Before rehoming your pet, make sure it is needed right now. transfer. Roots coming out of the drainage are not a reason to replant. Gently move away upper layer land. If you see that the top of the earthen ball is entwined with many roots, do not rush in this case either. Pass the stem of the tree between your index and middle fingers, tilt the pot slightly and try to pull out the earthen lump by lightly tapping the bottom. If it is easy to pull out a ball of earth tightly entwined with roots, and if it is autumn, do not replant the tree until mid-February.
If spring comes, then you can transplant the citrus tree into a slightly larger container than the previous one.
If the earthen ball is not strongly entwined with roots, replanting will be needed only next spring (regardless of the current time of year).
Teach: citrus fruits love not transplantation, but transshipment!
I do not recommend replanting citrus fruits in winter or autumn: the tree does not have time to adapt, and winter has already arrived. So it begins to wither and get sick in winter - especially if there are mistakes in care. To “reanimate” citrus fruits in winter, you need to pour previously prepared soil from under the oak tree on top of the old soil (in a layer of 2-3 cm) - the tree will quickly “come to its senses”.
As drainage, you need to pour 1.5-2 cm thick expanded clay onto the bottom of the pot.
Now about soil. The most best land- from under the oak tree. Oak has great energy power; The soil must be taken carefully without damaging the root system of the tree. Use part of the soil taken from under the oak tree to transship citrus fruits, and leave the remaining soil “in reserve” - in case the citrus fruit foliage begins to curl, turn yellow, or fall off (especially if this happens in winter). After all, in winter it is difficult to obtain this soil: in the forest the ground is frozen, and, in addition, there is knee-deep snow. This is where “in reserve” comes in handy.
You can also use the following soil composition for citrus fruits:
1-2 parts of rotted leaf soil from under the oak tree;
- 1 part rotted manure (horse);
- 1 part of turf land from meadows where clover grows;
- 1 part coarse river sand;
- 0.5 parts wood ash hardwood;
- 4 parts lake silt.
In fresh, nutritious soil, citrus fruits develop a good root system.
For glaze citrus fruits are completely unsuitable for water freshly taken from the tap (it contains a large number of chlorine, which they don't like). It is better to water citrus fruits with settled water to which vinegar has been added (a few drops per liter of water); they respect it very much.
Citrus fruits need regular feeding. They need:
- nitrogen(ensures rapid growth). Thanks to nitrogen, citrus leaves acquire a rich green color;
- phosphorus(thanks to phosphorus, the seedling begins to bear fruit faster).
- Phosphorus is also needed for the ripening of fruits and young wood; potassium
(the normal and timely ripening of young leaves, shoots, and fruits depends on potassium). With a lack of potassium, citrus fruits take on an ugly shape and often fall off before they are ripe. In addition, potassium supplements help increase resistance to various diseases.
Citrus fruits should be fertilized according to the following scheme: (Menu plan for the summer months):
apply from May to October inclusive
- 1st and 15th - manure (100 g of manure per liter of water; use a two-week infusion);
- 8th number - egg shell (infusion in water for two weeks);
- 20th - blood from meat, poultry, fish (dilute in half with water and pour; then pour plain water on top); - 23rd number - ash; the most best ash
from potato tops, sunflowers or straw (1 tablespoon per liter of water for irrigation);
- 27th - pond sludge (150-200 g per liter of water).
Menu plan for the winter period:
- 1, 10, 20, dates - natural fertilizer "Ideal" for feeding from November to May (2 caps per 1.5 liters of water);
- on the 15th - blood from meat, poultry, fish (dilute in half with water and pour; then pour plain water on top);
- 25th - ash (1 tablespoon per liter of water for irrigation).
I advise the author of the above letter:
1. Read all recommendations carefully and correct your mistakes.
2. Since you planted the tree in a large container, do not replant it for three years.
3. Feed the plant according to the above scheme.
4. Be careful with the soil - do not over-moisten it.
5. In the summer, take the citrus tree to the balcony and continue spraying.
6. In the spring (somewhere in early March), add 2 generous handfuls of manure on top;
7. Turn on the backlight only at night, and not for the whole day.
Fruiting lemons, tangerines and other citrus fruits abundantly bloom, which leads to weakening of the tree. Therefore, flowers located nearby should be thinned out, leaving larger ones - those on which the ovary is better developed.
Preference should be given to fruits sitting on short branches - fruitlets.
On long branches, fruits grow more slowly.
It takes several months for the fruits to ripen. There are so many ovaries that there is an active shedding of young ovaries and fruits that have not yet filled with juice. The fruit fall can be so strong that the soil under the trees is completely covered with small fruits. That's why
It is recommended to regulate fruiting. Immediately after flowering, pick off a number of young ovaries. I do not recommend buying trees with fruits in the store. It is better if you buy only a flowering tree. But if, nevertheless, a tree with fruits comes home to you, then proceed as follows:
1. try to find out how old the tree is;
2. Pick all the fruits (do not spare them);
3. Cut the branches on which there were fruits in half;
4. Spray the plant more often; 5. The soil should always be moist. And now - advice for everyone: do not expect the impossible from a citrus tree!
