Growing citrus fruits at home brings not only pleasure, but also some benefits, they have delicious and beautiful fruits, one of these plants is indoor mandarin. Many lovers undeservedly prefer only one representative of citrus fruits - lemon, although there are many other no less interesting plants of this species.
New varieties have been developed for growing lemons in room conditions, and if you decide to grow indoor tangerine or, for example, grapefruit, then you will have to use industrial varieties. Lemons grown indoors have a pale color and are very acidic, while a houseplant like mandarin has bright and sweet fruits. One of the disadvantages of growing tangerines in apartments is the need for a large room, as they are quite tall.
Typically, citrus fruits are grown from seeds, and then the resulting seedlings are grafted; for this, cuttings are taken from a tree that already bears fruit.
As already mentioned, until such a variety as indoor tangerine exists, ordinary industrial varieties are used for their cultivation. If you did the right vaccination and pruned the tree, then it will bear fruit already in the fourth year, and it happens even earlier. Lemon cuttings can be easily rooted, while cuttings of other citrus fruits are poorly rooted and need only be grafted.
If you do not have plant grafting skills, but you still want to grow a citrus tree at home, then indoor mandarin is the best option. It is he who, one of all citrus fruits, begins to bloom already in the third year, while, unlike others, he is much smaller.
Indoor tangerine - care and crown formation.
Mandarin crown formation must be approached responsibly. We must say right away that we should not be afraid to circumcise and spare the tree. You must clearly know what you want to achieve with this operation.
It is necessary to have certain information, for example, to know that the fruits of the mandarin are formed on the branches of the fourth order and until they appear, there will be no fruiting. By carrying out the correct pruning, you can significantly reduce the time before fruiting. You need to trim the branches on which the fourth leaf appeared. It is quite possible to form the correct crown in two years, subject to the necessary illumination, thanks to the optimally selected soil composition, timely top dressing.
Citrus fruits like moderate watering, they do not tolerate drying out, as well as waterlogging of the soil. In warm time, it is necessary to spray the tree, if the air is dry, the plant is more susceptible to attack by ticks and scale insects.
A tangerine houseplant is very fond of light, as well as warmth and to start flowering it needs a temperature of at least 17 ° C. In winter, it is best to place the plant in a room where the temperature will be around 12 ° C, otherwise you risk not getting fruits in the warm season.
While the tree is young, it must be replanted annually, after the fruiting has begun, this can be done every three years. During flowering and fruiting, it is better not to perform such a procedure.
When growing tangerines, some problems may arise and the most common are:
- yellowing and falling of leaves, no flowering and no fruits appear, all this indicates an insufficient nutrition of the plant and it must be transplanted;
- the appearance of spots on the leaves and their decline indicates overmoistening of the soil, this can also occur with untimely watering;
- the appearance of dry leaves that wrinkle can indicate both burns and the presence of pests.
The fruits of this plant are not only tasty, but also dietary, and essential oil is present in the peel. Peel infusions help with coughing, as they have expectorant qualities. The use of fruits helps people who are prone to indigestion. The use of juice helps in the fight against various fungal diseases.