Home tangerine transplant and care. What varieties are suitable for growing at home? What can pose a threat to the tangerine tree

The tangerine tree was brought to Europe less than two centuries ago from China, where it grew wild. The fruits were allowed to be eaten, tangerine plant meaning - food for the rich (for the privileged class). Ordinary citizens brought trees as a gift as a symbol of prosperity and well-being.

Mandarin is evergreen in the form of a tree up to 4 m tall or a compact shrub. Mandarin is a tree of the Rutaceae family. It has lanceolate leaves, in the axils of which single flowers grow (sometimes two).

Beneficial features

Mandarin is a fruit intended for dietary nutrition. With its help, metabolic processes in the body are launched, digestion improves. Juice and pulp have a tonic effect. An infusion of the zest is used as an antipyretic. Essential oils extracted from the peel are used to treat nervous system inhaled vapors have a calming effect.

tangerine tree

The composition contains a large amount of organic acids and trace elements (potassium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc and others), as well as vitamins A, D, K, C, B, PP. 85% of the fruits consist of water and have a low calorie content - 53 kcal per 100 g.

Tangerines are widely used in cooking. Natural juices, jellies, desserts are made from fruits, they are added as a filling to pastries.

In addition, the high content of phytoncides makes mandarin an excellent natural air purifier.

Plant characteristic

Mandarin is a low plant up to 4 m. Young branches are dark green, eventually covered with bark and turn brown. The leaves are small, oblong oval. In the axils, 1-2 white flowers grow. Pollen is underdeveloped, so the plant needs pollination.

tangerines

Fruits usually have 9-11 lobules with seeds. The average fruit size is about 6 cm in diameter. The shape of the fruit is round and flattened. The peel is most often thin, easily separated from the pulp. Some fruits have an air gap. The peel contains a large amount of essential oils. The skin is white on the inside and orange on the outside. Distinctive feature This variety of citrus fruits has a strong fruity aroma and sweet pulp.

Interesting! The heat-loving mandarin is grown in China, Turkey, the USA (in the south), Brazil and Argentina. In Russia, a suitable climate for growing only on the Black Sea coast. Therefore, growing mandarin in a pot is common. A large influx of fruits is observed when tangerines ripen in Abkhazia - at the end of autumn.

Varieties

Very often, individual varieties of tangerines are isolated as a separate species.

In fact, there are only 3 main types:

1. Noble are large-leaved shrubs. Fairly large fruits with a thick yellow-orange rind. This group needs very warm conditions cultivation.
2. Italian (tangerines) - thermophilic plants with small leaves and medium-sized fruits of red-orange color. The shape of the mandarin is usually slightly elongated. Distinctive feature - sharp bad smell peel.
3. Mandarin Unshiu (satsumy) or seedless is a cold-resistant Japanese species. It has large leaves and small fruits. The rind is thin and often has small green areas. It is this type of tangerine that is most suitable for the climate of Russia. A distinctive feature is the absence of bones.

tangerines

In addition to pure tangerine species, there are several hybrids:

1. Mineol is a hybrid specimen of Italian mandarin and grapefruit. Fruits in size are large and small rounded.
2. Tangor is a hybrid of mandarin and orange. The fruits grow up to 15 cm in diameter. The peel is very thick with large pores.
3. A hybrid of mandarin and lemon is citrandarine. The shape is similar to a lemon, but with a tangerine peel.
4. Clementine is a cross between tangerine and orange. Very fragrant fruits with a thin bright orange rind. Slightly flattened in shape.
5. Tangelo is a tangerine crossed with a pomelo. The fruit is similar to a medium orange.

Clementine

In addition, there are also varieties such as agli (tangerine, orange and grapefruit), santina (clementine and orlando), ellendale (tangerine, tangerine and orange).

Characteristics of the main varieties

Features of planting and care

After buying a tangerine tree in a pot, it must be immediately transplanted into a fresh one. suitable land. The most suitable substrate has an acidity in the range of 5.5 ... 7.0 Ph and consists of humus, soddy soil and sand. The new pot should be a couple of centimeters larger in diameter. This allows you to activate root formation. Further from compliance simple rules care will depend on how the mandarin bush looks and how much the crop brings.

Mandarin is very fond of bright lighting, so it is best to place it on the south or east side.

It is important to know! Mandarin gets used to one-sided lighting and does not like constant turns and transfers. This leads to a change in the metabolism in the cells of the plant, which causes unplanned leaf fall, in rare cases the plant dies.

Comfortable spring-summer temperature for shrubs is within + 16˚C ... + 20˚C. In winter, the optimal content is at +12 ˚C…+15 ˚C. While the mandarin blossoms, it is imperative to monitor the air temperature. At elevated temperatures, flowers and fruits wither.

Care must be taken in the condition of the leaves. Daily spraying and wiping the foliage will greatly increase the abundance of flowering and yield. It is necessary to water the bush with warm settled water. It is important that the earth ball does not dry out.