In winter, citrus fruits most often do not bloom at home. Be patient and do everything according to the instructions. If you do everything correctly, your citrus pets will be happy appearance
and harvests. Good luck! All about citrus fruits
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on the website website
All about exotics
on the website website
A citrus garden at home is the dream of many! However, is it possible to grow it at home in order to be able to delight your loved ones with fresh “vitamins”? Yes, you can. In addition, growing citrus fruits at home can become your favorite hobby, and your citrus garden will become a source of pride for you. However, to grow such a garden you will need to make some efforts and be patient.
Citrus fruit care
Appropriate place
In winter, it is not recommended to place the container on the windowsill at home, because cold will come from the glass and heat from the battery, this will negatively affect the health of the green pet.
A warm, humid place with plenty of light is best. In spring and summer, place the pot on a window oriented to the southwest or southeast.
Temperature
These plants do not tolerate subzero temperatures. Remember this, otherwise your garden may die!
IN warm season the optimal temperature is 19-27 degrees, and in winter you can lower it to 12-17 degrees.
Since citrus fruits react negatively to temperature fluctuations, autumn period it is better to bring the plant into the warm room before the first frost occurs. Citrus fruits come from the tropics, so you shouldn’t forget about air humidity. If the air is not humidified enough, purchase a special humidifier. Your citrus orchard will thank you for this.
Illumination
Your citrus garden will need good lighting, only protect it from direct sun rays sultry summer. In autumn and winter, plants will not have enough natural light, so it is necessary to add additional lighting with lamps; without this procedure you will not be able to grow a decent harvest. Provide additional lighting to the citrus garden so that its daylight hours are 12 hours.
Watering
Water the plants regularly, as it is better to prevent the soil from drying out too much. But watering should be moderate!
You should also not over-moisten the soil; before the next watering, the top layer of soil must dry out.
On hot summer days, it is allowed to water daily, but in winter, water citrus trees less often and not so abundantly - once a week is enough.
Take water at room temperature, soft and not chlorinated.
Suitable soil for citrus fruits
The soil must be fertile and breathable. It is necessary to ensure good drainage from crushed brick or expanded clay. For these plants, the soil mixture is prepared from peat, leaf and turf soil, and sand in equal proportions. The result should be a slightly acidic environment. There is a much easier option - buy a ready-made mixture in the store; for citrus fruits it is usually called “Lemon”.
Fertilizing the plant
Feed the plant only during the spring and summer months when it is actively growing, but during the winter dormancy period, forget about fertilizers.
First water the soil well and then fertilize. Remember that better disadvantage fertilizers than their excess!
If you overfeed the plant, the root system may get burned.
As a top dressing, it is better to take special fertilizers for citrus fruits, which can be easily found in specialized supermarkets.
How to grow an orange tree at home?
Many people dream of growing it at home. After all, the orange tree produces incredibly tasty and healthy fruits. Where to begin?
1. The month of March is most suitable for planting. Take fresh orange seeds and rinse them in warm water.
2. Soak the seeds for 10-12 hours.
3. Plant them in a suitable fertile soil mixture and sprinkle with 1 centimeter of soil. Cover the pot with plastic and place it in a warm, dark place.
4. When the first shoots appear, the orange tree is moved to a more illuminated area.
Vaccinations
When the orange tree grows, it should bloom and then bear fruit. However, not all owners manage to achieve this, or the fruits develop, but remain small and have a bitter taste. All this is because a tree from a seed may not take on its mother’s properties, which is why it is so important to graft an orange tree. How to do it? There are 2 methods: classic grafting and budding.
In the first method, a cutting is taken from a fruiting orange; it is this that will give a certain variety to our “savage”. Then the seedling is used as a rootstock for a “thoroughbred” cutting. The second method is easier than the first and is less painful for a young plant. At the same time, a bud of a varietal orange tree implanted together with part of the wood into the trunk of a wild citrus tree. It is better to introduce several buds at once from different sides of the plant.
Shaping the trunk
An orange tree can begin to bear fruit normally only after 5-6 years, but for this the crown must be formed correctly. What is needed for this? When the tree stretches 24-28 cm, the shoot should be pinched, leaving 18-20 cm in length.
Leave only the strongest side shoots, remove the rest so that the tree branches well. Young trees may also begin to bloom, but in this case it is better to get rid of flowers and ovaries, since the plant will waste its potential on only 2-3 fruits.
How to grow limes at home?
