Many lovers of exotic plants, seeing a tangerine tree at a party, dream of growing the same in their home. However, many are afraid to get involved, believing that there is not enough knowledge and skills. In our article we want to talk about how to grow a tangerine tree.
A little bit about culture ...
Some citrus plants are a little moody and require special conditions. But this does not apply to the tangerine tree. Plant care is not difficult. The culture is unpretentious and quite hardy. If you have a desire, then you can grow citrus on the window of your apartment. Everyone can grow a plant from a seedling purchased in a store, since this is a ready-made grafted tree. But it is quite expensive. If you do not have the means to buy, then you can grow the culture yourself. If you do not know how to do this, then our article will help you in this matter. Since we want to talk about how to grow a tangerine tree. To do this, you need only the bones extracted from the fruit.
In just a few years, you will be proud of your pet, showing it to all guests. A slender tree with shiny leaves can conquer any person, even if he is not an amateur flower grower. Citrus aroma from the plant spreads throughout the apartment, which makes your home even more comfortable and cozy.
How is culture propagated?
Tangerine tree belongs to the family of root spherical shape. Evergreen leaflets change only once every four years. The plant blooms with white fragrant flowers.
Speaking about how to grow a tangerine tree, it is worth saying that the culture propagates vegetatively or by seed. In garden centers and specialty stores, vegetatively obtained trees are usually sold. At home, amateur gardeners usually contain plants grown independently from seeds. Such trees are a decorative decoration of your home. Usually plants do not bear fruit or produce very small inedible fruits.
On farms, trees are obtained by grafting. This is done in order to get delicious fruits. You will have to be vaccinated if you want to enjoy mandarin ducks. If you want to get a decorative culture, you can grow their bones on their own.
How to grow a tangerine tree? First of all, you need to decide whether you have a place for the maintenance of culture. The plant should be placed on the south window. If you have any poisonous pets, then they should be moved to another room. They should not be adjacent to the citrus crop.
The cultivation of mandarin from seeds
For those who do not know how to grow a tangerine tree from a stone at home, step by step we will describe the whole process:
- Soaking seeds.
- Landing in the ground.
- Proper care (watering, lighting and pest control).
- Graft.
And now let's take a closer look at all the steps so that there are no unnecessary questions regarding how to grow a tangerine tree from a stone.
Seed soaking
If you have already encountered the procedure for sowing seeds, then you know that they must first be soaked. Finding seed is easy at any time of the year. To do this, you can buy your favorite mandarin in the store. We take out the seeds from it and get the finished seeds. We put them in a gauze bag and soak for several days. Do not need a lot of water. Bones should not float in it. Just gauze should always be wet. To do this, it must be periodically wetted.
How to grow a tangerine tree from a stone? If you want to get just one plant, it’s still better to take 10-15 seeds. It should be understood that not all of them will germinate, some sprouts will die in the future from ailments or in the process of vaccination. Therefore, the more sprouts you have, the higher the chances of getting a tree.
If you do not want to mess with gauze to soak the seeds, you can use a hydrogel. It can be purchased at appropriate stores. Such a simple tool is used to protect plants from heat from landscape designers or amateur gardeners.
The hydrogel is somewhat reminiscent of drip irrigation. But in this case, it does not need to be added to the soil. You can use it instead of gauze, as it retains moisture well.
Bones must be placed inside the gel so that they do not dry out.
Landing
How to grow a tangerine tree from a stone? Hatching seeds should be transplanted in a box for seedlings or in a pot. Sometimes flower growers do not wait for seed swelling and immediately plant them in the ground. In this case, the sprouts appear a little later. But this one they will not become less good.
For tangerine tree you will need a special primer. Peat is not recommended. It dries quickly and acidifies, and the content of nutrients in them is very low. Peat is usually present in almost all substrates that are presented in stores. Therefore, the soil for the tree will have to be prepared independently.
To do this, you need to take:
- Three parts of soddy soil.
- One piece of leafy earth.
- Part of the sand.
- Part of the manure (rotten).
- A bit of clay.
Of course, for residents of urban apartments this option is inappropriate. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase a neutral, nutritious soil "Biohumus" or "Rose". According to experienced people, this soil is suitable for growing citrus fruits. In extreme cases, ordinary soil can be used by adding ashes, organic fertilizers and superphosphates to it.
At the bottom of the pots for planting, pebbles or expanded clay should be placed for drainage.
Proper care
How to grow a tangerine tree from a stone at home? The plant needs to provide proper care. After the appearance of the first sprouts, you will have to feed the plants with organic and mineral fertilizers every two weeks.
Now on sale fertilizers for citrus fruits are widely presented, they are very convenient to use. At first, the plants are watered, and then they are fertilized.