Watering the tangerine

top dressing

The best fertilizer for mandarin is organic. Mullein, diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, must be insisted and filtered. The finished solution needs to fertilize the plant all summer and in September. To activate the formation of ovaries, you need to feed the mandarin with complex fertilizer before flowering (in spring).

reproduction

The most popular breeding methods are:

• Seminal. Of the most best fruits it is necessary to select a dozen bones, wash them running water and post it on flat surface. Dried bones should be wrapped in a natural cloth moistened with water. After a few days, the seeds will swell and begin to hatch. When this happens, the seeds can be placed in nutrient soil. When the seedling forms several true leaves, it must be planted in an individual container with a volume of 4 liters.
• Cuttings. It will not be possible to simply plant a cutting that has taken root in the ground. Such a tree will not bear fruit. Therefore, a plant can be propagated by cuttings only by grafting onto another one- and two-year-old citrus bush. On the branch you need to make a T-shaped cut 10 cm from the ground. In the resulting cavity with a knife, you need to make a recess where the cutting is inserted. The junction is tightly fixed with a film, tape or electrical tape. After that, the tree must be placed in a greenhouse, or at least covered with a bag. Now you need to wait until the first eye hatches. It should take about a month before the cutting takes root. After the expiration of the period, the greenhouse (package) can be removed, and the insulating layer at the attachment point can be loosened. The fruits obtained with this method of reproduction are very sweet and tasty.

Growing a tangerine tree

Diseases and pests

Most often, mandarin is exposed to fungal infections. They manifest themselves in the form of various rot, stains, ulcers and other defects.

Anthracnose

It develops with high humidity and violation of the rules of care. Spots appear on leaves, branches and fruits, which eventually grow and destroy both the crop and the plant as a whole. For destruction, it is recommended to spray with Fitosporin, as a prophylaxis - Bordeaux liquid.

Warty

Appears on the leaves in the form of small light blotches. Gradually, pink bumps appear in this place, which eventually turn into huge growths. As a result, the branch dies. If the fungus spreads to the fruits, then the ovaries dry out and fall off, respectively, the yield is sharply reduced. A favorable environment for development is a warm climate and high humidity. Eliminate the disease can only be the destruction of diseased parts of the plant. It is also necessary to spray the bush with Bordeaux mixture.

Mandarin diseases

Gommoz

The disease is expressed in gum disease of the cortex. The main prerequisites for development are mechanical damage, deep planting at planting, poor drainage and unbalanced soil mineral content. In a neglected form, the circulation of juice in the tissues is disrupted. For treatment, the wound is disinfected and treated blue vitriol. After that, they are treated with garden pitch.

Of the pests, thrips, mites and scale insects are the most dangerous. To combat them, it is necessary to use insecticides, according to the instructions.

Growing a tangerine tree will not be a hassle if you follow the basic rules of care. The tree brings special joy to its owner when it begins to bear fruit.

Citruses, including tangerines, contain a lot of vitamin C. You can try growing them yourself. Mandarin bonsai is a wonderful ornamental plant that brings home bright colors and pleasant aroma. It is known that the smell of this fruit not only improves mood and gives vigor, but also facilitates headache. Evergreen citrus tree can maintain flowering period most years and bear fruit even at home.

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

Landing stages

It should be noted right away that there is an easier option. You can buy a ready-made seedling in a specialized store and plant it immediately in the ground. You can even purchase an already fruitful adult plant, which will only need to be placed on the windowsill, providing it with home care.

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

Step 1. Materials

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

Step 2. Seed preparation

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

Step 3. Landing in the ground

Usually indoor tangerines are able to grow in the most ordinary soil, but it is worthwhile to approach the choice of soil for the plant responsibly. First to the bottom flower pot a layer of small stones or expanded clay is laid out for soil drainage. Next, the rest of the soil is laid out, where the sprouted bones are placed. They need to be located not too deep, but not at the very surface of the soil. The ideal planting depth is 5 to 7 cm.

Unless you need to water, but not too plentifully and very carefully. In less than a month, young sprouts will begin to peep out of the soil.

Even if the experiment fails, do not be discouraged: it does not always work out as planned. You can always try again to plant a tangerine at home, using previous experience.

Care of young seedlings

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

The tangerine tree must necessarily be under the influence of direct sun rays, without which it will not be able to grow and develop normally.

Immediately after the appearance of the first shoots, it is important to feed the young citrus. The algorithm of action does not have significant differences from the feeding of an adult plant.

Adult plant care

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

Humidity

A decorative mandarin variety is still not a cactus; at home, it requires regular irrigation.

Mandarin grown at home, in addition to watering, requires care and nutrition. It's about plant nutrition.

It is necessary to feed the plants, because frequent watering leaches out organic and mineral substances. Understanding this is of decisive importance in growing mandarin at home. IN different time year, the tangerine behaves differently, which affects the amount and frequency of nutrition required.

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

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

Mandarin house tree requires feeding to a much greater extent than its garden counterparts. Soil in a pot, as opposed to open ground, is not able to regenerate organic and mineral substances eroded during irrigation. A garden tangerine doesn't need to be fed as often, but home tree care is another matter entirely.

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

Transfer

As the tree grows, indoor mandarin must be transplanted. While the shrub is growing, it is desirable to update the "place of registration" every year. After the plant reaches the age of seven, the expansion of its living space is required once every two years.