Lime is a wonderful plant of the citrus family; when grown at home, the tree spreads a delightful aroma throughout the room. In addition, lime is beneficial when eaten. This tree is also very beautiful, it will decorate any apartment! To grow it, you need to know some nuances.
Lime can act as a good rootstock for others citrus plants. You can graft lemon, kumquat, tangerine, etc. onto its massive trunk.
In order to grow lime at home from seeds, you need to follow certain steps.
1. Select a suitable container for planting limes. It should be spacious, 10-15 centimeters in length, and allow liquid and air to pass through.
2. Take fertile soil and ensure good drainage; you can sprinkle the bottom of the pot with sand.
3. Next, bury fresh lime seeds 2-3 centimeters into the soil. Cover the pot plastic film put in the zone with good lighting. Don't forget to water and ventilate our future lime!
4. When the sprouts hatch and the first leaves appear on them, you need to remove the polyethylene. Then the lime needs standard care, but do not forget to form the crown in a timely manner.
Your home garden will bear fruit well if it is properly cared for.
It’s not often that you see a fruit-bearing lemon, tangerine or orange tree in an ordinary apartment. Many people believe that citrus fruits are capricious and require too much care at home. This is not entirely true. There are specially bred modern varieties of citrus plants that are adapted for growing in a city apartment. From small bushes you can even harvest aromatic and truly fresh fruits.
Description
Citrus or Citrus (lat.) – a genus of trees or shrubs that preserve greenery all year round. Citrus fruits belong to the Orange subfamily, their homeland is the tropics and subtropics of Southeast Asia.
Under natural conditions, citrus fruits can reach a height of tens of meters. These are trees or shrubs with bark covered with thorns. The foliage has a succulent green tint, it is smooth and shiny, contains many essential oils.
Indoor citrus plants bloom twice a year, with white or pinkish flowers that exude a refreshing, pleasant aroma.
The fruits of homemade citrus do not have the sharp acidity of the “street” plant; they taste more pleasant. By the presence of vitamins and other useful substances, they are not inferior to fruits bought in a store.
Interesting. Some indoor citrus plants can bloom and bear fruit at the same time. Bush strewn snow-white flowers and golden or orange fruits, looks very impressive.
Types of citrus fruits suitable for growing at home
Location
All indoor citrus fruits require bright light. In the shade they lose their foliage and do not bloom. It is optimal to place pots of indoor plants near south-eastern windows. In early spring Additional lighting may be required.
In summer, it is useful to take plants out into the fresh air. Citrus trees are placed in quiet places, sheltered from the wind, but always well lit.
The soil
The soil for citrus plants should show a neutral or slightly acidic reaction, be breathable and nutritious. You can buy it in the store ready soil"Lemon" meets all requirements.
To prepare the substrate yourself, mix equal parts of high-moor peat, soddy oak or field clover soil, sand, well-rotted manure, with the addition of wood ash. The soil must be disinfected from weed seeds and pest larvae by roasting over a fire or in an oven, or steaming in a water bath.
Choose a pot for citrus that is wide and medium in height. It is better to take a ceramic, heavy pot so that it is stable and does not tip over. The presence of holes in the bottom to drain excess water is mandatory.
Care
The main difficulty in caring for all citrus plants is providing them with a dormant period in winter with low air temperatures. Only orange needs heat (13 - 16 degrees), other types are kept at + 5 +9 degrees. The lighting should still be bright, so you won’t be able to put the flower in a cool closet. Watering in winter is reduced to once a decade, keeping the substrate only barely moist.
Important! Excessive moisture, combined with low temperature, will lead to rotting of the plant's roots.
Watering indoor citrus, during the active growing season, regular, but not excessive, is necessary. Stagnation of water in the pan should not be allowed. The water should be at room temperature, not chlorinated or hard. Rain or snow moisture works well.
Citrons need an air humidity of 70%. This level is achieved by regular (daily in summer) spraying in the evening. Near the plants you can place wide bowls of water into which expanded clay is poured. Evaporating moisture will soften the dry air in the apartment.
Lemons, oranges and other representatives of the genus require regular feeding from February to October. Liquid solutions mineral fertilizers for citrus fruits, alternate with infusions of mullein or bird guano in low concentrations (1 to 10 and 1 to 20, respectively). The frequency of fertilization is once every 15 days.
Important! Fertilizing is carried out only on moist soil, in order to avoid burning the roots.
Citrus trees respond well to watering the soil with Baikal, whose composition enriches the soil with beneficial bacteria.
Pruning a plant not only has a decorative function, but also affects the yield. Trimming the crown of citrus fruits is carried out in February, before the plants awaken from sleep, and in the summer, shortening fattening shoots. U different types There are small features of pruning:
- the orange needs to be pinched on the main stem, as it tends to grow upward;
- tangerine produces many side shoots, which are cut out to thin out the crown;
- kumquat and calamondin require almost no shaping;
- The lemon is difficult to shape; cut it carefully, shortening only the fruit-bearing shoots.