It is necessary to transplant a tree every year in the spring, trying not to disturb the earthen lump around the roots. And only after the plant has reached eight years of age can it be transplanted once every two years.
Mandarins are very fond of the sun, because the culture is southern. Therefore, it is better to place the tree on the south window. In winter, the room temperature should not be lower than +15 degrees. A tangerine tree needs to be sprayed weekly because it requires high humidity. A container of water can be placed near the pot with the plant.
Watering
How to grow a tangerine tree at home? Proper watering is the basis of care. It is necessary to moisten the plant in the summer several times a day. In winter, three waterings per week are enough. Humidification of the soil is carried out as it dries. For this, water of room temperature is used.
Pests and diseases
Is it possible to grow a tangerine tree from a stone? Of course, this is possible. But for a successful process, you will have to carry out regular feeding.
In addition, do not forget about the pests and ailments that often affect young plants. Most often, tangerine trees affect invisible shields for humans, whiteflies and red spider mites.
Therefore, it is necessary to regularly inspect the plants. If you notice this cobweb on the sprouts, this means that the tree must be treated with Fitoverm or Aktellik. The solutions are abundantly wetted with foliage. The procedure must be repeated several times a week.
How to grow a fruiting tree?
How to grow a tangerine tree at home, if you want to get a fruiting plant. A culture grown from seed begins to bear fruit only after 4-5 years. But at the same time, the fruits are completely not tasty, since the tree is a "wild game".
Vaccination of tangerine is an opportunity to accelerate the process of fruiting and obtain delicious fruits. The procedure is carried out during the period of sap flow: from April to early August. At other times, you can’t count on a successful result.
In general, the success of the procedure depends on the correctness and speed of action.
Vaccine preparation:
- We need a stock. The plant grown by us from the seed will act in its quality. At the same time, the thickness of its stem should be at least 6 mm in diameter (for example, a pencil has such dimensions).
- You will also need a scion - a fresh peephole or stalk, which are taken from a fruiting citrus plant. The branch should not be older than two years.
- Garden Var.
- Vaccination knife.
- Elastic tape.
An incision is made in the form of the letter T on the rootstock stock at a height of 10 cm (vertical - 2-4 cm, and horizontal - 1 cm). The graft is pre-prepared. Leaflets and spikes are removed from it. The kidney is carefully cut and inserted into the incision. The vaccination site must be wrapped with tape. After the procedure, the plant must be placed under a jar or in a bag to create a microclimate.
Only in a month will it become clear whether the vaccination was successful or not. It can be carried out several times, so it is better to start in the spring. If the first round fails, then the procedure for August can be repeated.
After successful vaccination, a sprout should appear from the kidney. As soon as he grows up, you can remove the shelter. But first, the plant should be accustomed to fresh air, arranging airing. Subsequently, the winding is removed. About a month later, when the new sprout grows well, the rootstock trunk is obliquely cut 3 mm above the base of the young shoot and covered with var. A wand is placed in the pot so that the tree can be taught to grow vertically.
This completes the vaccination procedure. Now you know how to grow a tangerine tree at home from a stone.
Florist Tips
Continuing the conversation on how to grow a tangerine tree at home, it is worth giving some recommendations for choosing seeds. For planting, it is necessary to choose the seeds of hybrid crops, which are widely available on sale. Such seeds germinate faster, bloom earlier and often yield edible fruits, and are also easier to plant.
Distinguishing hybrid forms is very simple. In real tangerines there are no seeds, and if there are, then in a small amount. Proper seeds should not be thin or withered. Blackened bones are also not good.
Experienced flower growers note that in each individual case, different times are required for seed germination. In some cases, 15 days is enough, and in others, not even a month is enough. Sometimes seeds do not germinate at all. A prerequisite is the use of a greenhouse. With its help, it is possible to create the desired microclimate.
Crown formation
Mandarin is a plant that needs crown formation. The first pinching should be carried out at a seedling height of 30-40 cm. This technique will cause the seedling to take out side branches of the first order. But this is not enough for flowering. Citrus fruits only on branches of the fourth and fifth order. Therefore, pinching is continued in the future, removing the tips of the shoots after the fifth leaf. It is also necessary to remove weak branches and those that grow inward. The formation of the crown takes up to five years.
If you want to force first-order shoots to branch, you can use a different method. Branches can be rejected using commit. The method is more time-consuming, but very interesting. On the branch, one end of the wire is fixed, and the second is fixed with a pin at the very edge of the pot. This is done in such a way that the shoot deviates to a parallel position relative to the ground.
Instead of an afterword
As you can see, growing a tree from seed is not so difficult. But the result is a nice indoor plant that does not require special care, but at the same time pleases with aroma and beauty.