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

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

When the ovaries take shape in small fruits, it is advisable to tie the tree crowns to a support. As tangerines grow and become heavier, they risk breaking the fragile decorative tree stems. Without additional help, the shrub may suffer. Broken branches can lead to serious tree disease.

Diseases and pests

When growing mandarin, it is impossible to provide him with proper home care without protecting the plant from pests.

Types of indoor trees

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

Unshiu

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

dwarf form

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

Clementine

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

Other varieties

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

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

Whatever variety you choose in the end, the result will be a spectacular decorative tree With beautiful flowers and bright, fragrant fruits.

Conclusion

Since ancient times, noble and wealthy families have used tangerines as ornamental home trees, growing them in greenhouses or winter gardens, because the flower of both garden and home tangerines exuded a wonderful aroma. Today, tangerine is available at home. Growing a tree is pretty easy. Care also does not require special efforts. But this noble tangerine bonsai will look impressive and stylish in any interior, giving the surrounding space more positive and colors. Therefore, even if you had doubts about whether to contact citrus tree or give preference to another ornamental plant, discard them. Home trees will invariably please their owners, bringing juicy fruits, delicate aroma and excellent mood.

Who will refuse their favorite citrus fruits, especially those grown with their own hands? This perennial evergreen plant is gaining more and more popularity as a houseplant. When favorable conditions are created, it blooms and even bears fruit. At home, it reaches up to 110 cm. One can bring up to 60 pieces of tangerine, which ripen by September and stay on the branches until October.

The tangerine tree prefers a lot of light, on hot days it needs abundant watering and spraying.

Another useful property is the ability to purify the air and protect owners from various viral diseases. Unlike its "relatives" lemon and orange, this exotic feels great in an ordinary city apartment. He tirelessly pleases their inhabitants with a beautiful crown, dark green leaves and snow-white flowers with a pleasant aroma.

Cultivation and care

Location, lighting and temperature

Properly chosen space is the key to future harvest. Green handsome prefers a lot of light. The window sill of the south, southeast or southwest window is suitable for him. But on hot summer days, it should be protected from direct sunlight by shading it with a curtain or paper. In winter, additional artificial lighting is required. To do this, use a phyto lamp. From June to the end of August you can arrange holidays. A glazed balcony or a place protected from precipitation in the garden, where the pot can be deepened into the ground, is quite suitable.

The ideal temperature range is from +15 to +19. Higher rates negatively affect flowers, their pet can reset. During the dormant period, it is better if the thermometer drops to 11-14 degrees. A significant danger is fraught with a sharp change in temperature. It is better to prepare it in advance for any changes.

Humidity and watering

In the heat, the leaves evaporate a lot of moisture. This can be prevented by supporting optimal performance humidity. Will help with this regular irrigation twice a day. If this is not possible, an electric humidifier is suitable for this purpose. A pallet with expanded clay will help to increase the percentage of moisture and reduce the temperature, a container is installed on it. Experienced gardeners they advise a little trick: in the heat, put ice cubes around the edges of the pot.

Moisture-loving creature in warm weather "drinks" plentifully and often. The appropriate amount of liquid is determined individually. The earth ball must be completely soaked. Beware of stagnation, it is fraught with root rot. Because of this, watering is significantly reduced in winter, especially if the room has cool air. It is carried out as the topsoil dries up.

IN warm room From December to March, the schedule practically does not change. For this purpose, only settled water is suitable. room temperature.

Choosing the right pot

Give preference medium sized pot gradually increasing the diameter of the container. For older representatives, the container is selected 2 times the length of the root system. Be sure to have through drainage holes.

Soil and fertilizer

Choose it for sowing seeds or transplanting seedlings, taking into account the age of the plant. Sour soil is not suitable. The needs of young representatives are different. Inexperienced flower growers are better off buying a ready-made mixture in the market. Bio-humus or earth for roses will be suitable. Fertile, nutritious and permeable - it is great for full growth and development.

But you can cook it yourself from the following components:

• sod (2 parts) and leaf (1 part) land;
• one share of river sand of fine fraction, humus.

A light substrate helps to actively build up the root system. It is poured onto a drainage layer of brick chips and expanded clay. Another composition is more suitable for an adult exotic: soddy soil (40%), sand (20%), leafy earth (20%), humus (15%), oily clay (5%). A denser composition allows you to hold required amount moisture. Thanks to this property, citrus uses all the nutrients to the fullest, forming buds and fruits.

They begin to make them from April to November. Do this every 2 weeks. The most suitable are complexes containing nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. A wide range is presented at any flower outlet: Uniflor-growth (promotes the ripening of tangerines), Uniflor-bud (healthy effect on flowering) and Kemira-Lux (supports and nourishes). It is important to regularly alternate mineral substances with organic ones. If the choice fell on a natural nutrient solution, then bird droppings or cow dung will be more suitable. The dry matter is dissolved in water, then infused and then added. Water the plant first.

When working with chemical fertilizers, you should strictly follow the instructions that are indicated by the manufacturer on the package. An excess of nutrients causes burns. Avoid contact with fruits.

plant pruning

Occurs in the spring, before the buds open. Get rid of thin and dry twigs, yellowed foliage. Use sharp and disinfected gardening Tools. In order not to miss the infection through the sections, they are sprinkled with crushed activated charcoal. It also contributes to the rapid healing of injuries. To form an oval-shaped crown, excess shoots that are unable to bear fruit are cut off.