The formation of young citrus fruits begins as early as possible, avoiding thickening of the crown. 
Pests, diseases
Plants may suffer from powdery mildew, rot, and chlorosis. Most often, diseases appear on weak plants, when agricultural practices are violated. Treating citrus with fungicides (Fitosporin, Bordeaux mixture) and transplanting the bush into a fresh disinfected substrate helps cure it.
Reproduction
Citrus fruits grown from seeds will begin to bear fruit only 10 or more years after planting. They can be used to form beautiful decorative trees. Experienced gardeners graft varietal cuttings onto seedlings; the resulting plant has the unpretentiousness of a seedling and the early maturity and productivity inherent in the selected variety.
Fresh seeds germinate quickly when sown in a loose peat-sand-humus substrate at a temperature of +25 degrees. Caring for seedlings is not difficult and differs little from caring for adult plants.
The most popular method of propagating citrus fruits is cuttings. Green twigs Citrus is cut from plants in winter when they are dormant. At least 3 internodes are left on the cutting, the lower cut is made oblique, and the bark above it is scratched with a clean knife to stimulate root formation. The tip of the branch is dusted with root or heteroauxin. One lower one is removed, the upper leaves are cut to half the leaf blade.
The cuttings are planted in a steamed, moist substrate made from a mixture of sand and peat. A greenhouse is built on top of the plantings. Rooting occurs in bright, diffused light and a temperature of +25 degrees. The cuttings are ventilated and sprayed daily warm water. After 50–60 days, the seedlings will develop a good root beard; they can be transplanted into regular soil and cared for as an adult plant.
Partners
In home floriculture, it is not practiced to plant indoor citrus plants with other flowers in the same container. But, when creating a green corner of the tropical forest, lemons, oranges, tangerines will fit perfectly into the composition. They look harmonious next to ficus, ivy, roses and jasmine.
Watch also the video
Let's analyze the florist's letter:
“I bought a delicious lemon, and in a month it dropped all its fruits and leaves. There is one branched driftwood in a pot. In general, the driftwood turned out to be very decorative, I love it, I water it and spray it, I hung a light bulb over it, it burns around the clock It’s hot at home, 28 degrees in winter, so the snag reminds me of African saxaul. It’s a very soulful plant. It’s like saying to me: “I’d rather die, but I won’t grow on you!” I’ll teach you politeness! - I tore the snag out of the pot, didn’t even shake off the peat from the roots, and transplanted it into a large bucket, made holes in it, poured half a pack of expanded clay into the bottom, and piled special lemon soil around it. And what do you think? the vile plant did not appreciate my care, there were no leaves, even though I feed it monthly and apply a special fertilizer, “Lemon”, I spray it with water every day in the evening and water it in the morning. I came to the conclusion that this is completely shameless. a creation of nature, and that it is impossible to be kind to it. Starting tomorrow, I will begin to apply repression to this snag: I will turn off the lamp and give it a suggestion: if in a month it does not produce a single leaf, I will tear it out of the pot and throw it away. This is not a plant, but just an ungrateful bastard! "
Dear fellow gardeners, do not make such mistakes under any circumstances!
I want to describe in detail a scheme for caring for citrus fruits so that you do not have problems with them. And I will tell you about this using the example of the given letter.
**Consider the reasons for the loss of leaves in citrus fruits:
1. If you put the plant on the window, then you do not need to periodically move it to another place; Citrus fruits are one-stop-shop plants.
2. The most common mistake is that the pot of citrus fruits should not be “twisted” much by 180 or 90 degrees. In this case, the leaves turn yellow and fall off - the tree dies. Every 10 days you need to turn the pot 10 degrees (no more), and preferably counterclockwise.
3. When you find yourself in an unusual climate, i.e. When moving from a store or greenhouse to an apartment, citrus fruits can also shed leaves.
4. If there are drafts in the apartment, the citrus leaves will definitely fall off.
5. If you moisten the soil excessively in winter, it turns sour and, as a result, citrus leaves turn yellow and fall off.
6. If you plant a small plant immediately in a bucket, and even more so in a tub, then in a week the leaves of the tree will turn yellow, and after another 1.5 weeks it will fall;
7. Many people don’t know this, but based on my many years of experience, I want to warn you: under no circumstances should you place citrus fruits next to microwave. Otherwise, not only will the leaves fall, but the tree will die.
8. Citrus fruits lose leaves and fruits due to improper feeding and replanting.
If in winter the leaves of citrus fruits begin to curl, turn yellow, fall off, and the shoots dry out, then the tree drops unripe fruits. If a plant with fruits was purchased in winter, then it will definitely drop the fruits (especially if the tree is imported), and then part of the leaves (or all the leaves). When buying citrus trees in winter, I recommend removing most of the fruits (or better yet, all of them), removing any emerging flowers, and trimming the fruit-bearing shoots by 1/3.
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**Transfer
The root system of citrus plants has a peculiarity - it does not have root hairs, through which water and minerals dissolved in it are usually absorbed. Their role is played by a symbiotic fungus that forms mycorrhiza in the roots. The death of mycorrhiza leads to the extinction of the plant itself. She is very sensitive to conditions, suffers from long absence moisture, lack of air in heavy and dense soil, low and high temperatures, and especially when the roots are exposed or damaged. Sometimes you can see apparently normal roots in a dead plant - this is precisely explained by the death of mycorrhiza. This is why citrus fruits do not tolerate transplantation well and can be sick for a long time after it. Citrus fruits should only be replanted by the most careful handling, without changing the soil or washing the roots under any circumstances (except for severe damage to the roots, when there is no other choice).
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**Substrates for growing citrus fruits.
There are several recipes for soil mixtures for citrus fruits - they include peat, turf and leaf soil, sand, and manure humus. It is important that the mixture is slightly acidic or neutral (pH from 5.5 to 7.0). If your water is hard, it is better to use slightly acidic soil. However, preparing a mixture of all these components separately and adjusting the acidity is quite difficult. It’s easier to take ready-made soil for citrus fruits (usually called “Lemon”) and bring it to the desired condition. Before use, the substrate must be heat treated in a water bath (to destroy larvae, eggs and adult pests, pathogenic fungi and bacteria).
Small plants should be replanted soon after purchase, since peat soil dries out easily, and tightly entwined roots are easily subject to overheating and drying out. Then they are replanted every year in the spring (if necessary). Older plants can be left untouched in the first year and then replanted every 3-4 years. Large trees are not replanted, but the top layer of soil is replaced annually.
If you have purchased a small plant, which is usually planted in a peat substrate, under no circumstances should you change it or add denser soil - roots will not be able to grow into it. It is better to use a ready-made peat substrate for the first transplant, adding sand and a little turf soil to it. With further transplants, the amount of turf soil in the mixture can be gradually increased.
Large specimens are usually already planted in the ground with the addition of turf soil, so sand and more turf or leaf soil can be added to the finished mixture.
It is better not to use manure humus in mixtures, but to replace it with an extract that is added to irrigation water.
And do not overuse loosening the soil, which can easily damage the roots.
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**Watering
Water freshly taken from the tap is completely unsuitable for watering citrus fruits (it contains a large amount of chlorine, which they do not like). It is better to water citrus fruits with settled water to which vinegar has been added (a few drops per liter of water); they respect it very much.
Citrus fruits need regular feeding. They need:
- nitrogen (provides rapid growth). Thanks to nitrogen, citrus leaves acquire a rich green color;
- phosphorus (thanks to phosphorus, the seedling begins to bear fruit faster). Phosphorus is also needed for the ripening of fruits and young wood;
- potassium (the normal and timely ripening of young leaves, shoots, and fruits depends on potassium). With a lack of potassium, citrus fruits take on an ugly shape and often fall off before they are ripe. In addition, potassium supplements help increase resistance to various diseases.
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**Propagation from seeds
Citrus seeds, freshly removed from the fruit, germinate very well, usually within a month. The seedlings are actively developing and are quite unpretentious. Using pruning, they can be formed into beautiful trees, which will also enrich the atmosphere of the house with useful phytoncidal substances. But in order to bear fruit, such seedlings must be grafted with cuttings of varietal plants.
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**Crown formation
Shaping is needed to give the crown a beautiful and compact appearance. Best time for her it comes at the end of the winter rest period, at the beginning of February. In summer, shoots that are too long and fattening should also be shortened. Different types and varieties of citrus fruits have their own growth patterns. Thus, lemon does not branch very readily, and it is quite difficult to form a compact, beautiful tree from it. The orange grows powerfully upward, requiring regular pruning. The tangerine's crown thickens quickly, and it is necessary to cut out some of the shoots growing inward. Kumquat grows quite compactly, requiring virtually no pruning. You don't have to trim the calamondin too much.
Young plants grown from rooted cuttings begin to form almost immediately, giving the tree beautiful view. Seedlings should begin to form at one year of age. If by this time they have reached at least 30 cm, the crown is cropped. However, even the correct formation of seedlings does not lead to the long-awaited fruiting at home.
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**Feeding.
Citrus fruits should only be fertilized during the months active growth, from mid-February to mid-September, and in no case should you feed during the winter holidays. When preparing for the rest period and when leaving it, reduce the concentration of fertilizers by 2 times. Fertilize only on a previously moistened clod of soil. For good absorption of mineral fertilizers from the soil, it is important to control the acidity of the soil. To assimilate organic fertilizers, be sure to maintain the beneficial microflora of the substrate by systematically introducing microbiological preparations (Vostok-EM1, Baikal, Vozrozhdenie). Plants respond well to foliar feeding.