Do not do without pinching the tops of the stems. After the first flowering, only 12-13 buds are left, the rest are cut off. Otherwise, they deplete the culture.

Diseases and pests, methods of dealing with them

And

The leaves began to turn yellow, fall off, and a thin cobweb is visible on the surface? Action should be taken sooner. First aid - wipe the green mass with a solution of tobacco or soap. Good results shows garlic infusion. But, if the number of the colony is large, then only chemical means - Actellik and Fitoverm - can cope with it. Insecticides are treated once a week, avoiding the substance getting into the soil.

Reproduction and transplantation of a tangerine tree

Until the tree is 4 years old, the pot is changed frequently. This happens as soon as the lower part of the plant fills the entire container. The diameter of the new one is 10 cm larger than the previous one. The first layer is drainage (about 7 cm). A layer of soil (5 cm) is poured onto it. Transplanted by transshipment. The tree is carefully removed from the container and placed on the prepared substrate. The missing amount of land is filled up on the side, but not to the very edge. Its level should be lower by 2 cm.

If necessary, an earthen ball can be raised by adding soil. The process ends with a light crushing of the soil and watering.

Bred culture in two ways.

seeds

Before deepening, they are soaked in water for 2 days. After they have swollen can be transferred to the soil. The first shoots will appear in 18-20 days. But pets grown in this way cannot boast of a harvest and play the role of a decorative culture. But with the help of vaccination this situation can be corrected.

Graft

Occurs during the period when active sap flow begins (April-May). Stock and scion are prepared in advance. The first term refers to a young tangerine grown from a stone at home. The second is a bud that was taken from a citrus that was already producing a crop. The peephole must have a leaf petiole. Select an area (about 7 cm from the ground) on the bark. Carefully, without touching it, an incision is made on the branch 1 cm long and 2 cm wide. A kidney is inserted into it, carefully bending the sides of the incision with a knife. This place is covered with garden pitch.

The peephole takes root for about 25 days, during which it is necessary to create favorable conditions similar to greenhouses.

How to choose a healthy plant in the store

If you do not have the time or desire to grow a fragrant representative of the flora on your own, then you can easily purchase an adult and already fruiting tree in the nursery. Of course, such a pleasure will cost a tidy sum, then in the future the gardener is only required to maintain favorable conditions of detention.

To protect yourself from deception, it is better not to risk making a purchase in the market or from spontaneous merchants. The specialized sales center is obliged to provide the relevant documents confirming the quality. Before buying, decide which variety is best for your conditions. For growing on a windowsill, it is better to choose a dwarf one, and for winter garden- a large bush.

In any case, it should be a healthy plant, without damage and yellowed falling leaves. Look closely for insects.

Indoor tangerine can become a real design item, a bright spot that adorns the interior. Its beautiful orange fruits bring comfort, make the space of the apartment more lively, homely. Growing indoor tangerine is not as difficult as it seems - in the article we will consider in detail all the nuances and subtleties of caring for this plant.

Indoor mandarin is an evergreen plant from the genus Citrus. In nature, its analogue reaches an impressive height, up to five meters: indoors, of course, the tangerine is not allowed to grow to such an extent. In a closed space, it can be grown in living quarters, greenhouses, greenhouses, on insulated balconies and loggias.

Decorative mandarin is a very spectacular and bright plant. Not only does it look beautiful, but it also smells great. The foliage is beautiful, dense, has a magnificent, rich shade.

Growing indoor mandarin is accompanied by magnificent flowering: the plant pleases with white, fragrant, small buds collected in a brush. There are species that can bloom long time sometimes all year round. During this period, mandarin smells especially pleasant and bewitching.

Its fruits also ripen - real little tangerines: against the background of rich green foliage, they look like miniature Chinese lanterns. Fruiting occurs when good care: small, neat fruits of a spherical flattened shape of orange or red color appear on the plant.

They usually ripen at the end of the year, and you don’t have to mess with artificial pollination for this. You can buy a ready-made plant with already ripened fruits. You should not eat these bright tangerines, because in room conditions They require a lot of fertilizer to grow.

Varieties

Today there are many worthy varieties decorative mandarin, including miniature, dwarf ones - especially suitable for home keeping. The height of such specimens reaches only 60-110 cm, which makes it possible to grow them even in a small apartment space.

Let's get acquainted with the most popular varieties of tangerine tree.

Kovano-Vase

One of the species of the group of dwarf tangerines of Japanese origin: there are also varieties of Miyagawa-Wase, Miha-Wase and others. Plants reach a height of only 40-80 cm, so they are optimally suited for growing in the limited space of small apartments.

The fruits are yellowish-orange, appear already in the second year after planting. Plants bloom profusely, beautifully, and the formation of a crown during their cultivation is not necessary.

Clementine

Tangerine-orange hybrid, able to please with fruits in the second year after rooting. On one such tree, about 50 small balls of bright orange color with a reddish tint grow, with a characteristic flattened shape. The fruits have a wonderful smell and a beautiful shiny surface.