You cannot feed a plant that is heavily crumbling - the reasons for leaf fall are often not due to lack of nutrition, and feeding done at the wrong time will only cause harm. After purchasing or replanting a plant, do not feed it for 1-2 months.
And you should always remember the rule that it is better to underfeed a plant than to overfeed it. Lack of nutrition is easily eliminated by timely feeding, and excess fertilizer leads to burns of the roots, improper development and often ends in the death of the plant. One of the signs of excess fertilizer is a dry border along the edge of the leaf and the beginning of leaf fall. An excess of one element often causes a deficiency of another; diagnosing this imbalance and accurately establishing the cause is quite difficult. But in order to avoid it, you should use only special fertilizers for citrus fruits, which must also include microelements. Their application rates are designed for the period of maximum growth. If the plants do not receive enough light or other maintenance conditions are not met, the dose of fertilizer must be reduced.
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**Pests and diseases
The most common pests of cirus crops are mealybug, scale insect, false scale insect. Citrus fruits are also affected by aphids and spider mites.
White lumps in the axils, on branches and trunks - a mealybug infestation.
Plaques that look like droplets of wax on leaves, branches and trunks, sweet discharge on the leaves - damage to scale insects or false scale insects.
Uneven small yellow dots on the leaves, powdery coating on the bottom of the leaf, sometimes cobwebs - spider mites.
Accumulation of small green or black insects on young shoots, sweet secretions - aphids.
Small, mobile, light-colored insects in the ground that jump when watering - podras, or springtails. They start when overwatered and do not harm the plant. It is enough to reduce watering and water with Aktara (1 g/10 l).
Small black flies flying above the ground are fungus gnats. They also start from waterlogging. The larvae live in the soil, but do not cause harm to healthy roots. It is enough to adjust the watering; you can shed it with Aktara (1 g/10 l).
Read more in the article Pests indoor plants and measures to combat them.
Chinese sweet orange
Citrus diseases occur due to improper care and damage by various pathogens (which is also often caused by errors in maintenance).
Fungal diseases often affect citrus fruits on plantations or in greenhouses. Drying and blackening of branches - malseco - are of a fungal nature; gum bleeding - gommosis, when a wound forms on the trunk from which a liquid resembling resin oozes; leaf spotting and anthractic blight, when weeping spots spread across the leaf and subsequently merge; powdery mildew when a white powdery coating forms on the leaves. The fight against fungal diseases comes down to establishing care, removing and destroying the affected parts of the plant, and treating with systemic and contact fungicides.
Sometimes a black coating forms on the leaves of citrus fruits, which can be easily removed with a damp swab - this is a sooty fungus. It does not harm the plant; it usually settles on the sugary secretions of pests. The cause of sugary discharge should be eliminated, sooty deposits should be removed by soaking in soap solution swab, wash well under a warm shower.
Diseases caused by viruses appear as marbling and cannot be treated.
Causes of yellowing of leaves: chlorosis caused by a lack of iron, magnesium, sulfur, zinc, excess calcium; lack of nitrogen; lack or excess of light; spider mite infestation.
The reasons for the appearance of brown spots on the leaves: non-compliance with the watering regime (overdrying or waterlogging of the soil); sunburn; burn from a strong dose of fertilizer; imbalance in batteries; fungal and bacterial diseases.
The cause of leaf fall in citrus fruits can be any severe stress: sudden temperature fluctuations, hypothermia, overheating, waterlogging of the substrate, overdrying of the substrate, improper replanting, too much fertilizer dosage, prolonged lack of light.
Why is leaf fall dangerous? Depending on age, lemon leaves perform different functions; with aging, they turn into a storehouse of nutrients, ensuring the growth and development of young growths. The loss of these leaves leads to the depletion of the plant.
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**Physiological disorders associated with a lack or excess of nutrients
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**Flowering and fruits
Fruiting lemons, tangerines and other citrus fruits bloom profusely, which leads to weakening of the tree. Therefore, flowers located nearby should be thinned out, leaving larger ones - those on which the ovary is better developed. Preference should be given to fruits sitting on short branches - fruitlets. On long branches, fruits grow more slowly.
It takes several months for the fruits to ripen. There are so many ovaries that there is an active shedding of young ovaries and fruits that have not yet filled with juice. The fruit fall can be so strong that the soil under the trees is completely covered with small fruits. That's why
It is recommended to regulate fruiting. Immediately after flowering, pick off a number of young ovaries. I do not recommend buying trees with fruits in the store. It is better if you buy only a flowering tree. But if, nevertheless, a tree with fruits comes home to you, then proceed as follows:
1. try to find out how old the tree is;
2. Pick all the fruits (do not spare them);
3. Cut the branches on which there were fruits in half;
4. Spray the plant more often;
5. The soil should always be moist.
And now - advice for everyone: do not expect the impossible from a citrus tree! In winter, citrus fruits most often do not bloom at home. Be patient and do everything according to the instructions. If you do everything correctly, your citrus pets will delight you with their appearance and yield. Good luck!
Nice to have on windowsills evergreens, capable of pleasing the eye even in winter. It’s even more pleasant to watch them bloom and even get edible fruits. Why not get citrus fruits in this case?
Citrus fruits are one of the few subtropical trees that get along well at home. In the article we will look at different kinds these exotic plants, we will give instructions to beginners and advice to those who are already confident in their abilities and want to try something new:
- How to get citrus fruits: where is the best place to buy a tree and how to propagate it yourself?
- What varieties and types can be recommended to a beginner, and which ones need a little more attention?
- Why do purchased citrus trees die so often?
- What to do once you gain confidence in your abilities?
- How to keep a tree from growing so that it doesn’t break through the ceiling in 10 years?
- What are the subtleties in their cultivation and reproduction?
Purchase in store
It would seem that it could be easier than going to flower shop and buy a lemon or a tangerine? But in fact, this path is fraught with many difficulties.
Those plants that are sold in stores come there from abroad, most often from Holland. There they grew up in ideal conditions from birth. Supported optimal temperatures, high humidity, additional lighting was provided from all sides, and growth stimulants were constantly added to the soil. As a result, up to several dozen fruits can hang on a dwarf tree by the time of sale.
After reaching the windowsill, such citrus fruits immediately encounter stressful conditions. Here, the illumination is tens of times lower, the air is very dry compared to greenhouse air, and growth stimulants stop working after a while.
In conditions of severe resource shortages, all the tree’s strength goes into maintaining the fruits with which it is so abundantly strewn. As a result, in the vast majority of cases, the new occupant of the apartment dies.
In Europe they treat this more simply. There, such trees are purchased as temporary decorations, like cut flowers in Russia.
What can be done to save purchased imported citrus?
- cut off all the fruits so that the plant has the strength to recover;
- when leaves fall, cover the entire crown with a bag;
- use resuscitation drugs and growth stimulants (epin, amulet, etc.) immediately after purchase and again if the condition worsens;
- if the tree is not in a state of active growth, carefully remove it from the pot, shake off at least part of the soil and plant it back, adding high-quality garden or purchased soil;
- if the windows face north, northeast or northwest, arrange additional lighting.
Of the listed measures best effect give the first three points. As for the soil, either loose, fertile, light soil with summer cottages, or purchased with pH 5-7.
But that is not all! Imported citrus fruits are grafted onto trifoliate or her close relatives. Trifoliata is a deciduous citrus that requires cold wintering. This means that in winter, the roots of your plant need temperatures of about 7-12 degrees Celsius to store energy for further growth.
When storing plants year-round at room temperature there is a big risk that it will fizzle out every year, shed its leaves in winter, stop growing or even degrade. In the end, it may simply die in a few years. Therefore, before going to a flower shop, ask yourself whether you can provide your future pet with winter coolness.
But even that's not all! When you emerge from such a sufferer, you will be surprised to find that the fresh growth is characterized by much larger leaves and long internodes (distances between the buds).
What's the matter? This is explained by the fact that in conditions of strong illumination, citrus fruits grow small leaves, and since there is no need to reach for the light, short stems with small internodes. Since there is much less light at home, soon dwarf and very decorative citrus loses its presentation and becomes like trees, originally growing on the windowsill.
Purchasing from citrus growers
This option is preferable because such trees are initially adapted to home conditions, so, most likely, when they get to the new windowsill, they will not experience stress. In addition, amateurs propagate citrus fruits by cuttings or grafting onto lemons, oranges, grapefruits, pomelo, and rarely, trifoliate.
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Those of them that do not grow on trifoliate roots are less demanding cold wintering, but it is still recommended to arrange it for them too.
A compromise option for those who do not have a glazed balcony is cool window sills without drafts. In winter, temperatures there can drop to +14… +17. Of course, this is higher than recommended (+7... +13), but better than nothing. This would not be enough for trifoliate, but self-rooted citrus fruits and those grafted onto lemons, oranges, etc. can tolerate such a wintering.
Disadvantages of buying from an amateur citrus grower: the possibility of deception with a variety or species, the risk of pests being introduced along with the purchased plant (especially).
Self-cultivation
It should be remembered that a tree grown from a seed, even if conditions as close as possible to the natural growing environment are provided, can bloom only after several decades if it is not grafted. Therefore, it is recommended to grow wild birds only in decorative purposes. They have only one advantage over other options: they are ideally adapted to home conditions.