Murkot

Unlike many other varieties, the fruits of this decorative tangerine can be eaten. Their taste is so sweet that sometimes the variety is also called "Honey".

Unshiu

Japanese variety, very unpretentious, abundantly flowering and fruiting. The first fruits in this case appear in the third or fourth year. A flower grows in room conditions by 80-150 cm. One can note the splendor and excellent branching of the Unshiu mandarin: it needs pruning, albeit not too frequent. The fruits ripen in October-November, they are pear-shaped and without seeds.

Conditions of detention

We will find out what conditions it is necessary to provide indoor tangerine for the plant to actively develop, bloom and bear fruit.

Location and lighting

It is very important to choose the best place for this plant in terms of light level. Light should come in abundantly, including the plant needs a small amount of direct sunlight.

If the illumination is insufficient, the growth of the mandarin will slow down, and its flowering will either become less plentiful, or stop altogether. With a significant, critical lack of light, the foliage becomes ugly, the shoots are elongated, in general the plant looks sickly, stunted. You will then have to take care of it very carefully in order to achieve its full recovery.

It is best to place a pot of tangerine in an apartment on a windowsill from the east, south or southeast. From the direct burning sun most of the time it is desirable to shade. In hot weather, you can put the pot on the balcony, including the unglazed one. In winter, put a tangerine in the brightest place in the apartment, you don’t even need to shade from the sun.

It often happens that natural lighting is not enough - then you have to use the help of artificial lighting. Use a phytolamp or a fluorescent lamp as a source: you need to place it at a distance of at least 30 cm from the plant.

Temperature and Humidity

In summer, decorative mandarin feels great at a temperature of + 20-25 degrees. During the period of bud formation and flowering, it is better to keep at a lower temperature - about + 18-20 degrees. This measure will allow the flowering period to last longer, the petals will not fall off much.

In winter, keep tangerine at a relatively low temperature: + 5-10 degrees. After going through a period of rest with low temperature regime the plant will be able to fully rest and will delight in the next growing season abundant flowering, fruiting.

As for humidity, indoor tangerine feels better at a high level. Dry air does not suit the plant well, often leads to damage by spider mites, partial loss of decorative effect.

Priming

Optimal for growing mandarin at home, a special mixture for citrus fruits is suitable - it is easy to purchase it at any flower shop.

You can also prepare the substrate yourself. To do this, you need to take foliage soil from the upper fertile layer, add the following components:

• river sand - a glass;
• humus - 3 tbsp. spoons;
• ash - 1 tbsp. spoon.

The proportions are based on 1 glass of leafy soil.

The acidity of the substrate should be weak, and the structure should be light. Be sure to provide drainage at the bottom of the tank as a prevention of stagnation, root rot. As a material for drainage, you can use pebbles, expanded clay, crumbs of ceramic objects.

Pot

You can choose a container from any material: ceramics, clay, plastic. The main thing is that the pot has the right size and holes for drainage from the bottom.

Features of caring procedures

We will find out what kind of care an indoor tangerine needs for normal life and active flowering.

Watering

Like its wild relatives, the cultivated mandarin is quite capable of enduring periods of drought. Of course, if the dry period is too long, the plant will have to shed its foliage in order to survive, but with further regular watering, it will recover fairly quickly.

Note that it is much easier for a mandarin to survive just a drought than waterlogging. Excessive watering leads to the development of fungal diseases that can completely destroy the tangerine.

You can determine the specific amount of water for irrigation based on the following parameters:

• plant size;
• the volume of the pot;
• air temperature in the room;
• illumination level.

The larger the tangerine in size, the more water it needs: moisture quickly evaporates from the surface of bulky leaves. In addition, the higher the ambient temperature, the more you should water. In winter, they water very little, starting to reduce the frequency and volume of water since autumn.

If you take water from the tap for irrigation, be sure to defend it. Otherwise, tangerine will react negatively to alkali, chlorine and salts of heavy metals contained in tap water.

In hot weather, along with watering, also apply spraying. For the procedure, use a spray gun with small holes. Spraying to humidify the air, remove dust from the leaves, make the microclimate more comfortable.

Tip: it is advisable to carry out moisturizing procedures in the morning: at this time, life support processes in the plant's body are most active

top dressing

Without a full-fledged high-quality top dressing, indoor tangerine will not be able to please any good growth, nor bright fruits. The soil in a pot with this plant becomes poorer quickly: a lot of nutrients are consumed during the growing season, and there is nowhere to take them again in the closed space of the pot. You can use both minerals and organics. The plant responds well to both dry granules and liquid, soluble formulations.

In the spring, when the plant begins to revive after a period of winter dormancy, top dressing should be made frequent and intense. It is during this period that mandarin requires more nutrients for development. In winter, when the mandarin is in "hibernation", there is no need to fertilize it.

Such a composition of top dressing is considered optimal, in which the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is balanced - the main microelements for any plant. Optimally suitable are special fertilizers intended for citrus fruits, tangerines. Use mineral ready-made formulations strictly according to the instructions indicated on the package. And it is better to make the solution less concentrated than to overdo it: overfeeding is extremely harmful to the flower, it can lead to its toxic poisoning.

Fertilization frequency: 2 times a week during the growing season from March to September. Less often, more often not. Be careful with dry top dressing, as if there is not enough water, the roots may burn. It is desirable to carry out top dressing in the morning or in the afternoon until 14 o'clock. The plant responds well to traditional root fertilization and foliar spraying.

From organic matter, when growing indoor tangerine, cow dung is used. Fertilizer is diluted in a ratio of 1:10, but due to the specific smell, it is usually used only when the plant is in a greenhouse, greenhouse, and not at home.

Trimming, pinching

So that the indoor tangerine has a neat, compact shape, it is recommended to pinch the young shoots from above. This measure will allow the plant to branch more actively, becoming more lush. In addition, it is necessary to constantly remove drying shoots, branches, foliage, buds.

If a young mandarin is taken to bloom very profusely, some of the flowers are usually removed. Otherwise, the plant will be severely depleted, and the fruits will not be able to form and ripen.

Note that the fewer fruits ripen on a tangerine tree, the larger each of them and vice versa. If there are too many fruits, tie up branches so that they do not bend or break under the weight.

Transfer

As a rule, the procedure is performed when the plant in the old pot becomes too crowded. Since the young growth is growing rapidly, it is transplanted every year, after the age of seven - once every 2-3 years.

A new container should not be chosen too large, only 5-8 cm in diameter larger than the previous one. Do not plant a small tangerine in a pot that is too voluminous, as this often leads to rotting of its roots.

You can not transplant during flowering, the best time is spring, shortly after the plant wakes up. 2-3 days before the transplant date, stop feeding, you can not use fertilizers and for a couple of weeks after the procedure.

How is reproduction

Room mandarin at home breeds:

• vegetatively:
• generative.

The first method involves growing a new plant from cuttings, the second - from a seed. It is clear that a new tangerine will sprout from an already formed shoot much faster and easier, which is why this method is usually used. You can also grow from a bone, but the process will be much longer, and its result will be unpredictable. What if this is the bone of a huge wild mandarin growing five meters high?

cuttings

To make the shoot more likely to take root, it is better to use a special liquid that stimulates the development of the root system. In a solution of this liquid, it is necessary to soak the lower part of the cut shoot for some time.

After processing, the cutting is planted in wet sand or soil mixture, covering the container with a polyethylene bag from above. Within a few months, with regular airing and watering, the cuttings usually take root.

From the bone

If you still decide to grow a mandarin from a stone, make sure that this variety is dwarf, and not ordinary. Otherwise, problems are likely when the plant grows. Most often, a tangerine grown from a stone does not bloom - for this it will need to be vaccinated. But, of course, you can grow just a green tree.

If propagation by cuttings or seeds is not suitable, purchase a ready-made, grown mandarin with fruits in a flower shop.

Problems

Most often, when growing a mandarin at home, it is affected by harmful insects: scale insects, spider mites, and worms. Pest control is as follows.

Shchitovka

This insect resistant to insecticides is eliminated by spraying with a solution liquid soap- 2 tbsp. spoons of soap or dish detergent to a 3-liter jar of water. It is previously recommended to collect visible insects by hand. The remedy is kept on mandarin foliage for half an hour, then washed off with water.

mite

If the pest is visible on the leaves, it is collected by hand. Then wipe the stems and foliage on all sides with a cotton swab dipped in technical or medical alcohol. After that, it is desirable to spray with a tincture of garlic, onions (200 grams of chopped vegetable is infused in a liter of heated water).

Chervets

From the pest, wiping the foliage with an alcohol cotton swab, followed by spraying with garlic or onion tincture, will also help.

Tip: it is better to spray in two stages, as one may not be enough. Maintain an interval of a week or ten days.

If the defeat is strong, and folk remedies clearly do not cope, you have to use chemical insecticides. In this case, the tangerine in the pot will have to be taken away from the living quarters for a while and while it is being processed, keep it away from people and pets.

Spots on the leaves

The problem usually arises from the fact that the tangerine is not watered correctly. Excessive watering is harmful to the plant: first spots appear, then the foliage begins to fall off and the critical point of the process is the decay of the roots. It is not worth bringing to the last, it is necessary to establish watering already at the stage of spots. Otherwise, the death of the plant is likely.

Diseases

The danger is represented by fungal and viral pathologies. As a preventive measure, agricultural technology is observed, and if the disease has already struck the flower, fungicides are used, or the tangerine is transplanted into another pot with fresh soil.

We learned what kind of care a room mandarin needs. This plant is able to decorate any apartment due to its bright foliage and orange, beautiful fruits. Mandarin is not difficult to grow: by following the available care measures, you can achieve its active growth, lush, long flowering and abundant fruiting.

Plant mandarin (lat. Citrus reticulata)- small evergreen tree, a species of the genus Citrus of the family Rutaceae. The fruits of this plant are also called tangerines. Mandarin, the most common species of the genus, comes from South Vietnam and China. In the wild, at present, the mandarin tree cannot be found, but in culture it is grown in areas with a subtropical climate. And this type of citrus fruit is becoming more and more popular as an ornamental houseplant. In popularity, homemade tangerine tree is second only to indoor lemon.