Citrus cuttings
The most simple option For beginning citrus growers who want to get a varietal seedling, rooting a cutting is necessary. But! It is important to know which species take root well and which do not form roots.
- Suitable Lemons, limes, grapefruits, and pomelo are suitable for this method of propagation.
- Very rarely take root tangerines, clementines, kumquats, Australian microcitruses, trifoliata.
- Intermediate position occupied by oranges, which can produce roots, but this requires diligence and a certain amount of luck.
The cutting process is as follows. Fresh growth 7-18 cm long is cut from an adult plant. No more than 3-4 leaves are left on it, and if the leaf blades are large, they are shortened by half. If the upper part of the stem is too thin and flaccid, then it is also removed.
The cutting is placed in damp sand, preferably coarse sand, covered with a plastic bag or cut plastic bottle to create moisture inside, and stored at room temperature. You can even build such a mini-greenhouse from a bottle cut into two parts. About once a week it is advisable to ventilate it by removing the top for a few seconds.
Roots will appear in 3-5 weeks. The rooted branch is transplanted into a pot with loose, fertile soil and covered with a bag with a small hole for ventilation. Over the course of 1-2 weeks, the hole gradually increases in size, and when it becomes quite large, the shelter is completely removed. This is necessary to gradually accustom the young tree to dry room air, since if the bag is suddenly removed, the leaves may wilt.
Reproduction by grafting
Grafting is a more difficult method, which, however, is often successful for beginners. Those who have ever grafted other trees and shrubs will not experience any difficulties.
In addition, poorly rooted cuttings of tangerines and other citrus fruits listed above are successfully grafted onto young plants grown from seeds. In fact, this is the only way for hobbyists to reproduce such species.
You just have to remember that good rootstocks are lemon, orange, grapefruit, pomelo, trifoliate, and tangerines and its relatives usually reject grafting, even tangerine cuttings and buds.
For beginning citrus growers, if you have a wild one with a fairly thick stem It is recommended to start with vaccinations with budding or bud in the butt, since, firstly, with inexperienced citrus growers the percentage of successful fusions is higher than by other methods, and secondly, in case of failure, the wound overgrows over time, and the rootstock can be used again. With many other types of grafting, it is often necessary to remove the entire crown of the “savage”, leaving only a stump, and if the outcome is unfavorable, there is a risk of losing the tree.
This is interesting! More experienced flower growers can take an adult wild plant and plant several varieties or even species into its crown at once. Such an instance is called tree-garden. Citrus looks especially amazing, on which lemons, tangerines, and possibly other species grow.
Types and varieties of indoor citrus fruits
A novice citrus grower or a housewife who is not ready to devote a lot of time to a tree growing on a windowsill should choose those varieties and species that are easier to care for. If we talk about species, then for beginners a little lemons, tangerines, trifoliate are preferable for one reason: their growth is easier to contain. Oranges, grapefruits and pomelo have great strength growth, so after a couple of decades you can end up with a tree that is too bulky. And the previously mentioned citrus fruits are relatively low-growing.
However, the size of any crop, including grapefruit and pomelo, can be very well contained due to a cramped pot. Really, your pets' roots should always be a little cramped.
Important! Never replant indoor citrus fruits into pots that are significantly larger than the previous ones.
Following this principle, even vigorously growing species can be kept within 1.5-2 meters in height even after 20-30 years!
Varieties of indoor lemons
Of all the lemon varieties, Pavlovsky is the most unpretentious.. It grows well even on north-eastern and north-western windows, is able to tolerate relatively dry apartment air, and tolerates infrequent feeding. In fact, in terms of tolerance to home conditions, it is similar to wild lemon.
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Almost as patient is variety Panderosa, but he needs more light. But Panderosa suffers from a special syndrome that is found only in her: she produces too many flowers and stubbornly refuses to grow green mass. Accordingly, excess buds have to be constantly plucked off, and if the tree is still very small, then all of them need to be removed! If you have time for this, then feel free to take it, because in other respects it is undemanding.
Slightly less common Lisbon varieties And Meyer, which grow slowly with insufficient care. However, for flower growers, even with little experience, growing them will not pose any problems. All you need to do is place the pots on bright windowsills, feed them from time to time and, if necessary, spray them.
There are other varieties, but most of them are derivatives of the above.
Varieties of tangerines and other citrus fruits
The most popular of tangerines is Unshiu variety, and this is not without reason, since compared to others it is relatively tolerant of low light, like Pavlovsk lemon.
Also close relatives of tangerines are kumquats And calamondins. Fans of not just citrus fruits, but exotic fruits in particular, can be advised to acquire these.
Speaking about exotics, we can mention. It differs extremely unusual appearance fruit resembling a fleshy hand. But there is no edible pulp inside. However, the fruit is so exotic that an inexperienced Internet user, seeing a photograph of it, will decide that it is a photo montage.
Citron "Hand of Buddha"