Planting and caring for a tangerine (in short)

• Bloom: usually in spring, but may continue throughout the year.
• Lighting: bright sunlight: the south window sill with shading in the afternoon hours is most suitable.
• Temperature: in the warm season - from 16 to 30 ˚C, in winter - not lower than 14 ˚C.
• Watering: regular, as the top layer of the substrate dries.
• Air humidity: in the heat, regular spraying of the plant with warm water and monthly bathing in the shower are recommended.
• Top dressing: during the growing season twice a month with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer. In winter, top dressing is not needed.
• rest period: not pronounced, but approximately from the end of October to mid-February.
• Pinching: the crown is formed within 3-4 years in the spring, at the beginning active growth: if, with a growth of 40 cm, the seedling does not branch, it is pinched to force it to form side shoots. In the future, the ends of all shoots after the fifth leaf are removed by pinching.
• Reproduction: seeds, grafting and air layering.
• Pests: spider mites, mealybugs, scale insects and aphids.
• Diseases: root rot.

Read more about growing mandarin below.

Home tangerine - description

Mandarin at home does not reach such a height as in nature, growing only up to 1.5-2 m. The branches of the tree are mostly drooping, the mandarin leaves are dense, small, elliptical or ovoid in shape, dark green, located on petioles with barely conspicuous wings. Single or paired fragrant mandarin flowers with matte white petals are located in the axils of the leaves.

The multi-seeded and multi-celled mandarin fruit - hesperidium - is dressed in a peel that easily separates from the pulp. It is flattened from the top to the base and reaches a diameter of 4 to 15 cm. The yellow-orange flesh consists of a large number spindle-shaped hairs - sacs filled with juice. The peel of the fruit, which is called "flavedo", which means "yellow", contains many glands with essential oil, and its inner white layer, called “albedo” (“white”), is loose, which makes it easy to clean the tangerine. The flesh of a tangerine is usually sweeter and the flavor stronger than that of an orange. And although the fruits of homemade mandarin palatability strongly inferior to the fruits of the garden tangerine, the fruiting tangerine, hung like a Christmas tree with yellow-orange balls, looks very attractive.

Indoor tangerine - spectacular potted plant not only because of its bright appetizing fruits: the flowering of mandarin is also a bewitching sight, especially since it is accompanied by an amazing fragrance. Currently, many amateur gardeners enthusiastically grow mandarin from the stone just on the windowsill, and we will be happy to tell you how to grow a mandarin indoors, how to care for a mandarin, how to plant a homemade mandarin, how to protect it from diseases and pests, how to transplant tangerine, if the pot has become too small for him, and we will also describe beneficial features tangerine.

Room tangerine from the stone

How to grow tangerine at home

Before planting mandarin seeds, they are wrapped for several days in slightly damp gauze or a napkin. Keep the fabric moist all the time while the seed swells. Instead of gauze or fabric, you can use hydrogel - a product that perfectly retains moisture. Seeds from a freshly eaten tangerine should be sown into the ground immediately, without soaking.

Even if you grow only one tree, soak at least a dozen seeds: firstly, not all of them may germinate, and secondly, some seeds may die from diseases during the growth process, and some seedlings will not survive the transplant.

As soon as the seeds hatch, they are planted in cups with a volume of 200 ml or in bowls no more than 9 cm deep with drainage holes, filled with a substrate of soddy soil (3 parts), humus, sand and leafy soil (1 part each) with the addition of a couple of handfuls of clay . You will have to prepare the substrate yourself, since any of the purchased soils includes peat, which is contraindicated for tangerine. IN last resort as a substrate, you can use Biohumus or Rose soil, the pH of which is in the range of 6.5-7.0 units. At the bottom of the cups under the substrate, you need to place a layer of expanded clay or small pebbles. Seeds are buried in moist soil by 4 cm. Crops are kept at a temperature of 20-25 ºC. Shoots appear within three to four weeks, although this may happen earlier.

If you sowed the seeds in a common container, then at the stage of formation of four leaves in seedlings (citrus fruits do not have cotyledon leaves), you need to pick them up in separate cups. Sometimes two plants can grow from one seed, since the multi-germization of seeds for citrus crops is quite common. In this case, mandarin seedlings must be carefully divided (each of them has its own root system) and seated. If one seedling is much weaker than the other, it is better to sacrifice it: pinch it off so that it does not interfere with the development of a stronger plant.

The next transplantation of seedlings is carried out when their roots fill the entire volume of the cup. Can be used as a container small size. Planting a mandarin in a pot is carried out by transshipment of a seedling along with an earthen clod.

Caring for a mandarin in a pot

Growing mandarin in an apartment

The conditions for growing mandarin at home should be as close to natural as possible. The mandarin loves the sun, so the best place for it is a south-facing window, provided that the room temperature does not drop below 14 ºC in winter. In summer, the plant can be kept on a balcony or loggia. However, in the afternoon, the tangerine should be protected from the sun's rays with a curtain made of light fabric or gauze.

A favorable temperature for the development, budding and flowering of mandarin is considered to be between 16 and 18 ºC with an air humidity of 60%. However, do not worry if the room becomes hot with the advent of summer: a tangerine can grow and bear fruit even at 40 ºC.

Watering the tangerine

Mandarin care involves regular watering of the plant as the top layer of soil in the pot dries. There is such a trick to help determine if the plant needs watering: take a pinch of soil from the pot with your fingers and squeeze it. If the soil sticks together, then it’s too early to water the tangerine, and if it crumbles, then it’s time to moisten the soil in the pot. In no case do not allow the earthen clod to dry through. Water the tangerine with water at room temperature that has been settled for a day in an open vessel. In winter, it is advisable to heat water for irrigation to 30-35 ºC, and in summer it can be defended in the sun.

As for air humidity, tangerine, especially in the summer heat, needs to be sprayed daily, and once a month it must be washed in the shower with soap, covering the stem of the plant and the soil in the pot with polyethylene. This hygiene procedure is also a pest prevention.

Mandarin fertilizer

During the dormant period, in winter, mandarin does not need additional feeding, and during the growing season, a solution of complex mineral fertilizer is applied to the soil twice a month. Adult plants with a height of 1 m or more are fed with fish broth once a month to stimulate abundant fruiting: 200 g of unsalted fish or fish waste are boiled for half an hour in 2 liters of water, allowed to cool and filtered through cheesecloth. Soil "ear" is watered in the morning at an air temperature of 18-19 ºC.

Mandarin transplant

Young plants are transplanted annually, fruit-bearing - once every 2-3 years, each time increasing the size of the pot in diameter by 4-6 cm. one by one. For plants older than three years of sod land, you need to take three parts, and the rest of the ingredients - one at a time. When planting, it is important that the root neck of the tangerine remains at ground level. Very large or old trees better transplant do not disturb, but once every 2-3 years you need to remove upper layer soil in a pot and replace it with a fresh fertile substrate.

pruning tangerine

Mandarin is one of those plants whose crown needs to be formed. If, with a growth of 30-40 cm, the seedling did not branch on its own, it must be pinched to stimulate the formation of side shoots of the first order. However, this is not enough, since fruiting is carried out only on branches of the fourth or fifth order. This means that pinching should be continued, removing the ends of all shoots after the fourth or fifth leaf. For sanitary purposes, weak shoots and those that grow inside the crown are also pruned. It usually takes 3-4 years to form a tree.

Sometimes, in order to strengthen the branching of the shoots, they resort to their deviation and fixation: one end of the soft wire is fixed on the branch, and the other on the edge of the pot so that the wire pulls the top of the shoot down.

Pests and diseases of mandarin

Mandarin turns yellow

Many amateur flower growers are faced with the fact that the mandarin suddenly begins to turn yellow leaves. What is the reason for this phenomenon? There are several reasons. For example, from a lack of nitrogen in the soil, the lower leaves of the mandarin are first covered with yellowness, and then the entire foliage gradually turns yellow. You can stop this process by adding ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate or organic matter to the soil.

Against the background of iron deficiency in the soil, chlorosis develops in mandarin: first, young leaves acquire a light yellow color, then older foliage also becomes discolored. To prevent chlorosis, mandarin is treated with iron chelate once a month.

Another likely cause of the yellowing of mandarin leaves may be spider mites - tiny arachnids that make punctures in the leaves of the plant and feed on its cell sap. You can see a tick only under a magnifying glass, but sometimes its presence is betrayed by the thinnest cobweb appearing on the plant. To kill pests, wash the tree in the shower, then treat its leaves soapy water: V warm water put the rubbed laundry soap, whip up a thick foam and use a cotton swab to wipe the mandarin leaves with foam. For complete victory over a tick, you may need three such procedures with an interval of 2-3 days. The place where the mandarin infected with ticks stood should be thoroughly washed.

The leaves of the tangerine turn yellow and from insufficient illumination, as well as from the fact that the pot has become cramped for the plant.

Mandarin falls off

Falling leaves from a tangerine are not always a sign of any disease. If this happens from late October to mid-February, move the plant to a room with a temperature of 14-17 ºC and reduce watering: the tangerine needs rest. Leaves may also fall due to low humidity. In this case, the plant should be sprayed in the evenings with settled water at room temperature and places water containers around it. Mandarin leaves also fall due to improper planting: the plant has a too large pot or the root collar is buried in the soil. The cause of leaf fall may be a lack of potassium in the soil, drafts, too wet soil in a pot, and poor lighting.

Mandarin dries

If, before the mandarin leaves begin to crumble, a dry crust forms on their edges Brown, we can conclude that the irrigation regime is violated: you chronically waterlogged the soil in a pot. To restore the normal development of the plant, transplant it into another pot with a good drainage layer and a fresh substrate with a predominance of leafy earth. When transplanting, carefully inspect the root system of the mandarin and remove rotten roots. Leaves dry even in case of insufficient watering. A drying plant will have to be resuscitated by placing it in a basin of water at room temperature. The water in the basin should reach the edge of the pot. Now you need to water the tangerine until the soil is completely wet and air stops coming out of it. After the procedure, drain the excess water and spray the mandarin with a solution of 1 ml of Epin in 2 liters of water. These sprays should be continued for some time 2 times a week. In this way, even a very dried-up plant is reanimated.